default picture viewer doesn't get remembered in Agent 8.00

[davidhhh...@bellatlantic.net]

So, I've been using Agent forever (25+years) as my default email and
newsreader app. It's mostly worked fine for me. But a couple of upgrades
back (I'm not sure when it started), it started forgetting my default
picture viewing program. The weird thing is that it doesn't always happen.
But it's been going on for several years now, and I've mostly just
tolerated it. But since I may be moving away from Agent for my newsreader
because it's filing with the new binary obfuscation posting methods, maybe
it's about time to fix this, or completely give up on Agent, after 25+
years?

About half the time, it opens the file in my default picture viewer just
fine when I double click on it..

But about half the time, it pops up an error window that says:

Unable to Launch Attachment
There is no application associated with MIME type image/jpg
filename c:\default_folder\filename.jpg

And then buttons with an option to choose the app and browse for the
program.

But it doesn't then set that app as the default picture app (probably since
it's already set in the settings.) I may have the same problem with the
next picture.

I haven't noticed any pattern in why some picture files work and others
don't.

The weird thing is that the default folder it goes to for the app is the
folder with the default app that I've chose in the settings. But it's kind
of a pain having to choose the app every other time I want to open a
picture that someone has sent me.

Any suggestions?

[Ralph Fox]

I have set my default picture viewer in Agent's MIME Types settings,
and it works reliably enough for me.


Once Agent gets to this pop-up...

| Unable to Launch Attachment
| There is no application associated with MIME type image/jpg
| filename c:\default_folder\filename.jpg

...Agent is now looking at the Windows Registry settings (which it does
when it cannot find an application in Agent's MIME Types settings).


If you are looking for a pattern, I would expect it to depend on the
combination of file extension (".jpg" in your example) and MIME Type
("image/jpg" in your example). But not necessarily on one of these
alone.


--
Kind regards
Ralph

[davi...@bellatlantic.net]

The problem is that I DO have default applications set in both Agent's MIME
types and Windows default settings for picture files.

But Agent seems to be forgetting them both.

[Ralph Fox]

Not here. Do you want to check the below, or do you want to give up?

Agent's MIME types

If your Agent MIME types are set up with one MIME type (e.g.
"image/jpeg") and the picture attachment is sent with a different
MIME type (say "application/octet-stream" or "image/jp2"), then
_obviously_ it is not going to work.

When you say Agent forgets, as far as I can see this may be caused
by you receiving an attachment with different MIME Type to the one
you have set up.

You should check the MIME type which the attachment has:
1. Select a downloaded message
2. Go to "Message >> Index"
3. In the "Items" box, select the line with the attachment
4. Note the following values below the attachment box:
* Type: (the MIME Type)
* Encoding: (the attachment encoding)

# When the encoding is NOT yEnc or uuencoded, the attachment's
MIME Type is set the sender or their posting program.
# When the encoding is yEnc or uuencoded, the attachment's
MIME Type is set by your Agent at the point when the body is
downloaded (and not later).

I don't have access to your computer and I cannot check for you.
You will need to check yourself.


Windows default settings

Windows has changed where in the registry the file type
associations are stored. There is the old place which is still
used by XP-compatible programs, and the new place which is used
by programs designed for more recent versions of Windows.

When you say Agent forgets, as far as I can see this may be caused
by you looking at Windows 10 Default Programs which is showing you
the setting in the new Registry location at (say)
[HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.jpeg\UserChoice]
while XP-compatible Agent has the association from the old location
at (say)
[HKCR\.jpeg] (default) = foonly_jpeg
[HKCR\foonly_jpeg\shell\open\command] (default) = C:\Program Files\FoonlyView\foonlyview.exe "%1"

You should confirm both places are set correctly to the same program,
and that will probably involve using the Windows Registry Editor.

I don't have access to your computer and I cannot check for you.
You will need to check yourself.


--
Kind regards
Ralph