1496024 - unable to delete/set URI protocol handlers

Status: REOPENED

(Firefox :: File Handling, defect, P3)

Description

[Aleksandr]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:62.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/62.0

Steps to reproduce:

Situation:
There is non-default protocol handler (MySuperApp.exe application) set for x-github-client protocol via firefox settings.

Steps:
1. Install GitHub Desktop application.
2. It becomes registered handler application for x-github-client protocol (sets valid registry keys in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\x-github-client\shell\open\command, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\x-github-client\shell\open\command etc.).
3. Reboot Windows (to be on the safe side).
4. Open firefox settings and observe there strings in combobox for x-github-protocol:
    Always ask
    Use MySuperApp.exe
    Use other...
    __________________
    Info about application...
5. Wonder: Where the heck is registered default protocol handler (GitHubDesktop.exe) in this list?
6. Open "Info about application..." and there is only one string:
    MySuperApp.exe | Delete
7. Press 'Delete' - MySuperApp.exe is removed from list of x-github-client protocol handlers.
8. Now combobox strings for x-github-client protocol in firefox settings looks like:
    Always ask
    Use other...
9. Wonder again - Where the heck is 'GitHubDesktop.exe' that is registered as default handler of x-github-client protocol?
10. Close and reopen firefox settings and look through the combobox strings for x-github-client protocol. It is in the state of №4. Go to №4. Repeat?
...
...
...
4.v1. Find bug report #1413819
5.v1. Open "handlers.json" in "...\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\$PROFILE_NAME$\" manually.
6.v1. Find substring 
"x-github-client":{"action":2,"handlers":[{"name":"MySuperApp.exe","path":"D:\\MySuperApp App\\MySuperApp.exe"}],"ask":true}
7.v1. Edit and save this substring in "handlers.json" like
"x-github-client":{"action":2,"handlers":[null],"ask":true}
8.v1. Open firefox options again. It's the same as №4!!! File "handlers.json" stays saved with removed string and is untouched.
9.v1. Meditate for some time.
...
...
...
4.v2. I have no idea what to do.


Actual results:

A. firefox refuses to admit that there is default registered in Windows protocol handler for x-github-client protocol
B. firefox refuses to delete custom protocol handlers like at all


Expected results:

A. firefox must show default protocol handler in the options!
B. firefox must actually delete protocol handlers from options menu and do it correctly.
C. firefox may update protocol handlers list on deletion/insertion/on timer.

Comment 1

[:Paolo Amadini]

This works for me with GitHub Desktop on Windows 10, latest Nightly with a new profile, with one custom protocol handler and the given steps to reproduce. I get the expected results A and B.

If you can get this working as expected on your system or on a separate machine, and then you can find a specific step that breaks the behavior, then feel free to reopen the bug as we'll be able to investigate.

Note that bug 1413819 is unrelated, and involves removing the entry from the list when it is reverted to default settings, which is only about presentation and does not affect behavior.

Comment 2

[Aleksandr]

(In reply to :Paolo Amadini from comment #1)
> This works for me with GitHub Desktop on Windows 10, latest Nightly with a
> new profile, with one custom protocol handler and the given steps to
> reproduce. I get the expected results A and B.
> 
> If you can get this working as expected on your system or on a separate
> machine, and then you can find a specific step that breaks the behavior,
> then feel free to reopen the bug as we'll be able to investigate.
> 
> Note that bug 1413819 is unrelated, and involves removing the entry from the
> list when it is reverted to default settings, which is only about
> presentation and does not affect behavior.

Could you test it with actual Windows 7x64 and latest firefox stable build? Because it works for me on Win10 but does not on Win7.

Comment 3

[:Paolo Amadini]

(In reply to Aleksandr from comment #2)
> Could you test it with actual Windows 7x64 and latest firefox stable build?
> Because it works for me on Win10 but does not on Win7.

Thank you for checking, I managed to reproduce this bug specifically on Windows 7. As a first step, I've added the regressionwindow-wanted keyword so that someone will help identify what has caused the broken behavior.

Comment 4

[Aleksandr]

Any updates on this one?

Comment 5

[Aleksey Nogin]

I am seeing a similar issue on Windows 7 pro with Firefox 65.0 (64-bit). x-github-client protocol handling works fine with other browsers, but Firefox is just bringing a pop-up asking me which application to use to handle it. I tried deleting the entry from handlers.json to see if the Firefox would pick up the correct handler from the Windows registry, but it did not happen...

Comment 6

[Aleksandr]

I don't know what happened but version 72.0.2 seem to do the trick.
However the string displayed in firefox protocol handlers pop-up window is not "GitHubDesktop" but "C:\Users\User.........\GitHubDesktop.exe" --protocol-launcher "%1".

Comment 7

[Neustradamus]

Any news about it?