How do you change the default opening application?

[Fred Roller]

On Thu, 2009-08-06 at 17:38 +0000, marc wrote:
> Tony Baldwin wrote:
> 
> > marc wrote:
> >
> >>>>> Right click and select Properties|Open With|Add
> >>>>> You can then add the application if it's not already there. Select 'Use
> >>>>> Custom Command to put in the path of the app if it's not listed in your
> >>>>> applications.
> >>>> Yes, tes, I know, but this isn't what I'm asking.
> >>>>
> >>> Well you've got me there... Just what _are_ you asking then?
> >> 
> >> To change the default app when a filetype/mimetype doesn't exist. When
> >> the system has no idea what the file is.
> >> 
> >
> > Do YOU know what kind of file it is?
> 
> Maybe, maybe not. It's not important.
> 
> > Without that little tidbit, we can't tell you what application to use to 
> > open it.
> 
> That's the point: I want a default app for "unknown/unassigned" file
> types.  Basically, I'll just assign a text editor, because that's the
> most useful general tool, imo.
> 
> This was working fine until a recent random "upgrade" when a completely
> inappropriate app somehow became the "default" app.
> 
> > What is the file extension?
> 
> Never mind, I'll sort it out.
> 
> Thanks anyway.
> 
> -- 
> Best,
> Marc
> 
> "Change requires small steps."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

Marc, did you look look at the "defaults.list" that I posted about
earlier? (tends to be in different locations depending on distro so run
"locate")

	locate defaults.list

froller at metis:~$ locate defaults.list
/etc/gnome/defaults.list
/usr/share/applications/defaults.list


excerpt:

[Default Applications]
application/csv=openoffice.org-calc.desktop
application/excel=openoffice.org-calc.desktop
application/msexcel=openoffice.org-calc.desktop
application/msword=openoffice.org-writer.desktop
application/ogg=totem.desktop
application/postscript=evince.desktop
application/rtf=openoffice.org-writer.desktop
application/tab-separated-values=openoffice.org-calc.desktop
...

Make your association and if necessary a custom *.desktop file.

-- 
Fred R.
www.fwrgallery.com

"Life is like Linux - simple; if you are fighting it, you are doing
something wrong."