Open Bug 1601351 Opened 4 years ago Updated 14 days ago

Provide option in Profile Manager for links from external applications to open into last active profile window

Categories

(Toolkit :: Startup and Profile System, enhancement, P5)

Product:
Toolkit
Component:
Startup and Profile System
Version:
71 Branch
Type:
enhancement

Tracking

()

Status:
UNCONFIRMED

People

(Reporter: sethgoldin, Unassigned)

Details

(Keywords: parity-chrome)

Currently links from external applications can only open into the default profile, which, as has been discussed, is intended and expected: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1553815

However, some users would like the ability for links from external applications to open into whatever was the most recently active profile window.

This is an RFE for some sort of way to toggle between the current default behavior and the described alternative behavior.

For the UI/UX, I envision a checkbox in the Profile Manager with the description: Open links from external applications into last active profile window. By default, on fresh installations of Firefox, this could be left unchecked, but when checked, checking the box would change the behavior for the users who want it.

Priority: -- → P5

Hi,
opening link from external applications should at least be forwarded to the running instance even if it is not running with the default profile.
I can understand why the behavior has been modified, but not letting the users being able to remain on the previous one (which lasted 10 years) is ... annoying.
I hope someone will take care of this :)

Hi,
my workaround for the time being is:

profiles.ini.0

  [Profile0]
  Name=default
  Path=k9a7jj0o.default
  ...

profiles.ini.1

  [Profile0]
  Name=test
  Path=f5kuhdte.test
  ...

Then I have two batch files:

ff0

#!/bin/sh
cp $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini.0 $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini
firefox &

ff1

#!/bin/sh
cp $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini.1 $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini
firefox &

Best Regards
JB

(In reply to Jonas from comment #2)

Hi,
my workaround for the time being is:

profiles.ini.0

  [Profile0]
  Name=default
  Path=k9a7jj0o.default
  ...

profiles.ini.1

  [Profile0]
  Name=test
  Path=f5kuhdte.test
  ...

Then I have two batch files:

ff0

#!/bin/sh
cp $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini.0 $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini
firefox &

ff1

#!/bin/sh
cp $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini.1 $HOME/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini
firefox &

Best Regards
JB

I don't quite understand what this is supposed to do. On Fedora 31, setting up the two profiles and two bash scripts in this way just seems to reverse where external links open. Even when the regular "default" ff0 profile is the last active window, now links only open into the the ff1 window.

I have Debian 11 (Testing).

It works for me, here is an example.

run ff0 (firefox starts)
xdg-open test.html
test.html is open as a new tab in ff0.
close ff0.

run ff1 (firefox starts)
xdg-open test.html
test.html is open as a new tab in ff1.
close ff1.

Sorry that does not work in Fedora.

(In reply to Jonas from comment #4)

run ff0 (firefox starts)
xdg-open test.html
test.html is open as a new tab in ff0.
close ff0.

run ff1 (firefox starts)
xdg-open test.html
test.html is open as a new tab in ff1.
close ff1.

Jonas,

Sorry, I'm not quite sure if you understand the problem folks are trying to solve here in this thread, nor do I understand how your test purports to solve that.

We want to have different profiles open at the same time and have the xdg-open open links into the most recently active window.

Your procedure that opens ff0, runs xdg-open and then closes ff0 doesn't really show that.

In your setup, we'd want ff0 and ff1to be open _simultaneously_ and then havexdg-open` in whichever window was last active.

Yes you are right.
This is not a perfect workaroud.

Hey everybody. I just wanted to chime in and state that this is a very significant feature for me. I switched over from chrome for reasons unrelated to this bug. Chrome has the behavior of opening in the last active profile which is the behavior I want.

Besides being a convenience feature, I would even go so far as to say that this is also a minor privacy concern. With how tracking works today, it would be trivial to link two profiles to the same identity, which I'm sure is not something mozilla wants.

I'm also disappointed to see that as soon as this RFE was opened, it was marked as P5, suggesting that the developers would likely dismiss it even if work was done to implement it.

P5 = We basically never want this. If somebody implements it and asks for review, we might look at it. If a posted patch involves any significant complexity, it will likely be rejected.

It further disappoints me that this was (apparently) a behavior that existed before, and when it was changed people brought up their concerns and it was dismissed as "in our opinion a better behaviour" despite users going through the effort to open an issue for it.

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1553815

I really appreciate the work and effort of Mozilla trying to be the browser for the people. I hope that includes listening to users when they express their concerns/desires.

Stay safe and keep up the good work.

  • Alan

Hello world!

This feature would help a lot. It would spare me frequent annoyances and it would allow me to set up Firefox for my family and acquaintances who often use one shared computer.

IMO links must be opened in non-default profile only if window with another profile is opened and active.
As someone mentioned in bug report that you rely on, you should be able to know where your link will be opened without any guessing on which profile was opened last time.

The perfect case for this option, however, which I am very depend on, is to open links in different profiles when you have multiple virtual desktops (or any other virtual space of your OS of choice).
I use multiple desktop spaces for different tasks and when I open link in, for example, code editor it will be opened in default instance instead of the one which is running right there right now. This is kinda infuriating even.

I guess this is still not resolved (that I can spot), but it's a HUGE problem. When I borrow my wife's laptop I have a separate firefox profile I can just launch, and I have my items in a different virtual deskop (using the Win-Tab etc). We switch back and forth between us which involves just hitting the Win-left/right arrow. I therefore want any links to go into it when I am actively using my profile. At the moment a new and different profile instance (the default profile) is launched by my links which is crazy. When she uses it, she will have her profile open and in use and any link launches need to go into hers.
As well as the option of "launch in last used profile" you could perhaps have it ask if there are two recently used profiles. It would be good to prefer the instance that is open in the active desktop since usually when you click something you want it in the present desktop not a different one.
All it requires is to provide the option for the user to choose the behaviour that suits them......
d

Keywords: parity-chrome

Firefox will open the last "selected and run" profile from the profile manager. Apparently "selecting and running" a profile sets it as the new default and clicking links in email will start (if it is NOT running) and use that instance of FF.

If a user uses an Icon with a specific profile in the starting (ie: Firefox.exe -p <dailyprofile>) that forces the profile to be used but may NOT be the default profile or a running instance of FF.

P.S. Thanks to all for the great job of this development of Firefox and Mozilla products.

I don't quite understand the last comment, but I wanted to note that this seemingly small problem, apparently a reversion from how things used to work, is a real usability issue for me in switching to Firefox from Chrome. To the point that I might just need to switch back. It's difficult to rely on User Profiles when I have to manually copy and paste links from other applications rather than rely on those links opening in the last active profile as I easily do in Chrome.

As I stated above, Firefox will use the last "selected and run" profile in the profile manager.
When a user creates a new profile, starts and runs that newly created profile -- it becomes the "default" profile.
If the user has an icon on their desktop or taskbar that specifies a profile (example: Firefox.exe -p AddonTest) that is different from their default profile, clicking a link in an external program such as email will launch the default profile selected and not the existing running instance of FF.

If somehow the user could be informed the existing running instance of FF being different from their Default could be notified (message, maybe popup the profile manager box) let them correct the selected default or force the existing instance to be used.

I am on OSX, and Firefox launches with whatever profile I have set as default, not the last selected and run.

I agree with your second paragraph.

Let me clarify slightly. "Selected and Run" is requied in the profile manager. Selected only doesn't change the default unless you "Run" FF from the profile manager.
The issue has surfaced by users creating an Icon with the run properties set to Firefox.exe -p <SomeProfile>
This will cause Firefox to run the <SomeProfile> rather than the default if using the icon.
Then when they click a link in email it will launch another instance of Firefox using the <Default> profile rather than the instance they may want.
If a user "Selects and Runs" a different profile in the profile manager that becomes the new default profile -- even though they may have another profile named <Default> -- you can have a profile named <Default> and it may or may not be the default profile.

The last "Selected and Run" profile in the PM becomes the default.

There is nothing wrong or broken with the current profile manager but lack of understanding.

Lets say you have created 3 profiles
<default user>
<DailyUser>
<addonTest>

(no quotes for actual profiles unless spaces)

Start and run "default user" as most of us do after initial installation
Create an Icon with the path statement Firefox.exe -p "DailyUser"
If they click a link in email it will launch a new instance with "default user" rather than a new tab in "DailyUser"
The name is not the issue but the last "Selected and Run" from the profile manager.

What should be done is verify the last "Selected and Run" profile and Icon profile match << solves the problem.

I am not creating any icons for profiles. I have Profile Switcher installed. I designate a profile as the Default. From that point on, regardless of what Profile I have most recently launched, the Profile that is used for links is the Default. Some site has to be the default profile, no?

I am not looking to use the most recently LAUNCHED profile, I am looking to use the most recently ACTIVE profile.

In Chrome, if I was most recently using Profile X, as in having it active, that is the profile that is used for links. This makes it easy to, for instance, ALT-TAB to Profile X, then when I use Zoom, for example, it launches the web authentication dialog and other links using that profile. Then I can activate Profile Y, and links use that profile.

I am looking for an easy way to replicate that, or at least something more useful, than launching all links with the default profile. In many cases, there is no link for me to copy and paste (such as when an app like Zoom goes to a site to authorize), so even the manual method of copying and pasting the link isn't possible.

(In reply to wyrdbyword from comment #16)

I am not creating any icons for profiles. I have Profile Switcher installed. I designate a profile as the Default. From that point on, regardless of what Profile I have most recently launched, the Profile that is used for links is the Default. Some site has to be the default profile, no?

I am not looking to use the most recently LAUNCHED profile, I am looking to use the most recently ACTIVE profile.

In Chrome, if I was most recently using Profile X, as in having it active, that is the profile that is used for links. This makes it easy to, for instance, ALT-TAB to Profile X, then when I use Zoom, for example, it launches the web authentication dialog and other links using that profile. Then I can activate Profile Y, and links use that profile.

I am looking for an easy way to replicate that, or at least something more useful, than launching all links with the default profile. In many cases, there is no link for me to copy and paste (such as when an app like Zoom goes to a site to authorize), so even the manual method of copying and pasting the link isn't possible.

I am not hypothesizing whether the Profile manager is broken or not. I have no opinion on that. I am looking for a workflow that allows opening links in an easily selected profile that doesn't require going to the Profile manager or wherever and setting it, or closing and launching the Profile again to make it the default. If you have a way to do this in Firefox, please share.

Severity: normal → S3

I recently tried to UNSET the 'default' Firefox profile.

firefox -p (create new profile, set as default) open a new profile.

Close that, do firefox -p and delete it (not setting a new default) then quit.

Open a link from email - it will prompt for a profile (as no default is set). But it will set a default without asking !!

It would be nice to be able to unset the default, and have it simply set to the last active profile or window.

I have seen several people discussing this, who now must use Chrome based browsers to get this behaviour for their workflow (running more than one work profile at a time).

This issue of external links opening only in the default profile is the last thing that keeps me from switching to Firefox for both personal & work usages. I would say that I'm surprised this bug has been opened for over 4 years without a solution but I also work in the technology industry and can relate. This is just a massive production downgrade for users like me.

It's back to Edge for now.

I find usually with these sorts of projects if I report something they can end up talking about it for maybe 10 years, not necessarily technical things, so I tend to report a thing and not revisit the report. With projects run by a dedicated person I find there's less talk which leads to far more action. d

(In reply to nando6 from comment #19)

This issue of external links opening only in the default profile is the last thing that keeps me from switching to Firefox for both personal & work usages. I would say that I'm surprised this bug has been opened for over 4 years without a solution but I also work in the technology industry and can relate. This is just a massive production downgrade for users like me.

It's back to Edge for now.

Same reason I am still on Chrome -- being able to have external URLs open on the last active profile is a must for my workflow -- really confused why Chrome is the only one doing this! REALLY hoping Firefox can offer this soon!!

I would love to get some clarity as to why this is still a P5 priority. This is a deeply annoying issue for me (and clearly others). I can't just switch back to a Chromium browser because I've completely lost faith in that project, but this issue makes running multiple profiles at once an act of contortionism. My use case is at work, where I have personal and work profiles on my work PC. I have the work profile as my default, since I use it the most and use virtual desktops to separate work and personal apps. When clicking a link in Discord (a personal app) it will always open in my work profile, which is very much a privacy problem for me.

To me this doesn't seem like a "non-issue". It seems to go against some of the privacy principles of Firefox. But I would be really interested to see an alternative perspective, explaining why this is considered something Firefox "does not want".

Agreed, really crazy that this is such a low priority issue. I need the Firefox devs to understand, people who use Chrome regularly have become very used to this being functionality. So if we actually want people to switch to Firefox and not have FF feel half-baked, it needs to mimic such core functionality.

This shouldn't even be difficult to implement! It's fairly simplistic behavior that any average dev should be able to knock out in a day easily, and greatly enhance the usability of Firefox.

I agree... tasks should be a mixture of difficult high priority ones with some time given to knocking off lots of easy but important ones with a minimum of debate - people should just raise their ideas and when a brief time for ideas has elapsed someone goes ahead and does something meaningful... d

In the meantime, I've modified the Profile Switch addon to enable this Chrome-like behaviour.

You can find the modified extensions here:

https://github.com/Invertex/firefox-profile-switcher/releases/tag/v1.3.1-external-link-mod

Though because I need to keep it the same manifest ID, it can only be installed in Firefox Developer version.

I'm a Chrome user for many years but due to recent events and decisions by Google, I want to give Firefox another try.
I use two profiles (personal, work) and the described behavior is really critical for me. It's almost a deal-breaker that FF currently opens links only in the default profile and not the last active profile / window.

Please, please, please FF devs prioritize this 🙏🏼

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