pdf attachments in Thunderbird 3.0.4

Post by Barry Jackson
In a fully updated KDE cooker, .pdf attachments won't open from
Thunderbird 3.0.4
The error thrown up in Thunderbird is :-
/tmp/Invoice-5422-5.pdf could not be opened, because the associated
helper application does not exist. Change the association in your
preferences.
If the attachment is saved and clicked in Dolphin, then it opens fine in
Okular.
Using the same TB profile in 2010.0 with Lanikai (TB nightly build) the
same attachment opens OK.
Anyone else seeing this?

I should have mentioned that Okular is the associated reader in TB in
both cases.

Steve Fisher

2010-05-07 19:22:56 UTC

I should have mentioned that Okular is the associated reader in TB in
both cases.

Works fine here.

Ahmad Samir

2010-05-07 21:48:23 UTC

I should have mentioned that Okular is the associated reader in TB in both
cases.

Test in a new user account?

--
Ahmad Samir

Barry Jackson

2010-05-07 22:52:33 UTC

I should have mentioned that Okular is the associated reader in TB in both
cases.

Test in a new user account?

Hmm.. messy but OK I did it.
I had to set up an account in the new user in TB to send mail to.
In the new user a box pops up only offering to save the .pdf file.
The file associations table in TB prefs is empty, and so far I don't see
a way to poulate it.
Okular is associated in KDE in the new user - just in TB there are no
default associations.

Ahmad Samir

2010-05-08 00:11:45 UTC

I should have mentioned that Okular is the associated reader in TB in both
cases.

Test in a new user account?

Hmm.. messy but OK I did it.
I had to set up an account in the new user in TB to send mail to.
In the new user a box pops up only offering to save the .pdf file.
The file associations table in TB prefs is empty, and so far I don't see a
way to poulate it.
Okular is associated in KDE in the new user - just in TB there are no
default associations.

I sent an email to myself with a pdf attached (I don't use tb to this
account is as new as can be in this regard). Double clicking the
attachment a window poped up, asking whether to save it or use Adobe
Reader to open it. IINM it read
Adobe Reader" as a possible handler from
/usr/share/applications/defaults.list
(~/.local/share/applications/defaults.list is used if it exists, I
keep one locally to make gtk apps, previously firefox before the
kmozillahelper integration in current cooker and 2010.0).

Note that after installing okular it will get registered in
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache for application/pdf.

So what's the output of 'grep pdf
/usr/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}' and 'grep pdf
~/.local/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}' .

The mime settings are stored in~/.thunderbird/<profile>/mimeTypes.rdf.

Also note that the initial pop-up, when opening an attached pdf,
should offer both an "Open With" and "save" options, even if open with
is an empty list...

--
Ahmad Samir

Barry Jackson

2010-05-10 09:27:27 UTC

Post by Ahmad Samir
I sent an email to myself with a pdf attached (I don't use tb to this
account is as new as can be in this regard). Double clicking the
attachment a window poped up, asking whether to save it or use Adobe
Reader to open it. IINM it read
Adobe Reader" as a possible handler from
/usr/share/applications/defaults.list
(~/.local/share/applications/defaults.list is used if it exists, I
keep one locally to make gtk apps, previously firefox before the
kmozillahelper integration in current cooker and 2010.0).
Note that after installing okular it will get registered in
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache for application/pdf.
So what's the output of 'grep pdf
/usr/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}' and 'grep pdf
~/.local/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}' .

[***@jackodesktop ~]$ grep pdf
/usr/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}
/usr/share/applications/defaults.list:application/pdf=evince.desktop;kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/pdf=gimp.desktop;kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/x-gzpdf=kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/x-bzpdf=kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop

[***@jackodesktop ~]$ grep pdf
~/.local/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}

Post by Ahmad Samir
The mime settings are stored in~/.thunderbird/<profile>/mimeTypes.rdf.

http://barjac.pastebin.com/J5wVxtR3

Post by Ahmad Samir
Also note that the initial pop-up, when opening an attached pdf,
should offer both an "Open With" and "save" options, even if open with
is an empty list...

Nope, there is no "Open with..."

I am seeing exactly the same behaviour in 2010.0 as cooker so it seems
to be a TB3.0.4 issue. I have found other posts about this in TB
newsgroup, but nothing to suggest a fix.

TB 3.1pre nightly build works perfectly (and so does Lightning/1.0b2pre)
in both 2010.0 and cooker with the same profile, so I will stay on the
cutting edge where things work for now!

It would be interesting to see the mimeTypes.rdf from Steve Fisher's WFM
machine though.

Steve Fisher

2010-05-10 17:18:02 UTC

/usr/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}
/usr/share/applications/defaults.list:application/pdf=evince.desktop;kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/pdf=gimp.desktop;kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/x-gzpdf=kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/x-bzpdf=kde4-okularApplication_pdf.desktop
~/.local/share/applications/{defaults.list,mimeinfo.cache}
The mime settings are stored in~/.thunderbird/<profile>/mimeTypes.rdf.
http://barjac.pastebin.com/J5wVxtR3
Also note that the initial pop-up, when opening an attached pdf,

Post by Ahmad Samir
should offer both an "Open With" and "save" options, even if open with
is an empty list...

Nope, there is no "Open with..."
I am seeing exactly the same behaviour in 2010.0 as cooker so it seems to
be a TB3.0.4 issue. I have found other posts about this in TB newsgroup, but
nothing to suggest a fix.
TB 3.1pre nightly build works perfectly (and so does Lightning/1.0b2pre) in
both 2010.0 and cooker with the same profile, so I will stay on the cutting
edge where things work for now!
It would be interesting to see the mimeTypes.rdf from Steve Fisher's WFM
machine though.

Here it is:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<RDF:RDF xmlns:NC="http://home.netscape.com/NC-rdf#"
xmlns:RDF="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:root"
NC:en-US_defaultHandlersVersion="-1" />
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:schemes">
<NC:Protocol-Schemes RDF:resource="urn:schemes:root"/>
</RDF:Description>
<RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:schemes:root">
</RDF:Seq>
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetypes">
<NC:MIME-types RDF:resource="urn:mimetypes:root"/>
</RDF:Description>
<RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:mimetypes:root">
</RDF:Seq>
</RDF:RDF>

HTH

Steve (xirconuk btw!)

Barry Jackson

2010-05-10 19:57:23 UTC

Post by Steve Fisher
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<RDF:RDF xmlns:NC="http://home.netscape.com/NC-rdf#"
xmlns:RDF="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:root"
NC:en-US_defaultHandlersVersion="-1" />
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:schemes">
<NC:Protocol-Schemes RDF:resource="urn:schemes:root"/>
</RDF:Description>
<RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:schemes:root">
</RDF:Seq>
<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetypes">
<NC:MIME-types RDF:resource="urn:mimetypes:root"/>
</RDF:Description>
<RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:mimetypes:root">
</RDF:Seq>
</RDF:RDF>
HTH
Steve (xirconuk btw!)

Hi Steve,
Well I guess it's nothing to do with that then - AFAIT there's nothing
in yours that refers to pdf.
I saw this:- http://forum.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?p=800136#800136
and it got me thinking.
I sent another mail with another pdf attached to my new user (joe
bloggs) account, guess what - it openes with a dbl click!
Looking at the .pdf header, the only difference that I can see in the
first few bytes is "5 0 obj" as opposed to "3 0 obj".
Means 'not a lot' to me.
Anyhow - it seems that pdf's created by some software somewhere do not
agree with Thunderbird 3.04.
BTW that avatar of yours hurts my eyes ;-)
Cheers,
Barry

Ahmad Samir

2010-05-10 20:01:09 UTC

Hi Steve,
Well I guess it's nothing to do with that then - AFAIT there's nothing in
yours that refers to pdf.
I saw this:- http://forum.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?p=800136#800136
and it got me thinking.
I sent another mail with another pdf attached to my new user (joe bloggs)
account, guess what - it openes with a dbl click!
Looking at the .pdf header, the only difference that I can see in the first
few bytes is "5 0 obj" as opposed to "3 0 obj".
Means 'not a lot' to me.
Anyhow - it seems that pdf's created by some software somewhere do not agree
with Thunderbird 3.04.
BTW that avatar of yours hurts my eyes ;-)
Cheers,
Barry

Did you try with other pdf files? it may just be that the file you're
testing is "odd" ??

--
Ahmad Samir

Ahmad Samir

2010-05-10 20:44:23 UTC