Vmware Workstation help opens abiword

[Valerio Vanni]

The issue began after update from debian 10 to 11. And it persists in 12.

Before, Vmware Workstation help was shown in default browser (it's an
html guide).
After, guide was not showing anymore. Calling it (click on "help" on
Vmware application) began opening Abiword.

Vmware Workstation has no option "open guide with...".

In kde control panel -> app -> default, Firefox is set as default browser.

If I uninstall abiword, logoff and login to kde, guide is shown in
Firefox. If I reinstall abiword, issue comes back.

Where should I look?

[Cindy Sue Causey]

Hi.. Am taking a stab at this while you're waiting for others here.
What kinds of options are you offered if you try accessing this same
via your favorite file manager?

I just test drove any old file, coincidentally
(.)xsession-errors(.)old, by right clicking it and choosing Properties
via Thunar. In Trixie and I'm sure in others, Thunar's primary General
tab has an "Open With" option with a drop-down menu. I was able to
change my own long time existing file association issue just now.

If that option exists and seems like it might help but keeps reverting
back to useless, it might take root permissions to perform that
change, depending on the package involved.

DISCLAIMER for new Users: PLEASE BE CAREFUL if you get curious and go
poking around with something like this. I have been there, done that,
many years ago. Ended up rendering my entire computer system useless
while in Dolphin via Knoppix, I think it was. *oops*

File managers can be pretty darn powerful. They're one of my favorite
multi-times daily tools. Thank you, Developers!

Cindy :)
--
Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA
* runs with rain drenched birdseed *

[Valerio Vanni]

Il 10/01/2024 22:28, Cindy Sue Causey ha scritto:
> On 1/10/24, Valerio Vanni <valeri...@inwind.it> wrote:
>> The issue began after update from debian 10 to 11. And it persists in 12.
>>
>> Before, Vmware Workstation help was shown in default browser (it's an
>> html guide).
>> After, guide was not showing anymore. Calling it (click on "help" on
>> Vmware application) began opening Abiword.
>>
>> Vmware Workstation has no option "open guide with...".
>>
>> In kde control panel -> app -> default, Firefox is set as default browser.
>>
>> If I uninstall abiword, logoff and login to kde, guide is shown in
>> Firefox. If I reinstall abiword, issue comes back.
>>
>> Where should I look?
>
>
> Hi.. Am taking a stab at this while you're waiting for others here.
> What kinds of options are you offered if you try accessing this same
> via your favorite file manager?

Now I see that it' not local html pages, it's online.
I remember local pages, but perhaps it was on older versions.

Without Abiword, Firefox tries to open links such as:

docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/17.0/context?id=IDH_MAIN
docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/17.0/context?id=IDH_CFG_MEMORY

But then Vmware site redirect to generic page:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/index.html
BTW this is vmware's fault, and renders guide almost useless.

But it's still interesting to know why a link is passed to abiword
instead of default browser.

[Max Nikulin]

On 11/01/2024 02:44, Valerio Vanni wrote:
> After, guide was not showing anymore. Calling it (click on "help" on
> Vmware application) began opening Abiword.
>

> In kde control panel -> app -> default, Firefox is set as default browser.

Likely when sorted by name Abiword is before Firefox and even before
Chromium. So you you need to override defaults in a mimeapps.list either
system-wide or user-wide.

https://wiki.debian.org/DefaultWebBrowser

Check associations for text/html, x-scheme-handler/http,
x-scheme-handler/https (may be wrapped by mail applications)

> grep -E 'x-scheme-handler/https?|text/x?html|application/xhtml' /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache ~/.local/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache /etc/xdg/mimeapps.list ~/.config/mimeapps.list

For KDE try for various MIME types

ktraderclient5 --mimetype x-scheme-handler/https \
--servicetype Application

[Valerio Vanni]

Il 11/01/2024 03:33, Max Nikulin ha scritto:
> On 11/01/2024 02:44, Valerio Vanni wrote:
>> After, guide was not showing anymore. Calling it (click on "help" on
>> Vmware application) began opening Abiword.
>>
>> In kde control panel -> app -> default, Firefox is set as default
>> browser.
>
> Likely when sorted by name Abiword is before Firefox and even before
> Chromium. So you you need to override defaults in a mimeapps.list either
> system-wide or user-wide.

Now it's working, but I don't understand why. When I was trying to check
those locations, I found it working.
But it should have been something other. Perhaps something in sequence
between uninstall abiword, reinstall abiword, modify default browser etc.

Now I find this:

/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/xhtml+xml=abiword.desktop;firefox-esr.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:application/xhtml_xml=google-chrome.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:text/html=abiword.desktop;firefox-esr.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;org.kde.kimagemapeditor.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:x-scheme-handler/http=firefox-esr.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;
/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:x-scheme-handler/https=firefox-esr.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;
grep: /etc/xdg/mimeapps.list: File o directory non esistente
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:text/html=firefox-esr.desktop;
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:x-scheme-handler/http=firefox-esr.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;abiword.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:x-scheme-handler/https=firefox-esr.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;abiword.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:text/html=firefox-esr.desktop;
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:x-scheme-handler/http=firefox-esr.desktop;
/home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:x-scheme-handler/https=firefox-esr.desktop;

I'll try to look again when I restore bullseye disk image, this upgrade
to bookworm is only a test.
After the restore I'll find the broken "abiword instead of firefox" state.

[Max Nikulin]

On 11/01/2024 20:18, Valerio Vanni wrote:
> Now it's working, but I don't understand why.

> Now I find this:
>

> /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:text/html=abiword.desktop;firefox-esr.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;org.kde.kimagemapeditor.desktop;
> /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache:x-scheme-handler/http=firefox-esr.desktop;google-chrome.desktop;kfmclient_html.desktop;org.gnome.Epiphany.desktop;

So Abiword does not pretend to be an http: protocol handler, just an
application supporting HTML files.

> /home/valerio/.config/mimeapps.list:text/html=firefox-esr.desktop;

Likely you have changed file associations for HTML files from KDE System
Settings. Try to move away ~/.config/mimeapps.list or comment out
text/html entry there and Abiword should pop back.

[Valerio Vanni]

I confirm, it does pop back.
And every change (moving file) needs logout and login to take effect.

But I remember I already had done that (change kde settings, logout, login).

[Max Nikulin]

KDE may cache MIME settings. It may reread config files after some pause
however. You may try to force cache update by

kbuildsycoca5

Instead of setting default application you may remove association of
HTML files with Abiword. In ~/.config/mimeapps.list or
/etc/XDG/mimeapps.list add to the section "[Removed Associations]"
(create it if it does not exist):

text/html=abiword.desktop;

Abiword should disappear from "Open with" dialogs. The only way to open
an HTML file with Abiword would be to run it with the file argument from
command line or to start Abiword and to use the "Open" dialog.

It seems the approach taken by e.g. GNOME and Android is less confusing
for users in some cases. If default application has not set yet than
application chooser appears.