GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 92497
RFE: it should be possible to open a file with an application, without associating
Last modified: 2009-09-30 10:13:46 UTC
Package: nautilus Severity: enhancement Version: 2.0.4 Synopsis: RFE: it should be possible to open a file with an application, without associating Bugzilla-Product: nautilus Bugzilla-Component: File and Folder Operations Description: Description of Problem: I think that Other Application... should act more like windows - it should give you an option to open the file with a selected application without associating the file type with this application. It should also give you the option to associate. It could be useful if you want to see the general file structure in gedit or something. I also like to try opening the file in a certain application, see if it works and then decide whether or not to associate. ------- Bug moved to this database by unknown@bugzilla.gnome.org 2002-09-04 13:03 ------- Reassigning to the default owner of the component, nautilus-maint@bugzilla.gnome.org.
Past feature freeze, changing GNOMEVER to 2.3. Marking NEW, adding usability since this is a usability change
Nautilus 2.4 open the file without associating them, this bug is probably fixed. Could you test to if it's work fine with nautilus 2.4 ? Thanks
I don't know how to do this in Nautilus 2.4.1. Double-click on the file, right click and selecting open, right-click and selecting open with... (application or viewer) give me the same dialogue: There is no action associated with "umlaut.kwd". You can configure GNOME to associate applications with file types. Do you want to associate an application with this file type now? Cancel Associate Application I see no way to open the file with another application without associating it. Checking a wav file, which I have an association, I see the same problem I reported - I can only add another application to the menu, then open it with that application.
Still a problem (for me, at least) with 2.6.0. Is this actually working for other people?
On first glance: when you right-click on a file that already has 1 or more possible associations you get (for example): Open With > gedit vi vim Other Application... In this case, Other Application dialog pops up. (which seems good) The other case is when you right-click a file that has no associations and you get: Open With > An Application... In this case, the filetype association dialog pops up (bad). Both cases are equivilent, however. In the "Other Application" dialog you're still only presented with a list of applications associated with the file type that you are attempting to open. ie: in the case of a filetype with no associations, this dialog would be empty anyway and you'd only have the [Modify] and [Go There] buttons that take you to the first case. It should be possible to open unknown filetypes (or possibly even known filetypes as well) with any application via this (or some other) dialog without making an association.
I can confirm it does not work with Nautilus 2.6. In fact, to my eyes, both situations don't work, with respect to my esteemed fellow bug checker. When you have a file that has associations, you still CAN'T open the file with another application. Yes, you can add another application to the menu. However, you can't open this file with an application. I would like something similar to "Run Programm" dialogue, when I select open with an(other) application - I can type the name of the application in it, or I can browse for the application. If GNOME will add this application to applications that can be added to the menu, fine. If GNOME wants to add it to the menu, fine. Therefore, this bug should stay as NEW.
With the new freedesktop.org MIME stuff in 2.7 does this bug really apply anymore?
Yes, this stuff still applies. Opening a file that has an application associated with it - Works. Opening such a file with another application - Works (it is also added to the menu). Opening a file that has NO application associated with it - Fails. The error messages are: Couldn't display "/home/uridavid/umlaut.kwd". There was an error launching the application. In this last case, Nautulis should launch the "open with other application..." dialog (or a similar dialog). Summary - this bug stays open.
This is almost (but NOT) fixed in Nautilus 2.10.1. Almost - right-click gives you an option to "Open in other application" correctly calling the relevant dialogue. Not - Double-click gives an error message stating only "Couldn't display /home/uridavid/umlaut.kwd". It is unclear WHY it couldn't display this file. Requested - Double-click will open the "Open with other application..." dialogue when there are no applications associated with the file.
Anybody cares about this pretty important accessibility bug ? I think, that it's pretty easy to patch nautilus to show applications selection dialog (which is displayed, when user chooses "Open with Other Application") when user press on any unassociated file type with left mouse button.
Still not fixed in Nautilus 2.14.3. Still gives out the non-helpful error message. Poking the developers.
Still unfixed in Nautilus 2.18.3. Hooray, Hooray! This bug is now almost 5 years old.
Still unfixed in Nautilus 2.20.0 This bug is now 6 years old.
This is valid for 2.23.1 too, let's try to fix it for 2.24.
I might give this one a try. Do we just want a button that says "Open with" or "Choose application" in the dialog that appears after double clicking the file and then show the "Open With" dialog?
Created attachment 143838 [details] Screencast showing nautilus opening unknown file with patch
Created attachment 143839 [details] [review] First patch to add "Open With" button to error dialog Here's first patch to add an "Open With" button in the error dialog upon opening a file with unknown type. Comments?
One question. Does this patch associate the new application (in the example you gave GEdit) with the file, or does it just open with GEdit? Can I get an option, when opening with an application (in this case GEdit), to associate this application with the specific file type? Thanks.
(In reply to comment #18) > One question. > Actually it looks like two ;-) > Does this patch associate the new application (in the example you gave GEdit) > with the file, or does it just open with GEdit? Yes. As it uses the same code as the "Open With Another Application" it will behave the same. > > Can I get an option, when opening with an application (in this case GEdit), to > associate this application with the specific file type? I'll see if I can add an option to that window, "[x] Always open files of type ??? with this application". Or something like that? > > Thanks.
Created attachment 143938 [details] [review] Adds an option to "Remember this application for... " files of the same type Discussed this problem with alex in #nautilus and we agreed this would be the best. Note that this patch only changes the Open With dialog, you still need the last patch to have the button in the error dialog. Also I'm no good at designing things so there's room for improvements (screenshot coming in a second) Comments?
Created attachment 143941 [details] Screenshot of patched Open With dialog Left dialog showing (untouched) Add Application dialog and the right shows the new and improved Open With dialog with an option to remember the application for files of the same type.
From irc review: <alex> mdc_work: hmm, the checkbox should be under the custom command thing, since that is part of picking the app <alex> _("Open all %s with:") <alex> these kinds of hacks with strings are no good <alex> they break translation, where word ordering is not always like its in english <alex> you need to have each "full sentence" as a sting, with only the type name as %s <alex> mdc_work: see e.g. http://www.gnu.org/software/hello/manual/gettext/Preparing-Strings.html <alex> mdc_work: also, i'd prefer to have a real boolean instead of piggybacking on the checkbox being hidden
Created attachment 144106 [details] [review] Updated patch as wished by Alexander Fixes the issues Alexander pointed out; complete sentences, adding a boolean to private for add mode and move the remember application to the end of the dialog. (Also fixed an embarrassing bug).
Created attachment 144107 [details] Updated screenshot
commited.
Alex, note that the committed patch was just one part of this bug. The other part that adds the button to the dialog is not part of the commit. (Maybe awalton will commit it so don't take action before checking with him or me first)
About the open with button: + g_object_ref (file), + (GDestroyNotify)g_object_unref); Please use nautilus_file_ref/unref when handling NautilusFile objects, as we have some helpers there to debug refcount issues. Also, the button has a pretty bad name. "Select Application" sounds better.
Created attachment 144290 [details] [review] Adds an option to select the application to open an unkown file type upon error opening the file.
Attachment 144290 [details] pushed as 58a0733 - Adds an option to select the application to open an unkown file type upon error opening the file.