439938 - Open With sets file as read-only

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: File Handling, defect)

Description

[James]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008052906 Firefox/3.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008052906 Firefox/3.0

If using the "Open With" option when downloading a file, the file is set with the read-only attribute. Some programs fail to work properly with the read-only file.

This is not present in previous versions.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Go to download a file.
2. Select the "Open With" option.
3. View the files attributes compared to a download via "Save As"
Actual Results:  
The file was saved as read-only.

Expected Results:  
The file should be identical to a normal "Save As" operation, with the only difference being the download directory being the Temp folder.

Comment 1

[Shawn Wilsher :sdwilsh]

This is intentional so people do not modify the files and then save them.  We had lots of bugs filed about people losing their work because they did open with and then worked on a file.

Comment 2

[James]

Any chance on a config option for it in about:config for advanced users?

Comment 3

[Shawn Wilsher :sdwilsh]

That'd be up to the module owner

Comment 4

[Jesse Ruderman]

What programs "fail to work properly with read-only files"?

Comment 5

[Nigel Gentoo]

Hi
I can confirm that I have the same problem with 2 apps
canon webview http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/X-Zone/xzone/faq_viewer_pc.html
citrix ica 
both requires the file to be Read/Write when you OPEN the file

Also a internal web server has a Document database that you can OPEN edit then save the file back, but now I have to "save as" then rename and copy it back

It looks like a number of other people have the same problem
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=671055&p=3820155
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=732205
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=700085

Comment 6

[James D. Fowlie]

We've got a custom-developed app (the developer is now long gone) that requires read-write access on the downloaded file.

We've had to retrograde to FF2.x as we cannot use FF3 at all.

I can understand the motivation for changing the setting, but without an about:config option, this has broken other apps.

Thanks,
--James

Comment 7

[Steve Liles]

The following workaround makes downloads writeable again for me (windows) haven't tried other platforms.

In about:config add a boolean property
browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit=false

Comment 8

[mike.freeman.3832]

>What programs "fail to work properly with read-only files"?

OpenOffice.  I have simple spreadsheets that users open from a wiki.  Under FF2, they could select items from a drop-down list, enter some numbers, and get a result.  There is no need to save these spreadsheets.  But, with FF3, my users have to go through the whole "save as..." thing, and remember to delete the file when they are done.

No, no, really--this extra work is a challenge for some of my users.

Comment 9

[colin glenn]

This is as an additional point, from a developer, I frequently download things using the open with option, and if upon examining the contents of the download, determine if it's something I want to keep, I bring up the download window, open the location, and move the file from the temporary location to where I want it to be on my hard drive. Having to put up with the dialog concerning "moving a read-only file", and having to reset the read-only status for said file is a chore and an extra step I'd rather not have suddenly thrust upon me, at least not without having an option to shut it off, nor having to remember to manually delete the temp folder on a more regular basis than what I already do. (Thanks to OTHER programs not clearing out the temp folder, ...)

Comment 10

[nicolas31]

(In reply to comment #7)
> In about:config add a boolean property
> browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit=false

I think, it's the best solution...

Comment 11

[Matt Caywood]

I just upgraded from XP to Vista, keeping my old Firefox profile, but setting up a new limited user account.

I found that every time I tried to view a PDF (for example) I would get the error "XYZ could not be saved because you cannot change the contents of that folder."

The files were being saved in the %TMP% directory, but they were being set to read-only and for some reason this caused Acrobat Reader and other apps to error.

Once I created the key browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit, it started working again.

A few other people seem to be having this problem so it seems like something someone who knows more about Vista User Access than I do should think about:

http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=163440

Comment 12

[Markus Neteler]

It happens also on Linux and is particularly annoying with files opened in OpenOffice (you cannot even copy-paste when the file is saved read-only!).

Ok, just made a test and creating in about:config a new boolean toggle

browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit

set to false helps also on Linux.

Comment 13

[Nimrod]

>This is intentional so people do not modify the files and then save them.  We
>had lots of bugs filed about people losing their work because they did open
>with and then worked on a file.

So, there should be a choice for those who 'lose their work' and us that don't.  I find this a time consuming and irritating bug.  "We" now have to revert to an earlier version to avoid this.

Comment 14

[Jesse Ruderman]

Markus, have you filed a bug against OpenOffice?

Comment 15

[Markus Neteler]

(In reply to comment #14)
> Markus, have you filed a bug against OpenOffice?

You mean that OpenOffice does not permit to copy-paste when the file is saved read-only? So far I didn't... The Firefox workaround is better for my productivity since it saved me a "chmod" on the downloaded file which I would need in any case to make the downloaded file user writable.

Comment 16

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI.
"Forcing read-only" was done by Bug 280419(finally fixed on 2007-09-15). MS's software seems to have been cared for. "Setting read-only or not" should have been user choice...

Comment 17

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI.
For non-temp directory case on Mac : Bug 401316 resolved the problem.

Comment 18

[Adrian Bridgett]

The browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit attribute doesn't really help.

I want the files to be saved writable, but I do want them deleted afterwards.  Various applications (not just openoffice) don't work correctly on read-only files and won't let you make changes until you re-save as a writeable file.  

It's just a big wast of time for me and intensely irritating.  I do understand why the default changed - I appreciate that you are stuck between a rock and hard place for "typical" users (do they lose work or are they unable to edit the document).

Comment 19

[Gary Barnes]

This really needs to be an option.
I use an application called DesignSPark which regularly downloads files and requires R/W access.

Comment 20

[Aufgeschissener Kunde]

This is incredibly frustrating since so many geniuses think that their software should apply "read-only" handling to the data loaded into memory, instead of just at the write-to-disk level which is what read-only is intended for and is the only place where it actually matters.

Like a lot of the others above, I too use a lot of temporary files which get downloaded to the temporary folder, automatically loaded into the associated program, manipulated, then discarded without any need to be saved.  It's a lot of frustratingly wasted time to have to change the permissions on the temporary file or to save a file to a non-temporary location then remember to manually delete it later -- AFTER the application announces, "This file is read-only, so we're not letting you do anything that's considered 'editing' even though you don't intend to actually save any changes to disk."

This REALLY needs to be an option.  Just because a lot of people are too incompetent to not save their important changes back to the temporary storage location, that doesn't mean that those of us who actually know what we are doing should have our productivity stunted.

Comment 21

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The severity field for this bug is relatively low, S3. However, the bug has 22 votes.
:Gijs, could you consider increasing the bug severity?

For more information, please visit auto_nag documentation.

Comment 22

[BugBot (nomail) [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The last needinfo from me was triggered in error by recent activity on the bug. I'm clearing the needinfo since this is a very old bug and I don't know if it's still relevant.