Can't open/save files over the network using applications that don't use GVFS

[Alex Moldovan]

Binary package hint: firefox

Firefox and Thunderbird along with lots other programs can't save files over the network because the save dialog doesn't show the network shares as they are in Places if you have a samba share mounted. The workaround is to go through the hidden .gvfs folder (Ctrl+H) in your home folder to save the file. So the issue is related to gvfs since all these work in KDE.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: firefox 3.6.13+build3+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.10.10.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-24.42-generic 2.6.35.8
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-24-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Jan 4 17:38:50 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
FirefoxPackages:
 firefox 3.6.13+build3+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.10.10.1
 firefox-gnome-support 3.6.13+build3+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.10.10.1
 firefox-branding 3.6.13+build3+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.10.10.1
 abroswer N/A
 abrowser-branding N/A
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_CA.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox

[Gianfranco Liporace (dr.kabuto)]

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; it; rv:1.9.1.4) Gecko/20091028 Ubuntu/9.10 (karmic) Firefox/3.5.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; it; rv:1.9.1.4) Gecko/20091028 Ubuntu/9.10 (karmic) Firefox/3.5.4

Hi,
Firefox file selector in linux only support local file browsing (it doesn't show network places or bookmarked locations). For example, uploading a file from a remote folder (usually a common operation with user files stored in a NAS server) is not possible.
This same bug is reported in a Ubuntu Launchpad:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/31471

Reproducible: Always

[Erik Meitner (e.meitner)]

See:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=402892

[Alex Moldovan (alexmoldovan)]

It affects VLC when trying to save a playlist to a network share. They're not in the save dialog list.

[Alex Moldovan (alexmoldovan)]

It affects Brasero when trying to save a project to a network share. They're not in the save dialog list.

[Vadim Peretokin (vperetokin)]

This looks like a GVFS issue. Please don't subscribe every single program that uses it.

[Mario Kemper (Romario) (mario-kemper)]

This is turned off programmatically in Shutter. To be honest, I currently do not know why I have decided to do this, but there certainly is a reason for it. But you can use the 'Export' button to export any file to a remote location.

[Vadim Peretokin (vperetokin)]

It'll freeze the app for a while without a progess dialog by default, for
one... unless you add integration aka gedit.

On 2011-01-04 7:45 PM, "Mario Kemper (Romario)" <email address hidden>
wrote:

This is turned off programmatically in Shutter. To be honest, I
currently do not know why I have decided to do this, but there certainly
is a reason for it. But you can use the 'Export' button to export any
file to a remote location.

--
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Shutter
Team, which is subscribe...

[Rémi Denis-Courmont (rdenis)]

VLC is not showing the network locations fine within KDE. The problem lies in the GTK backend, i.e. the Qt plugins provided by GTK.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

In future, please don't assign bugs to multiple packages like that without talking to people first, as it ends up subscribing lots of people who will end up being spammed for ages with comments that they just aren't interested in.

[Mozilla (mozilla)]

(In reply to comment #1)
> See:
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=402892

I don't think that gnome-vfs to gio has anything to do with it.
The native Gtk2 filechooser is never called to allow remote locations.

If appendFilters as declared in the idl:
https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/widget/public/nsIFilePicker.idl#70
is set to filterAllowURLs the gtk filechoose is *_set_local_only false which would allow bookmarks of remote locations to show up.

I could not find any hint that this filter is set by any caller in Firefox but I'm not sure why and if it makes sense exactly the way it is done.

[Alexandr (olexandr-dmitriev)]

Hi!

Any progress regarding this bug?

Why the importance is set as "Wishlist"?

It's a very usual situation especially in a corporate environment, that files are stored on the share and it's a real problem, that you can't save a file from the to a network share.

[Alexandr (olexandr-dmitriev)]

Him
the sames issue with firefox 7.

[Baditaflorin (baditaflorin)]

Ubuntu 11.10 , Firefox 7 the same problem.

It`s crucial to have the network by default.

[Mario Moder (oddfellow)]

I see this bug is marked as "Wishlist".

Judging this from an "enterprise point of view" (or "corporate environment", like Alexandr wrote): This "wishlist item" stops us from deploying Ubuntu/Gnome/Unity on our desktops on a larger scale at the moment. We deployed some desktops with Ubuntu 11.10 and the two main applications used on the client side are Firefox and Libreoffice. We have a Samba setup where most of the user files (documents etc.) are saved on a Samba share (which is visible to Nautilus through GVFS). Not having an easy way for the user to download a file from Firefox to their share directly or upload it from the share to some intranet side breaks the workflow of most users.

I tried to circumvent the problem by using symbolic links to the "~/.gvfs" directory but this disturbs many users because in Nautilus they can access the share through "Network" or "Bookmarks".

Is there perhaps an easier and more user-friendly work-around for this bug? Otherwise I "wish" the status of this bug would get more attention.

Funny thing is, on Windows I can tell the users to "just use drive M:" for their own files. Althoug I hate drive letters, I have yet to find such an easy way to teach users with Gnome ;-)

(BTW, Libreoffice also had problems with GVFS but I can't find a bug number at the moment.)

[Dupre (dupre)]

I found a solution using symbolic links:

mkdir $HOME/NetworkFS
ln -s $HOME/.gvfs $HOME/NetworkFS

Then you can use $HOME/NetworkFS to access your network place. Next time Firefox will open at last network dir you selected.

[Boris Malkov (hikari968)]

My users are also affected using Ubuntu in corporate network. More than a year with no movement?
I'm surprised it's in "wishlist", it's quite serious usability bug. Making symlinks isn't solution by the way.

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

Ubuntu 12.04. All aplications are affected by this bug.

[Timothy Arceri (t-fridey)]

*** Bug 695939 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Timothy Arceri (t-fridey)]

*** Bug 608204 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Timothy Arceri (t-fridey)]

Removed as duplicate of GTK bug as it turns out that GTK is behaving correctly and this is something that needs to be implemented on the application side. See gtk bug for more info: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=586367

[Mitesh Pathak (miteshpathak05)]

I would like to work on this bug!

[komputes (komputes)]

On 13-02-21 09:20 AM, Mitesh Pathak wrote:
> I would like to work on this bug!
>

Hi Mitesh,

I submitted this as a Potential Google Summer of Code project if it
interests you Google could be funding you to fix this bug. Please keep
an eye on this project. I think we will know if Ubuntu gets to take part
in ~3 weeks

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GoogleSoC2013
http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/homepage/google/gsoc2013

Cheers,

David

[Mitesh Pathak (miteshpathak05)]

Hi David,
Thanx for your reply. Till that time I want to know more about the bug [getting myself prepared :D].
It would be gr8 if you could guide me thro' and provide some references.

Regards,
Mits

[Timothy Arceri (t-fridey)]

Sorry Mitesh and David but I already fixed this bug it just took a while to get the GTK dev to review my patch. I guess I should have provided another update after my comment 18. Anyway I'm pleased to announce that it should land in the next version of GTK 2 and GTK 3.