File association defaults

[Clay Weber]

On Friday 05 March 2010 08:12:43 pm Steve Morris wrote:
> I am having an issue with file association defaults in Kubuntu/Ubuntu.
> In Firefox the default for pdf mimetypes was to ask for information on
> how they should be handled. When the dialogue box pops up as a result of
> clicking on the link, the open with entry lists Ocular as the default,
> but if I look at the kde file associations for pdf files the first
> application listed in the list of handling applications is Acrobat. If I
> click on the Open with dropdown it only specifies Ocular not all the
> applications listed in the kde file associations as being able to handle
> pdf files.
> Hence the questions I have are:
> 
>     * What in Kubuntu/Ubuntu constitutes the default application for a
>       file type and where is specified/modified.

In System Settings' File Associations area

>     * Why does the open with entry in the dialogue box (I'm assuming
>       this is gtk) not appear to honour the kde configuration,
>       particularly when if I double click a pdf file in krusader if
>       opens acrobat to display it as indicated by the kde file
> associations.

because firefox may use it's own  method for determining file associations, it 
has it's own unique settings that seem to be independent of what the system 
default is. 

Wow, downloading acrobat now, sure is a pig:

$The following NEW packages will be installed:
  acroread
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Need to get 63.5MB of archives.
After this operation, 153MB of additional disk space will be used.

What I have discovered is that when installing acroread via the commandline, 
it offers the choice of setting the systemwide file association for pdf to 
acroread (and does so for my firefox setup - it is the fist thing in the 
dropdown list). This option I know does not happen using KPackagekit as it 
doesn't yet support this sort of apt dialog. This probably explains why 
Firefox does not see this, though KDE still seems to notice the change, or 
automatically puts newly installed things at the top of the list in terms of 
file associations.

> regards,
> Steve

-- 
Clay Weber
http://kubuntuforums.net
http://flyballmaine.com
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