Problem with file-type association

[Rashkae]

On 06/03/2011 02:37 PM, Séamas Ó Brógáin wrote:
> Since I upgraded to Ubuntu 11.04 I have experienced some problems with
> file-type association.
>
> I wish to associate .txt and .nam with a text editor and .sfd with
> Fontforge (font editor). If I use the normal method of selecting a
> representative file and opening Properties>  Open with, all three types
> are changed. If I use this method to associate .sfd with Fontforge, all
> plain-text files are associated with Fontforge.
>
> I understand that the association is stored in
> ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list; but when I look in that file
> I see that for Fontforge the association created by the normal method is
> described as “text/plain”––in other words, it is reading the “filetype,”
> which is indeed plain text, not the file-name extension.
>
> Is there a way in which to explicitly link a specified file-name
> extensions with a selected application?
>
>
>

Alas, no, you can not associate a file extension to a application in 
Gnome, only mime types. Don't despair however, it is possible to create 
a new Mime type for your .sfd files (which are being detected as plain 
text file).

You'll need to install the assogiate package. Run assogiate

Create a new entry, Category, Multi-purpose File, Name: 
Application/x-font-sfd Description: SFD File (or whatever makes sense to 
you here, I have no idea what sfd files are.)

In the Filenames tab, add *.sfb

You will probably have to restart your gnome session for the new mime 
type to work. I don't know what command you could issue for gnome to 
re-initialize known Mime types.

Now, however, when you right click on a sfb file, you should be able to 
associate an application with your new custom mime type.