Xfce Forum

fsa

Member

Registered: 2008-11-28

Posts: 4

how to make thunar know about file associations?

Hi all,

I am trying to make thunar recognize my installed applications so that it knows that a .doc file can be opened by oo writer, for example. It already knows that some image files can be opened by ristretto and Gimp, for example, and it knows that I have open office (I installed it manually), but it doesn't know that it is able to open .doc or .odt, for example. Can anyone help?

eriefisher

Member

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 412

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

Right click on the file in question and select "open with other". Select the application and check of "use as default". Now every time you click on that type of file it will be opened in the app you selected.

---

Siduction
Debian Sid
Xfce 4.18

fsa

Member

Registered: 2008-11-28

Posts: 4

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

Thanks for the reply, eriefisher.

I initially thought that some files from the structure proposed by freedesktop.org (consequently that should be shipped with the application(eg. oo writer)) were supposed to indicate specifically what kind of files (eg. .odp) that application would be able to open, thus making that application appear in the "recommended applications" section of "open with..." for those kind of files to be opened.

From what you wrote in the last post, this kind of association is not made by the application shipper, but it is made by the user. Now I am confused, because I think xarchiver and ristretto brought those associations by themselves when they were installed, since I don't remember using "use as default" with those apps. (of course my memory may have failed in this situation)

Could you please explain that more in detail?

eriefisher

Member

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 412

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

I believe you are correct but if another application was the default before you installed OO.o then it will remain the default until you change it. You may have tried to open a file and the logical choice was used thus becoming the default.

---

Siduction
Debian Sid
Xfce 4.18

fsa

Member

Registered: 2008-11-28

Posts: 4

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

Thanks again eriefisher,

Well, I think the procedure to make an application become the default is quite clear from your posts.

My real doubt since the beginning is how to introduce a newly installed application in the "recommended apps" list that appears when we choose "open with another application..." while trying to open a file. One of those is usually the default, but I would like to have others that would be the recommended ones.

For example, in my thunar when I right click an image file I get "open with Ristretto" (that is the default) and then "open with the GIMP" and at last "open with another application". So, both Ristretto and GIMP are know as able to open image files (they are recommended), but ristretto is the default.

I would like to have that for other kinds of files and, for example, if I get to install another image program, to be able to introduce it in the list that I just mentioned.

Well, I hope I was clear enough this time.

eriefisher

Member

From: ON, Canada

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 412

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

Ok, I think I understand you now. This may do what your thinking. Right click, select open with other and either select the application or enter the command, DO NOT CHECK DEFAULT, this may offer it to you the next time you right click. Another option is to check the .desktop file in /usr/share/applications for the app in question. Open it with a text editer(as root) and see if the mime types are listed for a particular file. For instance Gimp should have all the file types it will open such as .png, .giff, .jpeg etc.

---

Siduction
Debian Sid
Xfce 4.18

fsa

Member

Registered: 2008-11-28

Posts: 4

Re: how to make thunar know about file associations?

Thanks one more time eriefisher,

Right click, select open with other and either select the application or enter the command, DO NOT CHECK DEFAULT, this may offer it to you the next time you right click.

Sorry, your first recommendation didn't work.

And yes, my .desktop file does list the mime types. The following is an excerpt of my (openoffice) writer file.

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Terminal=false
Icon=openofficeorg3-writer
Type=Application
Categories=Office;X-Red-Hat-Base;X-SuSE-Core-Office;X-MandrivaLinux-Office-Wordprocessors;
Exec=openoffice.org3 -writer %U
MimeType=application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text;application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-template;application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-web;application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-master;application/vnd.sun.xml.writer;application/vnd.sun.xml.writer.template;application/vnd.sun.xml.writer.global;application/vnd.stardivision.writer;application/msword;application/vnd.ms-word;application/x-doc;application/rtf;text/rtf;application/vnd.wordperfect;application/wordperfect;application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document;application/vnd.ms-word.document.macroenabled.12;application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.template;application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroenabled.12;

I found this page from the freedesktop specifications:
http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifi … tions-spec

Maybe someone would be able to answer how much of or how these specifications are implemented in Thunar, I was not able to find out about it yet in any user documentation.