Arch Linux

RedArcher

Member

From: South Africa

Registered: 2009-09-03

Posts: 145

How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

I guess that you all know the following message:

Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (vlc) isn't associated with any program.

When you type mailto://foo@foo.org or mailto:foo@foo.org the default email client shows up wiith the specified address etc.
Where do I set a radio:, a tv:, etc. protocols in the system.
For example: typing radio:http://foo@foo.org/listen.pls will open http://foo@foo.org/listen.pls in the audio or video player that I specified.

EDIT: I found it on the GNOME Configuration Editor (command gconf-editor) under Edit > Find... > mailto

but I don't like gnome desktop.

an Openbox/Fluxbox/X11 solutions would be appreciated [EDIT: and a gconf, too]

Last edited by RedArcher (2009-10-31 22:28:20)

RedArcher

Member

From: South Africa

Registered: 2009-09-03

Posts: 145

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

how do I delete this current comment?

Last edited by RedArcher (2009-10-31 22:29:17)

ThomasC

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2009-10-04

Posts: 8

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

You can set up protocol handlers in Firefox about:config.
http://blog.ryaneby.com/archives/firefo … -handlers/

RedArcher

Member

From: South Africa

Registered: 2009-09-03

Posts: 145

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

well, this is not a good solution, although I AM trying to use it

network.protocol-handler.app.vlc;/usr/bin/vlc
network.protocol-handler.external.vlc;true

vlc:URL will open in VLC Media Player vlc:URL instead of URL

and even this did not worked.

what to do???

Last edited by RedArcher (2009-11-11 17:34:12)

ThomasC

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2009-10-04

Posts: 8

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

This may be too hacky to your liking/needs. But you could run it through a script that trims off vlc:// and opens VLC.

RedArcher

Member

From: South Africa

Registered: 2009-09-03

Posts: 145

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

I tried

vlc "%s"

with bash, but firefox does not let me to use it...

Xyne

Administrator/PM

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 6,965

Website

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

I think you can do this by manually editing the mimeTypes.rdf file in your Firefox profile folder. I was just looking at the way it handles "mailto" in that file and I think you could use that as a template to create something for "vlc", "radio", etc.

This might be useful: http://kb.mozillazine.org/MimeTypes.rdf

*edit*
By editing that file I was able to get a "vlc" entry in the applications menu in the preferences dialogue, but I was not able to get Firefox to "recognize".

Nevermind. I've just found this page which recommends the method you've used above: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/The … ny+program

Last edited by Xyne (2009-11-11 18:40:16)

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rwd

Member

Registered: 2009-02-08

Posts: 664

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

I guess that you all know the following message:

Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (vlc) isn't associated with any program.

When you type mailto://foo@foo.org or mailto:foo@foo.org the default email client shows up wiith the specified address etc.
Where do I set a radio:, a tv:, etc. protocols in the system.
For example: typing radio:http://foo@foo.org/listen.pls will open http://foo@foo.org/listen.pls in the audio or video player that I specified.

EDIT: I found it on the GNOME Configuration Editor (command gconf-editor) under Edit > Find... > mailto

but I don't like gnome desktop.

an Openbox/Fluxbox/X11 solutions would be appreciated [EDIT: and a gconf, too]

It's not quite sure to me what you want to achieve with this. I have never come across the 'vlc' protocol, do you just want to make you own protocol so you can open streams by typing them into the urlbar? If you simply want vlc to handle your media then you could install the vlc firefox plugin, and maybe set the mimetypes it should handle in edit-preferences->applications.

For downloads I think firefox follows the system mimetype preferences unless overridden in Firefox.

Last edited by rwd (2009-11-12 00:16:09)

zenlord

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2006-05-24

Posts: 1,223

Website

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

I have kind of the same problem. I'm writing a webapp to manage the files of our small office and would like to be able to click a dynamically generated link to a local folder in my file browser.

So I made a 'locallink'-protocol and bound that to pcmanfm in a user.js-file inside my default profile:
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.locallink", "/usr/bin/pcmanfm");

, but this only generates an errormessage that
''locallink:///share/[...]/' is not a valid location'.

Zl.

RedArcher

Member

From: South Africa

Registered: 2009-09-03

Posts: 145

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

It's not quite sure to me what you want to achieve with this. I have never come across the 'vlc' protocol, do you just want to make you own protocol so you can open streams by typing them into the urlbar?

Indeed.

@zenlord; @rwd; @Xyne; @ThomasC
People, people...
Let us "educate" the SYSTEM so that Arora, Firefox, Midori and other web browsers will: "follow the system mimetype preferences"

@Xyne (about FF)
Search for chrome://browser-region/locale/region.properties at about:config (maybe it will be useful?)

and thank you (all) for joining to this thread

EDIT: it is old... The VideoLAN Forums • View topic - Listening to the Radio with my Bookmarks

Last edited by RedArcher (2009-11-12 17:42:54)

lordawesome

Member

Registered: 2009-09-15

Posts: 5

Re: How do I associate an application with a certain protocol?

WOW... I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but if you can install arch, you should be able to do this. Let me show you what you are doing wrong.

First off, you are trying too hard. It's OK... it happens to us all.  Maybe all the other configuration and setting changes you had to make got your gears turning too fast to pull out the answer to your puzzle.

Second. Open firefox (or Shiretoko.. or whatever you want to call it.

Third. click edit >> preferences

Fourth. click on applications. There will be a section labeled mailto. What you want here is to change it to the correct program.  Super easy right? Not if your program is not listed in the drop-down box. That's ok. Step 5 fixes that.

Fifth (optional). Your program is not listed. CRAP!! Don't worry. go to use other in the drop-down and browse to /usr/bin. You should be able to find your program in there. Well... this is the default place to look. Anyway. I hope this makes your life easier. It is a configuration of the browser you need, not of gnome or anythiung else. This is common of many things for archlinux.

Sixth (required). While archlinux can have a lot of settings and programs to install, it is the best once you get it up and running. Remember... those who made arch want you to know your system instead of just installing it and not being able to fix it later if something fails (the Arch way covers this). Good luck and happy configuration!