386519 - Show file location using custom command on unix-like OS

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Firefox :: File Handling, enhancement)

Description

[Peter Kuma]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0
Build Identifier: 

Show file location feature could have more user-friendly behaviour on unix systems.

Reproducible: Always

Actual Results:  
When `Show file location' is selected, new Mozilla windows is opened showing the contents of the parent directory.

Expected Results:  
In preferences, user can enter custom command, such as `nautilus --no-desktop --browser %d' to be executed to open the containing directory.

%d is replaced by directory location
%f is replaced by file location

Comment 1

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Calls newly-introduced method nsLocalFile::revealUsing()

Comment 2

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Adds method revealUsing() into nsLocalFile interface

Implementation was added into nsLocalFileUnix.cpp only. May it cause problems on windows builds?

Comment 3

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Adds implementation of revealUsing()

Uses fixed-size string buffer (REVEAL_MAX_CMD_SIZE), might need to be re-written.

Opens new process using fork() and does not wait for the child to finish. I don't know whether there is any Mozilla API for this. Does it create a zombie process?

Comment 4

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: New labels for preferences window

Comment 5

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Adds box into Navigator->Downloads preferences to set custom command

Comment 6

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Introduces new preference - browser.download.show_file_location_using

The value is example only, which works in GNOME. If it is left empty, default behaviour is used.

Comment 7

[Peter Kuma]

Attachment: Introduces new preference - browser.download.show_file_location_using

The value is example only, which works in GNOME. If it is left empty, default behaviour is used.

Comment 8

[zug_treno]

Related to bug 213849?

Comment 9

[Andrew Schultz]

> Implementation was added into nsLocalFileUnix.cpp only. May it cause problems
> on windows builds?

Yes, unforunately.  The current code (Reveal) is invoking nsIGnomeVFSService->ShowURIForInput(dirPath).  Is there some way to customize that behavior instead?

Comment 10

[Andrew Schultz]

OK, the ShowURIForInput call goes to gnome_url_show, which (in theory) is customizable (although I don't see any UI in gnome to configure that or even anything in gconf that looks appropriate).

Comment 11

[Peter Kuma]

The calling sequence inside libgnome is like this:
gnome_url_show
gnome_vfs_url_show_with_env
gnome_vfs_mime_get_default_application_for_uri 
gnome_vfs_mime_get_all_desktop_entries

which I suppose is driven by MIME database and one should be able to set the default application in Nautilus -> any directory -> Properties -> Open With.

Comment 12

[Andrew Schultz]

Hmm, yes that does work.  Given that, do you think it still makes sense to make that behavior customizable within SeaMonkey?  Would people want to open directories in a different app than they would normally (I'm having trouble imagining that)?

Comment 13

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #12)
> Hmm, yes that does work.  Given that, do you think it still makes sense to make
> that behavior customizable within SeaMonkey?  Would people want to open
> directories in a different app than they would normally (I'm having trouble
> imagining that)?
> 

I believe it would make sense to open the downloaded file's directory sometimes in a SeaMonkey tab and other times in a Konqueror (or other file manager) tab (or maybe window) depending on what one wants to do with the file. But I'm not sure that's what this bug is about.

Peter, are you still willing to implement this bug? And you, Andrrew, to review it? I guess if both answers are yes the first job would be to write an updated patch?

Comment 14

[Andrew Schultz]

At this point, I'm unconvinced that changing SeaMonkey code is the right approach.  You (Tony and/or Peter) are welcome to start a discussion in the newsgroup (mozilla.dev.apps.seamonkey) to consider various alternatives or get wider feedback.

Comment 15

[Peter Kuma]

I think that using GnomeVFS as implemented in current code is satisfactory. Does it integrate well with KDE/Konqueror? Perhaps xdg-open would be even better.

Comment 16

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #15)
> I think that using GnomeVFS as implemented in current code is satisfactory.
> Does it integrate well with KDE/Konqueror? Perhaps xdg-open would be even
> better.
> 

I'm using the KDE winmanager, and by default, "Show File Location" opens the file's directory in Konqueror with no problem. In general, programs compiled with the Gnome libraries will usually integrate well with KDE, and vice-versa.

Comment 17

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

Correction: "Show File Location" opens the file's directory in SeaMonkey as a "file:" URL.

Comment 18

[kolAflash]

Everyone who worries about this bug, please click the little "vote" button at the top and vote for this bug to be solved!