can't set as preferred email application (anymore)

[Stefan Bethge]

Binary package hint: claws-mail

Before natty, claws was selectable from the list in preferred applications, so browser mailto links or nautilus-sendto would use it. This is all gone now and the only possible default is evolution, which I don't want to use at all.
Since there was no new claws-mail version from maverick to natty, I guess this comes from something that changed in either gnome/unity or the way the package puts files into the system?

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Unfortunately, we cannot work on this bug because your description didn't include enough information. You may find it helpful to read "How to report bugs effectively" http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem.

We have instructions on debugging some types of problems at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProcedures

At a minimum, we need:
1. the specific steps or actions you took that caused you to encounter the problem,
2. the behavior you expected, and
3. the behavior you actually encountered (in as much detail as possible).
4. The actual distribution and release you are using.
5. If this is Ubuntu 11.04, is this classic or Unity desktop?
Thanks!

[Stefan Bethge (kjyv)]

Interesting read about reporting bugs, but actually, what exactly are you missing?

All of these are already answered above:

1. the specific steps or actions you took that caused you to encounter the problem,
- try to set claws as default mail application (with the gnome-default-applications-properties tool)

2. the behavior you expected, and
- that I can select claws as the default mail application

3. the behavior you actually encountered (in as much detail as possible).
- i can't select it

4. The actual distribution and release you are using.
ubuntu; natty

5. If this is Ubuntu 11.04, is this classic or Unity desktop?
both, shouldn't matter anyway since it is both gnome

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

As to the above responses, it does matter. I am using Xubuntu 11.04 with claws-mail, and have no problem setting my preferences. The dialog does exist, and does work. Ubuntu 11.04 with Unity and Compiz have different settings dialogs than Ubuntu 11.04 with classic session. They may both be Gnome, but the interfaces are different.

[Stefan Bethge (kjyv)]

I'm not really sure if i'm getting you right, but of course xfce has a different dialog for that. Unity however is not much more than another profile for compiz that has the unity plugin enabled, which in turn starts unity-panel-service and various other things. The whole gnome subsystem however is the same, and the application binary started is one and the same. Even if this could display different interfaces for unity and classic sessions, it doesn't, and the problem is the same in both environments. The only selectable option is evolution.

It seems that the way to set the preferred application is to set /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/mailto/command which however is reset by the dialog. Also there is no list of possible options.

[Alexander Oltu (sazs)]

The problem is that /usr/share/applications/claws-mail.desktop is missing mimetype.

The workaround is:
1. add MimeType=x-scheme-handler/mailto;
  into /usr/share/applications/claws-mail.desktop
2. run update-desktop-database

[Stefan Bethge (kjyv)]

Ah, thanks for clarifying. Now I wonder what is wrong with launchpad that I wasn't able to find the existing bug in the list or via searching...