575376 - ftp-link in mail not opened in standard application but in Windows Explorer

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Message Reader UI, defect)

Description

[[e-mail]]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.3a6pre) Gecko/20100628 Minefield/3.7a6pre
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.4) Gecko/20100608 Mnenhy/0.8.3 Thunderbird/3.1 ID:20100608023648

When a mail contains a ftp-link (e.g. ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/) the link is always opened in Windows Explorer (file manager, not Internet Explorer). This happens even then when Firefox is the standard application for 'ftp' in system settings.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create a mail with ftp-link
2. Open link
3.
Actual Results:  
Link is opened in Windows Explorer.

Expected Results:  
Link should be opened in Firefox (or the system's standard application for ftp).

Happens also in Thunderbird trunk (Shredder).

Comment 1

[Sascha Grage]

confirmed with

"Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; de; rv:1.9.2.4) Gecko/20100608
Lightning/1.0b2 Thunderbird/3.1"

Comment 2

[[e-mail]]

Must have started somehow back in time. Even doesn't work with:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.10) Gecko/20100512 Thunderbird/3.0.5

Comment 3

[Matt]

Regression range 1 is not a proper range but I doubt you need one.


Regression range 1:

Works:
version 3.0a1pre (2007080104)

Broken - no default program, asks you to pick one:
version 3.0a1pre (2007090104)


Regression range 2:

Broken - no default program, asks you to pick one:
version 3.0a1pre (2007120303)

Broken - opens Windows Explorer:
version 3.0a1pre (2007120406)

Bonsai CVS Checkins:
http://bonsai.mozilla.org/cvsquery.cgi?treeid=default&module=all&branch=HEAD&branchtype=match&dir=&file=&filetype=match&who=&whotype=match&sortby=Date&hours=2&date=explicit&mindate=2007-12-03+01%3A00%3A00&maxdate=2007-12-04+08%3A00%3A00&cvsroot=%2Fcvsroot

Comment 4

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

The bug is still present in Tb 3.1.1
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; it; rv:1.9.2.7) Gecko/20100713 Lightning/1.0b2 Thunderbird/3.1.1

Comment 5

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

The bug is reproducible also on XP SP3:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; it-IT; rv:1.9.2.7) Gecko/20100713 Thunderbird/3.1.1

Can't check on Vista. Please could anyone try with that Windows version too?

Thanks

Comment 6

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

The bug is still present in Thunderbird 3.1.2.
Is it so hard to fix it?

Thanks!
Giuliano

Comment 7

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Sid would you have interest in fixing this ?

Comment 8

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to comment #7)
> Sid would you have interest in fixing this ?

Sid, since I am not skilled in programming and due to that I am not able to propose any patch, I really hope that you or somebody else will find important to resolve this bug. In fact, many Italian Thunderbird users are complaining about it in our forum. (I couldn't believe that so many people is used to open ftp links from their email...).

Thank you so much!

Comment 9

[M]

Bug still present in TB 5.0 (tested on Win7 Pro x64).

A wokaround would be very welcome, if it requires some hacking in TB .js, .rdf, .jar or whatever files.

Comment 10

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

Bug still present in TB 6.0.
Seems that nobody is interested in fixing it.

Comment 11

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

yeah, I was meaning to look at this.

Comment 12

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

Seems to be dependent on whether the value ShellFolder in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ftp exists. Renaming it to e.g. ShellFolder2 makes things work properly.

Comment 13

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

Attachment: minimal testcase

run as ShellTester.exe <url> to see what happens.

Source code at https://github.com/sid0/shelltester.

Comment 14

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to Siddharth Agarwal [:sid0] from comment #12)

This is the value I have in HKCR\ftp\ShellFolder : {63da6ec0-2e98-11cf-8d82-444553540000}



(In reply to Siddharth Agarwal [:sid0] from comment #13)

When I run ShellTester.exe ftp://ftp.mozilla.org I receive back a windows error saying I am missing MSVCR100.dll.

Comment 15

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan] from comment #14)
> When I run ShellTester.exe ftp://ftp.mozilla.org I receive back a windows
> error saying I am missing MSVCR100.dll.


I downloaded a copy of MSVCR100.dll and put it in the same folder of  ShellTester.exe then I ran ShellTester.exe ftp://ftp.mozilla.org and the link has been opened into Explorer.

Comment 16

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to Siddharth Agarwal [:sid0] from comment #12)
> Seems to be dependent on whether the value ShellFolder in
> HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ftp exists. Renaming it to e.g. ShellFolder2 makes things
> work properly.

I renamed HKCR\ftp\ShellFolder into HKCR\ftp\ShellFolder2 and then I ran ShellTester.exe ftp://ftp.mozilla.org and the link has been opened correctly into Firefox.

Comment 17

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

Now it is necessary to find a fix that doesn't require any end user action in order to get the ftp link opened into the default browser as it should.

Thank you so much sid0! :))

Comment 18

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

Yeah, sorry, it depends on the VC runtime. I should have mentioned that.

Comment 19

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

Jim, ideas? Using lpFile as usual causes it to work fine -- however using SHParseDisplayName causes it to prefer ShellFolder it seems.

Comment 20

[Jim Mathies [:jimm]]

(In reply to Siddharth Agarwal [:sid0] from comment #19)
> Jim, ideas? Using lpFile as usual causes it to work fine -- however using
> SHParseDisplayName causes it to prefer ShellFolder it seems.

From a little searching around, it seems SHParseDisplayName should be passing for ftp uri. What is the error code you're getting?

Comment 21

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

(In reply to Jim Mathies [:jimm] from comment #20)
> From a little searching around, it seems SHParseDisplayName should be
> passing for ftp uri. What is the error code you're getting?

Yeah, it's not erroring out, just sending the command to the wrong program.

Comment 22

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

Rob, Jim mentioned this might be a registration issue with Firefox.

Comment 23

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

what happens when you type ftp://ftp.mozilla.org in the Start Menu's "Search programs and files" and press return?

Comment 24

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to Robert Strong [:rstrong] (do not email) from comment #23)

The link launches Firefox (my default browser).

Comment 25

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

That sounds like Thunderbird is using something other than ShellExecute to open the ftp url.

Jim, iirc you were the one that reworked the handling of urls and it appears that Firefox is properly registered since Firefox is opened when using Start->Run, etc.

Comment 26

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

(In reply to Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan] from comment #24)
> (In reply to Robert Strong [:rstrong] (do not email) from comment #23)
> 
> The link launches Firefox (my default browser).

Nope. In the Win7 start menu it opens Windows Explorer. In the Run box (Win+R) it opens Firefox.

> That sounds like Thunderbird is using something other than ShellExecute to open the ftp url.

I ran through the code -- Tb is definitely using ShellExecuteEx to open the FTP url.

Comment 27

[Rain [:rain1] (inactive)]

And the test I put up uses ShellExecuteEx too, and it causes Windows Explorer to be opened.

Comment 28

[Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan]]

(In reply to Siddharth Agarwal [:sid0] from comment #26)
> (In reply to Giuliano Masseroni [:jooliaan] from comment #24)
> > (In reply to Robert Strong [:rstrong] (do not email) from comment #23)
> > 
> > The link launches Firefox (my default browser).
> 
> Nope. In the Win7 start menu it opens Windows Explorer. In the Run box
> (Win+R) it opens Firefox.

Yes sid0, you're right. I used The Run box. I thought it was the same. My Fault. I apologize.
If I paste the link into "Search programs and files" box it opens Windows Explorer.

Comment 29

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

Thanks, looks like it is the ShellFolder entry in the ftp registry key that is causing this. Since we do register as the ftp handler using the methods provided by Windows Vista and above this appears to be a bug in Windows. I or someone else will need to investigate if there is a "clean" way to override this or if the value is re-added when IE is set as default so the system doesn't lose the ability to open ftp if Firefox is uninstalled.

Comment 31

[David E. Ross]

The URI <ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc3986.txt> is actually for a file that should be viewable in a browser.  When that URI appeared in a newsgroup message in mozilla.support.seamonkey, selecting the link opened the page in Internet Explorer when I had set SeaMonkey as my default browser.  

Note that this bug report cites a specific instance of the more general need for a user interface for indicating how Thunderbird is to handle any Internet protocol, as was requested in bug #708959.  In Thunderbird, I can go to the menu bar and select [Tools > Options].  On the Options window tool bar, I can select the Attachments button.  On the Attachments pane, I can change what application handles each listed protocol.  However, I cannot add a protocol to the list via that pane.  The Description in bug #708959 explains how I was able to add FTP to the list of protocols, using a method that is clearly NOT user-oriented.

Comment 33

[David E. Ross]

If this bug report is not generalized to address allowing users to setup other Internet protocols (per my comment #31), I feel bug #708959 should be reopened.  That bug report is appropriately generalized.