324023 - Command line method of setting the default browser

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox :: Shell Integration, defect)

Description

[Mike Brodbelt]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20051007 Debian/1.7.12-1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20051007 Debian/1.7.12-1

I have a build environment for machines which automatically installs an operating system image and applications. As part of this process, where Firefox is installed on a machine I want to be able to silently set is as the default browser for all users on the machine.

I can achieve the effect I want by logging into the machine as Administrator, and setting FF to be the default browser through "Set Program Access and Defaults". I cannot find any way to automate this from the command line easily.

With IE, I can make it take over as the default browser by the simple expedient of running "shmgrate.exe OCInstallReinstallIE", but I can't find any way to go in the other direction, and make Firefox silently become the machine's default browser.

This isn't really a bug, but having an analogous capability added to FF would make network management an awful lot easier for me, and might make it more popular in other business environments.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:

Comment 1

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Per the MS spec on this
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/programmersguide/shell_adv/registeringapps.asp
we should be able to do this without being interactive and it appears that at one point we had a -silent flag to accomplish this which is no longer working. The following shows the reg entry we make to provide this functionality via "Set Program Access and Defaults"
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/browser/installer/windows/ab-CD.jst#264

Comment 2

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Attachment: patch (adds handleFlag -silent to nsBrowserContentHandler.js)

Simple fix that should be all that is needed. I'm going to think on this for a couple of days before requesting review.

Note: nsBrowserContentHandler.js has
const dch_contractID = "@mozilla.org/browser/final-clh;1";
but http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/toolkit/components/commandlines/public/nsICommandLineHandler.idl#58
references @mozilla.org/browser/clh-final;1 (e.g. final-clh instead of clh-final).

Comment 3

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Comment on attachment 209644 [details] [diff] [review]
patch (adds handleFlag -silent to nsBrowserContentHandler.js)

Benjamin, it appears that xpfe still handles -silent but toolkit apps don't though we still set reg values on win32 to use -silent for this sanme purpose. Anyways, I set this as the last flag to be checked in nsBrowserContentHandler.js with this patch.

Comment 4

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

bah... forgot to add the url to the xpfe code
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/xpfe/bootstrap/nsAppRunner.cpp#888

Comment 5

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Fixed on trunk

Mike - this adds back the -silent command line argument for the executable. There is already the -setDefaultBrowser command line argument which sets the default browser and along with the -silent switch you will be able to accomplish in future version of the app what you outlined in comment #0.

Comment 6

[Mike Brodbelt]

Will the use of -silent and -setDefaultBrowser set FF as the default for the machine, or only for the user executing the application? I typically install from the local system account, not from the user account.

Comment 7

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

(In reply to comment #6)
> Will the use of -silent and -setDefaultBrowser set FF as the default for the
> machine, or only for the user executing the application? I typically install
> from the local system account, not from the user account.
It is system wide... for per user on the OS / SP combinations that support it (e.g. XP Pro SP1 and Win2K SP3 I believe) there is bug 256566 which would require the ability to support the per user registry keys.

Comment 8

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Fixed on MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH

Comment 9

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

*** Bug 332481 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10

[Jared]

Hi.  I see that this has been fixed on MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH.  Forgive my ignorance, but does this mean that it will be applied to future 1.5.0.x builds, or only to future 2.x builds?

I have trouble keeping track of those details...  THanks.

Comment 11

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Comment on attachment 209644 [details] [diff] [review]
patch (adds handleFlag -silent to nsBrowserContentHandler.js)

It is only fixed on the branch that will become Firefox 2.0 and the trunk for future releases. I'll request approval for 1.5.0.3 but I believe it may be too late for that at this time.

Comment 12

[Tim Riley [:timr]]

Comment on attachment 209644 [details] [diff] [review]
patch (adds handleFlag -silent to nsBrowserContentHandler.js)

Will aid deployment of this release. a=timr for drivers

Comment 13

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Checked in to MOZILLA_1_8_0_BRANCH for Firefox 1.5.0.3

Comment 14

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Actually, this will be available in Firefox 1.5.0.4

Comment 15

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

*** Bug 304104 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***