508762 - Can't set Firefox-3.5 as default browser in Thunderbird

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Thunderbird :: General, defect)

Description

[Christopher Wetmore]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3pre) Gecko/20090805 Ubuntu/9.04 (jaunty) Shiretoko/3.5.3pre
Build Identifier: version 2.0.0.22 (20090608)

Binary package hint: mozilla-thunderbird

thunderbird:
  Installed: 2.0.0.22+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.9.04.1

Gnome 2.26.1

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3pre) Gecko/20090805 Ubuntu/9.04 (jaunty) Shiretoko/3.5.3pre

Ubuntu 9.04 x86_64

Expected behavior: Email links would either open in Firefox 3.5 or open a new instance of Ff.

Observed behavior: A quick flash of something (less than a tenth of a second) that looks like the extensions options dialog, no further response.

I can't set Firefox 3.5 as the default browser to open links in Thunderbird,or to open links in a running instance of Shiretoko. .

This has really got me stumped. I've been playing with this for a few days now, and I'm really frustrated at my inability to fix this. According to everything I've read, things SHOULD work, especially after editing the network.protocol entries in about:config.

I do get a quick flash of something on the screen Thunderbird is on, something like the extensions dialog, but nothing opens.
I am getting no error messages or any messages, by using the terminal to open Thunderbird.

Any ideas would be gratefully received. I'm using Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3pre) Gecko/20090805 Ubuntu/9.04 (jaunty) Shiretoko/3.5.3pre, from the repository.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Clicked links in email with browser closed.
2.Clicked links in email with brower open.
3.
Actual Results:  
I do get a quick flash of something on the screen Thunderbird is on, something like the extensions dialog, but nothing opens.
I am getting no error messages or any messages, by using the terminal to open Thunderbird

Expected Results:  
Link would open in Firefox 3.5, or open a new instance of Ff.

I have ALREADY tried the following:

Set firefox-3.5 %s as my default browser in /System/Preferences/Preferred Applications
Set firefox-3.5 as my default browser thru the command line using "sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser"
Edited Thunderbird's about:config, user.js and pref.js files to network.protocol-handler.app.http, network.protocol-handler.app.https, and network.protocol-handler.app.ftp to "firefox-3.5", "firefox-3.5 %s", "/usr/bin/firefox-3.5", and "/usr/bin/firefox-3.5 %s".
Checked the mozillaZine site for any further ideas.
Tried deleting the network.protocol entries from user..js and prefs.js, closing Thunderbird, running the "update-alternatives" command again, and then reopening Tbird. The about:config entries show /usr/bin/firefox-3.5 .

Note: I can run Shiretoko (Firefox-3.5) from a desktop link or from the command line (using "firefox-3.5"). I can also set Swiftfox as the default browser, editing the user.js or about:config method I mentioned above.

Comment 1

[Bob Vincent]

Confirmed here, except I don't get the "quick flash" symptom.

Also running Thunderbird 2.0.0.22 with Ubuntu Jaunty.

Running, e.g. "/usr/bin/firefox http://www.pillars.net/" from the command line opens my home page in a new tab (with the browser already open) or a new window (with the browser not running).

I'm not using Gnome nor KDE, but I am running dbus and hal.

Relevant portions of my prefs.js file are:

user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.ftp", "/usr/bin/firefox");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.http", "/usr/bin/firefox");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.https", "/usr/bin/firefox");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.expose-all", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.expose.http", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.expose.https", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.external.ftp", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.external.http", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.external.https", true);
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.warn-external-default", false);

Comment 2

[david kennedy]

Confirm the above bug, for Thuderbird 3.0 and Firefox 3.5.6.
Running on open SuSE 11.2 updated 2010-01-20.
Window system: KDE 4.3.1 "release 6"

Notes:
Default e-mail = Thunderbird. Default Web browser = Firefox
All other usual config settings are set correctly.

Problem: 
1. Click on URL in e-mail with Firefox open or closed.
2. No response
3. Error Console message: 
Error: uncaught exception: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80004005 (NS_ERROR_FAILURE) [nsIExternalProtocolService.loadUrl]"  nsresult: "0x80004005 (NS_ERROR_FAILURE)"  location: "JS frame :: chrome://communicator/content/contentAreaClick.js :: openLinkExternally :: line 188"  data: no]

Comment 3

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Can you guys run Gconf to solve the issue ?

Comment 4

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Confirm the above bug, for Thuderbird 3.0 and Firefox 3.5.6.
> Running on open SuSE 11.2 updated 2010-01-20.
> Window system: KDE 4.3.1 "release 6"

Please note that TB3 is different from TB2. Please don't mix bugreports about that topic for them.
For TB3 on openSUSE 11.2 please have a look at
http://en.opensuse.org/Bugs:Most_Annoying_Bugs_11.2#KDE

For TB2 I would expect the above to work basically but cannot confirm the details for this platform.

Comment 5

[Christopher Wetmore]

(In reply to comment #3)
> Can you guys run Gconf to solve the issue ?

@Wolfgang
  Gconf doesn't seem to have any settings related to Thunderbird. I did a search for "mail" and "thunderbird" - "mail" showed a lot of schemas for evolution, "thunderbird" showed nothing.

Comment 6

[Christopher Wetmore]

I can report a workaround, using the ThunderBrowse extension ( https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/5373 ), and using a middle-click to open links. Not sure what ThunderBrowse changed, but at least I've got middle-click functionality back, and something for someone more knowledgeable than I to track down.

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Christopher are you stillseeing this problem using current release?

Comment 8

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I'm going to take [support] in whiteboard as invalid. Please comment if you feel that is incorrect