How do I make Thunderbird open Firefox instead of Konqueror when clicking links in emails? I've been through all the settings and didn't find anything that may be relevent to my problem.

Thanks in advance!

this is just a guess, but try change your default mail client in the KDE control centre/KDE components/component chooser

let us know how it goes

This procedure worked for me. Make sure you change the directory paths to suit your system.

1- Create a shell script called "openlink.sh" in Thunderbird's directory (/usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird for me) containing the following lines :

#!/bin/sh

export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME="/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox"

url="$1"
if [ "x$url" = "x" ]; then
url="about:blank"
fi

if $MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME/mozilla-xremote-client openURL\("$url, new-tab"\); then
exit 0
fi
exec $MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME/firefox "$url"

2- chmod +x /usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/openlink.sh

3- Create a file called user.js in your ~/.thunderbird/default.xxx/ containing :

// Use firefox for http, https & ftp links
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.http", "/usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/openlink.sh");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.https", "/usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/openlink.sh");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.ftp", "/usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/openlink.sh");

4- Copy mozilla-xremote-client from /usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird to /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox

That should open Firefox, and if it's already open, it should open a new tab. (This is a modification of a post on Thunderbird forum)

edit: Mods - maybe this post should be moved to Software

wow. do ypu really have to do all that?


i just installed tb an hour ago and htere was a box where you put the browser. i just went back in to check where it was for you and i cant find it.

happy huntin'

Thank you for the replies! I tried cadj's suggestion to no avail. I will try mgd suggestion when I get home and let you guys know!

Thanks again!

Hmm...I did everything in mdg's post with the exception of one thing if I have done it wrong. I got confused about this line in mdg's post:

I have a ~./thunderbird/"defaults" directory with four sub directories inside it: "isp", "messenger", "pref", "profile". I'm assuming that the user.js file goes in the "pref" directory but I'm not sure. Actually I put it right into the "defaults" directory and not into a sub dir of "defaults". That maybe why it doesn't work.

Also, yes I am sure that I changed all of the paths in the two files to fit my system. I'm sure that would have been a question.

Lastly, thank you for moving the thread. I wasn't really sure where I should have put it.

NEVERMIND! I GOT IT!

I went curiously into the "pref" directory and saw a file called "thunderbird.js" and opened it with kate. I saw all kind of settings set up in the same fashion as the user.js file only instead of "user-pref" in front of each variable, it was just "pref." so I cut the "user-" off of the front of the line items in the "user.js" file and then copied it's contents to the end of the thunderbird.js file. I then restarted Thunderbird hoping for the worst, found an email with a link, clicked it and BOOM! Firefox appears!

Thank you very much for everyone's help (asspecially mdg )!