OpenWith/OtherApp does not 'remember' the selected app

[teledyn]

Binary package hint: nautilus

When selecting a file of some type or a directory, the Open With menu shows a list of apps and the option to Open Other Applications that gives a dialog listing all the apps (some several times) with a checkbox to 'Remember this application' -- so far as I can tell, it never remembers; I have been using VLC to open video files for as long as I can remember, and VLC still is not in the list, and I have never selected gmplayer to open video files, yet it is in that list. Also, in opening a directory I frequently use VLC to open DVD image directories, yet here again VLC has never migrated into that select box.

Can the select list be edited or reset to reflect the choices I actually use?

I am currently using Ubuntu 10.10, but so far as I recall this behaviour has been in Nautilus since the beginning.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: nautilus 1:2.32.0-0ubuntu1.3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Feb 25 14:06:44 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nautilus
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_CA.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: nautilus

[teledyn (garym-teledyn)]

um ... why 'incomplete' and yet not ask for the missing information? I'm just curious. what's missing?

[Glen Luscombe (glenluscombe)]

Hi teledyn,

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and make Ubuntu better. I hadn't had a chance to confirm the bug yet, hence it's incomplete marking.

I have tried to replicate the bug using vlc as the 'Open With' application, however I can both see it in the list, and nautilus remembers to use it after being selected.

Does this only happen with vlc? Can you reassign say a .mp3?

[teledyn (garym-teledyn)]

Ah, ok. I would have expected 'unconfirmed' ;)

No, it's not just VLC, that's just the example I was doing at that moment.
 I have the same issue with other software that I use frequently in this way
such as easytags and audacity.

mp3 assignment is a good case in point; somehow it has become assigned to
mp3gain as the default app, although previews (mouse-over) still play most
mp3s. I see in the Open With list the other common mp3 players are all
listed and this makes me wonder if perhaps I just misunderstood the Open
With ... dialog box. Could it be that the "Remember this app" checkbox only
applies to the command given as "Use custom command" whereas the select box
choices are simply added to the menu until the menu is full and then
subsequently ignored?

Sure enough, if I enter the path of an app into that text box, the app I
enter becomes the default assignment!

So I suppose the UI could be made more clear, but otherwise, I guess it's
case closed :)

On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 2:10 AM, Glen Luscombe <email address hidden>wrote:

> Hi teledyn,
>
> Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and make Ubuntu better. I
> hadn't had a chance to confirm the bug yet, hence it's incomplete
> marking.
>
> I have tried to replicate the bug using vlc as the 'Open With'
> application, however I can both see it in the list, and nautilus
> remembers to use it after being selected.
>
> Does this only happen with vlc? Can you reassign say a .mp3?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/725189
>
> Title:
> OpenWith/OtherApp does not 'remember' the selected app
>
> Status in “nautilus” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When selecting a file of some type or a directory, the Open With menu
> shows a list of apps and the option to Open Other Applications that
> gives a dialog listing all the apps (some several times) with a
> checkbox to 'Remember this application' -- so far as I can tell, it
> never remembers; I have been using VLC to open video files for as long
> as I can remember, and VLC still is not in the list, and I have never
> selected gmplayer to open video files, yet it is in that list. Also,
> in opening a directory I frequently use VLC to open DVD image
> directories, yet here again VLC has never migrated into that select
> box.
>
> Can the select list be edited or reset to reflect the choices I
> actually use?
>
> I am currently using Ubuntu 10.10, but so far as I recall this
> behaviour has been in Nautilus since the beginning.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
> Package: nautilus 1:2.32.0-0ubuntu1.3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
> Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic i686
> NonfreeKernelModules: wl
> Architecture: i386
> Date: Fri Feb 25 14:06:44 2011
> EcryptfsInUse: Yes
> ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nautilus
> ProcEnviron:
> PATH=(custom, user)
> LANG=en_CA.utf8
> SHELL=/bin/bash
> SourcePackage: nautilus
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/725189/+subscr...

[teledyn (garym-teledyn)]

ah, and I see the prior default is now in the list, so that is probably the
strategy to rewrite that list, simply enter in the apps one at a time,
ending with the one I want as the default.

On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 2:10 AM, Glen Luscombe <email address hidden>wrote:

> Hi teledyn,
>
> Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and make Ubuntu better. I
> hadn't had a chance to confirm the bug yet, hence it's incomplete
> marking.
>
> I have tried to replicate the bug using vlc as the 'Open With'
> application, however I can both see it in the list, and nautilus
> remembers to use it after being selected.
>
> Does this only happen with vlc? Can you reassign say a .mp3?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/725189
>
> Title:
> OpenWith/OtherApp does not 'remember' the selected app
>
> Status in “nautilus” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When selecting a file of some type or a directory, the Open With menu
> shows a list of apps and the option to Open Other Applications that
> gives a dialog listing all the apps (some several times) with a
> checkbox to 'Remember this application' -- so far as I can tell, it
> never remembers; I have been using VLC to open video files for as long
> as I can remember, and VLC still is not in the list, and I have never
> selected gmplayer to open video files, yet it is in that list. Also,
> in opening a directory I frequently use VLC to open DVD image
> directories, yet here again VLC has never migrated into that select
> box.
>
> Can the select list be edited or reset to reflect the choices I
> actually use?
>
> I am currently using Ubuntu 10.10, but so far as I recall this
> behaviour has been in Nautilus since the beginning.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
> Package: nautilus 1:2.32.0-0ubuntu1.3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
> Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic i686
> NonfreeKernelModules: wl
> Architecture: i386
> Date: Fri Feb 25 14:06:44 2011
> EcryptfsInUse: Yes
> ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nautilus
> ProcEnviron:
> PATH=(custom, user)
> LANG=en_CA.utf8
> SHELL=/bin/bash
> SourcePackage: nautilus
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/725189/+subscribe
>

--
*Have Blog, Will Travel: blog.teledyn.com*
*A Serviceable Substitute: post.teledyn.com*

[Glen Luscombe (glenluscombe)]

I don't think you misunderstand how the 'Open With' dialog should work, it sounds like something is off here.

For me at least, selecting an application by Right-Click > Open With > Selecting App from drop-down is not permanent, I don't think it should be. However, if I select 'Other Application' and open this dialog, provided the checkbox is checked, I can either enter a custom command or select and item from the list, and the change will be permanent. It does have an affect on the 'Open With' dropdown, with the previously default application added to it.

The only other info I can see that would help with this problem is some more information on the file that stores the MIME types. Can you post the output of the following please?

ls -al ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list

Also, would it be possible to attach your mimeapps.list file to the bug report?

[teledyn (garym-teledyn)]

thanks for the clarification and probe tips. permissions on mimeapps.list
seem fine:

$ ls -al ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
-rw-r--r-- 1 garym garym 2103 2011-02-26 11:34
/home/garym/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list

the contents are attached (I'm replying by email, and curious to see if
attachments work this way)

On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 1:40 AM, Glen Luscombe <email address hidden>wrote:

> I don't think you misunderstand how the 'Open With' dialog should work,
> it sounds like something is off here.
>
> For me at least, selecting an application by Right-Click > Open With >
> Selecting App from drop-down is not permanent, I don't think it should
> be. However, if I select 'Other Application' and open this dialog,
> provided the checkbox is checked, I can either enter a custom command or
> select and item from the list, and the change will be permanent. It does
> have an affect on the 'Open With' dropdown, with the previously default
> application added to it.
>
> The only other info I can see that would help with this problem is some
> more information on the file that stores the MIME types. Can you post
> the output of the following please?
>
> ls -al ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
>
> Also, would it be possible to attach your mimeapps.list file to the bug
> report?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/725189
>
> Title:
> OpenWith/OtherApp does not 'remember' the selected app
>
> Status in “nautilus” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When selecting a file of some type or a directory, the Open With menu
> shows a list of apps and the option to Open Other Applications that
> gives a dialog listing all the apps (some several times) with a
> checkbox to 'Remember this application' -- so far as I can tell, it
> never remembers; I have been using VLC to open video files for as long
> as I can remember, and VLC still is not in the list, and I have never
> selected gmplayer to open video files, yet it is in that list. Also,
> in opening a directory I frequently use VLC to open DVD image
> directories, yet here again VLC has never migrated into that select
> box.
>
> Can the select list be edited or reset to reflect the choices I
> actually use?
>
> I am currently using Ubuntu 10.10, but so far as I recall this
> behaviour has been in Nautilus since the beginning.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
> Package: nautilus 1:2.32.0-0ubuntu1.3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
> Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic i686
> NonfreeKernelModules: wl
> Architecture: i386
> Date: Fri Feb 25 14:06:44 2011
> EcryptfsInUse: Yes
> ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nautilus
> ProcEnviron:
> PATH=(custom, user)
> LANG=en_CA.utf8
> SHELL=/bin/bash
> SourcePackage: nautilus
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/725189/+subscribe
>

--
*Have Blog, Will Travel: blog.teledyn.com*
*A Serviceable Substitute: post.teledyn.com*

[Glen Luscombe (glenluscombe)]

Thanks for that teledyn, I'm not sure of any other info to collect, I'm going to mark this as confirmed.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

The list is built using the applications that declare supporting the type of selected file in their desktop entry

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. The issue is an upstream one and it would be nice if somebody having it could send the bug the to the people writting the software (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/GNOME)

[teledyn (garym-teledyn)]

I can log it with the Upstream list, but I think I might wait until Ubuntu
11 just in case the behaviour vanishes over the upgrade.

On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 8:27 AM, Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> wrote:

> Thank you for your bug report. The issue is an upstream one and it would
> be nice if somebody having it could send the bug the to the people
> writting the software (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/GNOME)
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/725189
>
> Title:
> OpenWith/OtherApp does not 'remember' the selected app
>
> Status in “nautilus” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When selecting a file of some type or a directory, the Open With menu
> shows a list of apps and the option to Open Other Applications that
> gives a dialog listing all the apps (some several times) with a
> checkbox to 'Remember this application' -- so far as I can tell, it
> never remembers; I have been using VLC to open video files for as long
> as I can remember, and VLC still is not in the list, and I have never
> selected gmplayer to open video files, yet it is in that list. Also,
> in opening a directory I frequently use VLC to open DVD image
> directories, yet here again VLC has never migrated into that select
> box.
>
> Can the select list be edited or reset to reflect the choices I
> actually use?
>
> I am currently using Ubuntu 10.10, but so far as I recall this
> behaviour has been in Nautilus since the beginning.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
> Package: nautilus 1:2.32.0-0ubuntu1.3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
> Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic i686
> NonfreeKernelModules: wl
> Architecture: i386
> Date: Fri Feb 25 14:06:44 2011
> EcryptfsInUse: Yes
> ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nautilus
> ProcEnviron:
> PATH=(custom, user)
> LANG=en_CA.utf8
> SHELL=/bin/bash
> SourcePackage: nautilus
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/725189/+subscribe
>

--
*Have Blog, Will Travel: blog.teledyn.com*
*A Serviceable Substitute: post.teledyn.com*

[Glen Luscombe (glenluscombe)]

Upstreamed.

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=644005

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

thanks for sending this bug to gnome.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

upstream comment

"This should work fine in Nautilus >= 3.0; please feel free to reopen this bug
report if it's still not working for you with a newer version."

nautilus 3 is in Oneiric, closing the bug