289937 - hide .part files (partially downloaded files)

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Downloads API, defect)

Description

[mark]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050407 Firefox/1.0+
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050407 Firefox/1.0+

it's very confusing for normal user, if he's downlding 4 files at one time and
has 8 unusable files on desktop (or his download folder). 
why? + if the download cancels, then the *.part is still there.

the files should be at least hidden or something...

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Download some avis or exes etc.
2. Check your download folder (Desktop is default)
3. Try to start the part files or "exes/avis"

Actual Results:  
* When downloading is in action you have 2 unnessesary files in your download
folder.
* After canceling the *.pert is still there - unnessesary

Comment 1

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

I like that firefox doesnt download direct to the final file, it saves all sorts
of hassle with windows trying to generate a thumbnail from an incomplete file or
users trying to open a file that is only half complete. But yeah having lots of
files on the desktop could be a problem.

Maybe make them hidden, then only advanced users would see them?

Comment 2

[Ger Teunis]

Whatever happens, please don't make it download to temp/appdata first.
Directly downloading to the correct place has great advantages like:
- no file movement after complete
- windows partition doesn't have to have lots of free space

Comment 3

[mark]

Making hidden would be a pretty good solution. It would help to make it less
confusing + it's a fast solution
Devs are pretty busy with 1.1 right now?!

Comment 4

[Ger Teunis]

(In reply to comment #3)
> Making hidden would be a pretty good solution.

I would agree. 
My only problem is that non-experts aren't able to clear/delete their uncomplete
downloads, this really could fillup the disk! (i.e. a 500mb .part file could be
invisibly left on the desktop).

Comment 5

[Jeremy Arnold]

.part files are generated for many reasons... 
mainly to stop half completed downloads being treated as "finished"

Making these hidden is not an acceptable solution.

The "Remove" button exists in the D/L manager for a reason.

NOT A BUG

Comment 6

[mark]

think as a normal user not a...
some files are on your desktop, and you don't know what they even are. + they
don't work

Comment 7

[Peter van der Woude [:Peter6]]

Shouldn't we dupe bug 255773 to this one ?
I'll set this ->NEW
CC-> mconnor
should this get some attension before 1.1 Mike ?

Comment 8

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Making them hidden means that only advanced users could delete them too...

Comment 9

[Michael]

As explained in my comment in bug 255773#c10 you only get "file.exe" as well as
"file.exe.part" when you set to automatically save to a specified folder.
Therefore we don't need to hide the "file.exe.part" file if this were fixed.

Comment 10

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Under which circumstances are these files left behind?

Comment 11

[Michael]

Just whenever you cancel the download, only the .part file is left behind (Is
that what you're asking?). This is a regression since the branch. This comment I
read somewhere may be helpful.

(From [e-mail])
> I guess it is so for resuming broken/cancelled downloads. See Bug 18004.
> This worked in the past (see Bug 41895) but I guess bug 55690 changed this.

Comment 12

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

This is a workaround to a bug that should be fixed instead.

File a bug, on me, for properly deleting these on cancellation please.

Comment 13

[Michael]

Okay see bug 251625, you'll need to assign yourself though.

Bug 288152 is also worth a look at.

Comment 14

[Kevin Brosnan]

*** Bug 310565 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***