how to add a helper application

[Uwe Brauer]

Hi

I googled quite a while and found that question asked many times.

How can I add a helper application, for a certain file type.

The solution which is proposed to click on a file in question and then
the pop up menu will allow you to add helper application will not work
for me, because I cannot easily access the file.

I cannot attach a screen shot of a firefox installation which contains the
helper application, because of its size (I tried and it got refused).

I could try to edit handler.json
but this is very cumbersome.

Is there any extension which could do this?

Regards

Uwe Brauer

[WaltS48]

Why can't you easily access the file?

Do you have the helper application installed? Firefox isn't going to
install one for you.

Use a hosting service like <https://imgur.com/> for screen shots. Upload
the image and post the link in your message.

--
OS: Ubuntu Linux 18.04LTS - Gnome Desktop
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/get-involved/

[Uwe Brauer]

> On 6/23/19 9:12 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:

> Why can't you easily access the file?

Ok, here is the longer story. It is about electronically signing some
documents in my university. I need to have

1. The certificate installed, which I have.

2. The helper application installed (called autofirma) which I have

3. Firefox must know about the application especially all files
called afirma should be opened with autofirma.



Only if these 3 conditions are met, the system let me connect to the
site with the documents. That is true for the main user on my laptop
and the link below, show a firefox in which these 3 conditions are met.

Now I have a different user on my machine and there the firefox the
other user is using only satisfies the first 2 of the three conditions,
so he/she cannot connect and sign the documents.

And that is why I *need* to configure firefox, such that the third
condition is satisfied.

Frankly it is beyond me, why it is not possible to manually add the
file type and the application to be used.

Why is this so cumbersome.

> Do you have the helper application installed? Firefox isn't going to
> install one for you.

> Use a hosting service like <https://imgur.com/> for screen shots.
> Upload the image and post the link in your message.

Here is the link


https://imgur.com/31Q6ao8


Regards

Uwe Brauer

[»Q«]

In <news:mailman.63.1561304754...@lists.mozilla.org>,

Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:

> > On 6/23/19 9:12 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>
> > Why can't you easily access the file?
>
> Ok, here is the longer story. It is about electronically signing some
> documents in my university. I need to have
>
> 1. The certificate installed, which I have.
>
> 2. The helper application installed (called autofirma) which I
> have
>
> 3. Firefox must know about the application especially all files
> called afirma should be opened with autofirma.
>
>
>
> Only if these 3 conditions are met, the system let me connect to the
> site with the documents. That is true for the main user on my laptop
> and the link below, show a firefox in which these 3 conditions are
> met.
>
> Now I have a different user on my machine and there the firefox the
> other user is using only satisfies the first 2 of the three
> conditions, so he/she cannot connect and sign the documents.
>
> And that is why I *need* to configure firefox, such that the third
> condition is satisfied.

You could try copying the handlers.json file from the Firefox profile
that works to the one that doesn't.

Or maybe <https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/content-type-fixer/>
can help. I don't know anything about the extension, really, but its
description says "You can define your own Content-Type associations for
other file extensions".

[Uwe Brauer]

> In <news:mailman.63.1561304754...@lists.mozilla.org>,
> Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:


> You could try copying the handlers.json file from the Firefox profile
> that works to the one that doesn't.

Yes, I could do that, but I am wondering why firefox does not a simple
menu to add file type and download application.
That was possible years ago, and given the dozen of questions I found
via google I think it is a feature a lot of people miss.

> Or maybe <https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/content-type-fixer/>
> can help. I don't know anything about the extension, really, but its
> description says "You can define your own Content-Type associations for
> other file extensions".

Thanks, but it works only *after* you have download something and as I
said, without the correct help app I cannot connect so I cannot
download.

Uwe

[WaltS48]

So, the problem is the Firefox you are using to download doesn't
recognize the certificate, but the main user browser does?

Try the copy of handlers.json file suggested after backing up that profile.

[Paul in Houston, TX]

Per your source, you are using:
User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/27.0.50 (gnu/linux)

According to this site Afirma requires Java but FF no longer supports Java.

https://github.com/ctt-gob-es/clienteafirma/issues/70
commented Mar 17, 2019

El bug sigue presente en Ubuntu 18.04 con Firefox 65.0.1 y Java OpenJDK-8
Entiendo que si instalo Firefox ESR es una manera de parchear esto.
Pero no es una solución.
El problema no está solucionado ni mucho menos.

[Uwe Brauer]

> Uwe Brauer wrote:

> Per your source, you are using:
> User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/27.0.50 (gnu/linux)

Correct, your point being? I mean why is this relevant?

> According to this site Afirma requires Java but FF no longer supports Java.

> https://github.com/ctt-gob-es/clienteafirma/issues/70
> commented Mar 17, 2019

> El bug sigue presente en Ubuntu 18.04 con Firefox 65.0.1 y Java OpenJDK-8
> Entiendo que si instalo Firefox ESR es una manera de parchear esto.
> Pero no es una solución.
> El problema no está solucionado ni mucho menos.

Thanks for the quote, but I can sign the documents, so maybe this bug is
not so relevant (I am on Ubuntu 16.04)

I am the only one who find it strange that FF does not provide an easy
to use menu to add manually, if needed, helper applications?

[Grant Taylor]

On 6/23/19 10:29 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
> Yes, I could do that, but I am wondering why firefox does not a simple
> menu to add file type and download application.

Edit -> Preferences -> General -> Applications allows you to change what
is done with different file types. But I'm not seeing how to add a new
file type there.

I think you should be able to add something to the list when you answer
the what do you want to do wit this file dialog box when downloading a
new file type.

I've done this many times. It's just been a while and multiple versions
of Firefox.



--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

[Grant Taylor]

On 6/23/19 11:44 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
> I am the only one who find it strange that FF does not provide an
> easy to use menu to add manually, if needed, helper applications?

What do you mean by "helper applications"? Plugins? Add-Ons?
Associations with external applications?

See my previous email for how I've done this before.

I think Java is somewhat problematic b/c it's no longer supported via NSAPI.

You can probably associate .jar files with an external Java run time.
I've associated .jws files with the Java Web Start runtime. These
function as external applications, along the lines of "open with
(external program)".

You /might/ need to put together a script to receive the name of the
attachment and pass the proper arguments to a program. Though I'd be
somewhat surprised by that.

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "GT" == Grant Taylor <gta...@tnetconsulting.net> writes:

> On 6/23/19 10:29 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>> Yes, I could do that, but I am wondering why firefox does not a simple
>> menu to add file type and download application.

> Edit -> Preferences -> General -> Applications allows you to change
> what is done with different file types. But I'm not seeing how to add
> a new file type there.

> I think you should be able to add something to the list when you
> answer the what do you want to do wit this file dialog box when
> downloading a new file type.

But as I said in an earlier message, I cannot connect to the site where
I have to «download» without the having the help app installed.
So this approach does no help

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "GT" == Grant Taylor <gta...@tnetconsulting.net> writes:

> On 6/23/19 11:44 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>> I am the only one who find it strange that FF does not provide an
>> easy to use menu to add manually, if needed, helper applications?

> What do you mean by "helper applications"? Plugins? Add-Ons?
> Associations with external applications?

External applications. But please again, I explained by scenario in an
older message, the approach for waiting firefox to ask which app it
should use, *does not* work, because I cannot connect to this site.

[Grant Taylor]

On 6/23/19 12:43 PM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
> But as I said in an earlier message, I cannot connect to the site
> where I have to «download» without the having the help app installed.

Hum.

That makes me think that the helper app will need to do the connection,
and not Firefox itself. :-/

> So this approach does no help

You can probably fake Firefox out and create a blank file with the
necessary name / extension, tell Firefox to open said file to get it to
prompt what to do with the file. After all, Firefox doesn't actually
process it, just recognizes the extension.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message
<mailman.75.1561315470...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe

Why do you need to connect to a particular site to make Firefox ask the
question? Surely it doesn't matter where the dummy file is, if you're
going to access (download) it to make Firefox ask the question.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

he was eventually struck off by the BMA in 1968 for not knowing his gluteus
maximus from his humerus.

[WaltS48]

Why can't you connect to the site?

Why can you connect to the site with the *main user* Firefox?

Try this in the Firefox that can't connect to the site.

<http://kb.mozillazine.org/Register_protocol#Firefox_3.5_and_above>

Let us know if that works out.

[Paul in Houston, TX]

Well, if you cannot access the site then you probably cannot access the
file that is linked to or hosted by that site. Do you get any reponse
back at all when you try?
Post the url here.

[Uwe Brauer]

> Uwe Brauer wrote:

> Well, if you cannot access the site then you probably cannot access
> the file that is linked to or hosted by that site. Do you get any
> reponse back at all when you try?

No. Just firefox hangs up.


> Post the url here.

I can't because it is a 2 step process:

1. I have to access my a site at my university, which is protected
by an password, which I cannot reveal.

2. Then when I enter this hidden place, there is the link in
question.

Uwe

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message
<mailman.87.1561378479...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe

1. Does it work with another browser?
2. I don't think it's going to be _just_ the filetype in the link
(assuming it is a link directly to the file) that is causing the
lock-up. If you make a dummy file with that extension and put it on
another "site" - including your own drive, accessed as "file:///D:/..."
(note the triple /, and all / not \) - what happens when you try to
access it?

If the link is "http[s]://x.y.z/a/b/c/filetype.ext", can you ping x.y.z
OK (e. g. "ping x.y.z" from a command prompt)?

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Radio 4 is one of the reasons being British is good. It's not a subset of
Britain - it's almost as if Britain is a subset of Radio 4. - Stephen Fry, in
Radio Times, 7-13 June, 2003.

[WaltS48]

It works in Firefox when the "main user" is accessing the file, not when
another user is using Firefox. AIUI

See:
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.support.firefox/wjU6I8apY4o/hB3dMxLdAwAJ>

I also supplied this link to the OP on how to manually add the file type
<http://kb.mozillazine.org/Register_protocol#Firefox_3.5_and_above>
which they could try and report back.

Seems to me they don't want to try anything suggested.

[Uwe Brauer]

On a second though: the site says

network.protocol-handler.expose.foo
Replace foo with the protocol you're specifying)

Which protocol do I have to use?

[Uwe Brauer]

Not sure this was sent, sorry for (possible) double posting

> On 6/24/19 8:53 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

> It works in Firefox when the "main user" is accessing the file, not
> when another user is using Firefox. AIUI

> See:
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.support.firefox/wjU6I8apY4o/hB3dMxLdAwAJ>

Correct.

> I also supplied this link to the OP on how to manually add the file
> type
> <http://kb.mozillazine.org/Register_protocol#Firefox_3.5_and_above>
> which they could try and report back.

I have not seen this advice, thanks, I will it out try but I suspect it might
not help, because the site would not allow me to connect, hence no
question will be asked.

> Seems to me they don't want to try anything suggested.

Right now the only thing which I know works is to copy
handlers.json

Which, as I said, I find cumbersome.

Thanks to all for you for your help, the situation is really strange,
but also I cannot understand why FF does not anymore provide a simple
way of adding a helper app, without try to connect. Precisely in the
(pathological) situation I described it would be useful.

[WaltS48]

The one that is used for the browser that works.

[»Q«]

In <news:mailman.83.1561383327...@lists.mozilla.org>,

If the file is delivered using the http protocol, which seems most
likely, the idea above won't help. If it's served via some other
protocol, you should be able to see it when you access the file from
the profile that works; hovering over a link usually* shows the URL in
the lower left, with the protocol at the beginning of the URL.

* but not when the link just activates some javascript

[Uwe Brauer]

> On 6/24/19 9:35 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:

> The one that is used for the browser that works.

Thanks, but here is a screenshot of the firefox which works

https://imgur.com/GBg5xgv

There are only 4 protocols in the class of
network.protocol-handler.expose.foo

None of them looks relevant.

This is really a wicked problem.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message
<mailman.91.1561383461...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe
Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> writes:
[]

>Thanks to all for you for your help, the situation is really strange,
>but also I cannot understand why FF does not anymore provide a simple
>way of adding a helper app, without try to connect. Precisely in the
>(pathological) situation I described it would be useful.
>

I still don't understand why you need to connect to your secret site to
bring up the add-helper-app-for-unknown-filetype dialogue, i. e. why you
can't make a dummy file with that filetype and try to access the dummy
file from e. g. your local disc to bring up the dialogue.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

The best things in life aren't things. - Bear Grylls (RT 2015/2/14-20)

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "JPG(" == J P Gilliver (John) <G6JP...@255soft.uk> writes:

> In message
> <mailman.91.1561383461...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe
> Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> writes:
> []

>> Thanks to all for you for your help, the situation is really strange,
>> but also I cannot understand why FF does not anymore provide a simple
>> way of adding a helper app, without try to connect. Precisely in the
>> (pathological) situation I described it would be useful.
>>

> I still don't understand why you need to connect to your secret site
> to bring up the add-helper-app-for-unknown-filetype dialogue, i. e.
> why you can't make a dummy file with that filetype and try to access
> the dummy file from e. g. your local disc to bring up the dialogue.

This is what I tried. I created a file locally
test.afirma
it is a simple text file, containing the word test
I opened the file (using Ubuntu) with firefox
file:///home/oub/Desktop/this.afirma

It opens the file without a problem, but the list of helper apps remains
unchanged.

Or do you suggest to copy that file to some webpage I have access and
then try to open it?

[Uwe Brauer]

Seems that the mailing list rejected my post, so I use the new portal
Sorry.

[-]

> In message
> <mailman.91.1561383461...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe
> Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> writes:
> []
>> Thanks to all for you for your help, the situation is really strange,
>> but also I cannot understand why FF does not anymore provide a simple
>> way of adding a helper app, without try to connect. Precisely in the
>> (pathological) situation I described it would be useful.
>>
> I still don't understand why you need to connect to your secret site
> to bring up the add-helper-app-for-unknown-filetype dialogue, i. e.
> why you can't make a dummy file with that filetype and try to access
> the dummy file from e. g. your local disc to bring up the dialogue.

This is what I tried. I created a file locally
test.afirma
it is a simple text file, containing the word test
I opened the file (using Ubuntu) with firefox
file:///home/oub/Desktop/this.afirma

It opens the file without a problem, but the list of helper apps remains
unchanged.

Or do you suggest to copy that file to some webpage I have access and
then try to open it?

[[End of S/MIME Signed Part]]

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "JPG(" == J P Gilliver (John) <G6JP...@255soft.uk> writes:

> In message

> <mailman.91.1561383461...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe
> Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> writes:
> []

>> Thanks to all for you for your help, the situation is really strange,
>> but also I cannot understand why FF does not anymore provide a simple
>> way of adding a helper app, without try to connect. Precisely in the
>> (pathological) situation I described it would be useful.
>>

[WaltS48]

You made me look into my about:config file, and the
network.protocol-handler.expose.magnet I created to open my bit-torrent
application does not appear there, but is in the list of Applications
under Content Type in Preferences > General.

So what does your working Firefox show in Applications for the Content
Type? I would think that is what you would replace "foo" with in your case.

It probably still won't work without the proper certificate installed in
both Firefox's.

Maybe you can find something here.

<https://github.com/ctt-gob-es/clienteafirma/wiki/AutoFirma:-Problemas-en-la-instalaci%C3%B3n>

I'm out of ideas.

[pe...@never.here]

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 17:45:40 +0200, Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:

>
> > On 6/23/19 9:12 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>
> > Why can't you easily access the file?
>
>Ok, here is the longer story. It is about electronically signing some
>documents in my university. I need to have

This means it's a University site you are trying to access? If it is,
have you contacted the University IT support? Perhaps other FF users
have had the same problem. Apologies if you already have and I've
missed it in the ongoing thread.
>
> 1. The certificate installed, which I have.
>
> 2. The helper application installed (called autofirma) which I have
>
> 3. Firefox must know about the application especially all files
> called afirma should be opened with autofirma.
>
>
>
>Only if these 3 conditions are met, the system let me connect to the
>site with the documents. That is true for the main user on my laptop
>and the link below, show a firefox in which these 3 conditions are met.
>
>Now I have a different user on my machine and there the firefox the
>other user is using only satisfies the first 2 of the three conditions,
>so he/she cannot connect and sign the documents.
>
>And that is why I *need* to configure firefox, such that the third
>condition is satisfied.
>
>Frankly it is beyond me, why it is not possible to manually add the
>file type and the application to be used.
>
>Why is this so cumbersome.
>
>
>
> > Do you have the helper application installed? Firefox isn't going to
> > install one for you.
>
> > Use a hosting service like <https://imgur.com/> for screen shots.
> > Upload the image and post the link in your message.
>
>Here is the link
>
>
>https://imgur.com/31Q6ao8
>
>
>Regards
>
>Uwe Brauer
--
Pete

[Uwe Brauer]

> On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 17:45:40 +0200, Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:

> This means it's a University site you are trying to access? If it is,
> have you contacted the University IT support? Perhaps other FF users
> have had the same problem. Apologies if you already have and I've
> missed it in the ongoing thread.

Ha. The IT support of my university may have many admirable hm character
traits, but competence is not among them. Yes I have contacted them and
no they could not help[1].

Footnotes:
[1] (to be fair, this part of the IT system was outsourced to a 3rd
party company and since my university did not pay the required fees, support was dropped)

[Nobody]

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 15:12:47 +0200, Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:

>Hi
>
>I googled quite a while and found that question asked many times.
>
>How can I add a helper application, for a certain file type.
>
>The solution which is proposed to click on a file in question and then
>the pop up menu will allow you to add helper application will not work
>for me, because I cannot easily access the file.
>
>I cannot attach a screen shot of a firefox installation which contains the
>helper application, because of its size (I tried and it got refused).
>
>I could try to edit handler.json
>but this is very cumbersome.
>
>Is there any extension which could do this?
>
>Regards
>
>Uwe Brauer

Um, I've been watching this discussion.. and like "Pete" wonder why IT
can't help.

It's also software developed by the Government of Spain... they must
know how it intereacts with browsers!

<https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es/cs/Satellite/Sede/en/tramites/solicitudes-escritos>

There's a download prompt for Firefox right on that page.

[Uwe Brauer]

> On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 15:12:47 +0200, Uwe Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> wrote:

> Um, I've been watching this discussion.. and like "Pete" wonder why IT
> can't help.

> It's also software developed by the Government of Spain... they must
> know how it intereacts with browsers!

Well it works reasonable well on Windows (single user) more or less on
Mac, more or less on Linux, again single user.
If you have another user on your machine, it simply does not work.

And I tried several times to describe the reason: the helper app is not
set correctly for the second user.

The easiest solution would be if firefox had the possibility to manually
add a file type and its corresponding app (this feature was present
maybe 10 years ago). A kludge consists in copying handlers.json

What I found now, psychologically interesting, that nobody complained
about the lack of said feature (adding a extension/file type manually),
although I have seen this complain while google searching.

I should rise this subject on the developer mailing list, but I am sure
the answer will be no: lack of interest and demand.
Oh well.

[WaltS48]

On 6/26/19 9:17 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
> Well it works reasonable well on Windows (single user) more or less on
> Mac, more or less on Linux, again single user.
> If you have another user on your machine, it simply does not work.

You never answered whether the "other" user has the required certificate
installed.

Have you considered letting the other user use the "main" user profile?

How did you get it installed in the "main" user profile?

Somebody already filed a bug report for you.

<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=372358>

The summary has been changed a couple of times, so read through all the
comments. It is a bit confusing in the beginning.

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "W" == WaltS48 <sch...@REMOVEverizon.net> writes:

> On 6/26/19 9:17 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>> Well it works reasonable well on Windows (single user) more or less on
>> Mac, more or less on Linux, again single user.
>> If you have another user on your machine, it simply does not work.

> You never answered whether the "other" user has the required
> certificate installed.

I thought I did. Be it as it may, yes of course the other user has the
certificate installed, otherwise it would not make sense at all

> Have you considered letting the other user use the "main" user profile?

> How did you get it installed in the "main" user profile?

Aeh on linux it does not work that way, each user has its own home
directory and it own firefox directory with all the configurations etc.

> Somebody already filed a bug report for you.

> <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=372358>

> The summary has been changed a couple of times, so read through all
> the comments. It is a bit confusing in the beginning.

Thanks.

[Uwe Brauer]

>>> "W" == WaltS48 <sch...@REMOVEverizon.net> writes:

> On 6/26/19 9:17 AM, Uwe Brauer wrote:
>> Well it works reasonable well on Windows (single user) more or less on
>> Mac, more or less on Linux, again single user.
>> If you have another user on your machine, it simply does not work.

> You never answered whether the "other" user has the required
> certificate installed.

> Have you considered letting the other user use the "main" user profile?

> How did you get it installed in the "main" user profile?

> Somebody already filed a bug report for you.

> <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=372358>

> The summary has been changed a couple of times, so read through all
> the comments. It is a bit confusing in the beginning.

13 years ago, wow. So the changes that will get fixed is very very close
to zero

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message
<mailman.118.156155506...@lists.mozilla.org>, Uwe
Brauer <o...@mat.ucm.es> writes:
[]

>What I found now, psychologically interesting, that nobody complained
>about the lack of said feature (adding a extension/file type manually),
>although I have seen this complain while google searching.
>
>I should rise this subject on the developer mailing list, but I am sure
>the answer will be no: lack of interest and demand.
>Oh well.

[]
I would not be surprised if there's little interest/demand in the
ability to add filetype and associated application _completely_
manually. I would have thought there _would_ remain some demand for it
automatically prompting, on _encountering_ a new filetype, for what
application to use on it - much as Windows Explorer does.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.