Problem changing the default Mail-Client to Thunderbird

dragomir · 01-15-2005, 05:20 PM

I have FC3 with KDE here.
Well i tried with
Control Center -> KDE Components -> Preferred Applications -> Mail-Program ->
here i switched to Thunderbird. But nothing happend. I am still getting Evolution when i click on E-mail Icon in the taskbar or when i click on an e-mail link in the browser. Could someone help me to solve the problem?

filesiteguy · 02-05-2005, 08:32 AM

Same here (using SuSE 9.2) - In fact, I've removed Evolution, and still don't get any response.

Per the thunderbird FAQ:

# Go to K (star) -> System -> Configuration -> KDE -> Components -> Component chooser
# Select Mail Client and "Use another mail client"
# Type the full path to the thunderbird executable

I did this, but nothing happens when I click on a mailto: link.

Randall Cooper Sep 26 2004, 5:42 pm show options
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.suse, netscape.public.mozilla.general
From: Randall Cooper <randc...@hotmail.com> - Find messages by this author
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:42:15 GMT
Local: Sun, Sep 26 2004 5:42 pm
Subject: Re: Thunderbird + Mozilla doing wrong thing with URLs in messages
Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse

You can set up Thunderbird and Firefox to work together.

For the Mailto: function to work:

In your user.js file in Firefox (if you don't have a user.js file, just
create one in your editor of choice; it belongs in the same directory as
the prefs.js file. When Firefox starts, it checks both and user.js will
override settings in prefs.js) you need to put the following line:

user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.mailto"."/[path]mailing.sh");

Create the file mailing.sh, which should look like this:

*******Mailing.sh code starts here*************
#!/bin/bash
export THUNDERBIRD_HOME=[THE DIRECTORY WHERE YOUR THUNDERBIRD RESIDES]

$THUNDERBIRD_HOME/thunderbird -remote "ping()" >/dev/null 2>&1
RUNNING=$?

if [ $RUNNING -eq 0 ]; then
# mozilla is running. Pop it to the focus window
$THUNDERBIRD_HOME/thunderbird -remote mailto"($1?)"
else
# mozilla is not running. Start it
$THUNDERBIRD_HOME//thunderbird -P default -mail $1?
fi
***********Mailing.sh code ends here***************

Now, when Firefox starts, it will know that the network protocol for
Mailto: links is Mailing.sh and it will run that program and a
Thunderbird composition window will open.

bretts5964 · 10-03-2005, 06:01 PM

Found this solution on the mozillaZine site. I altered it to work specifically with SUSE 9.3. It launches a Thunderbird compose window for mailto links in Firefox regardless of whether Thunderbird's main window is open. The Firefox menu options File > Send Link... works too, which fills in the mail Subject & Body with the current web page's Title & URL. Nice...

To display a list of Firefox configuration options, in the Firefox address bar, type:

about:config

(NOTE: There's no space in front of the colon; it got put there by the LQ forum editor)??

Right-click anywhere and select New > String...

Preference Name:
network.protocol-handler.app.mailto

Value:
~/.thunderbird/thunderbird-url.sh

(The above steps are the same thing as putting the following line in your prefs.js):

Code:

user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.mailto","~/.thunderbird/thunderbird-url.sh");

Create a shell script named thunderbird-url.sh and mark it executable in your /home/yourid/.thunderbird directory.

Fill it up with this:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# thunderbird-url.sh
# Works with: Thunderbird 1.0, Firefox 1.0.7, KDE 3.4.0b, SUSE 9.3
# script author: icycle
# http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewto...=490108#490108

url="$1"

export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME=/usr/bin

if [ $(pidof thunderbird-bin | wc -w) -gt 0 ]; then
    # thunderbird is running
    url=`echo "$url" | sed -e's/^mailto://'`
    $MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME/thunderbird -remote "mailto($url)"
else
    # thunderbird is not running
    $MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME/thunderbird -P default -compose $url
fi

This method uses a complete mailto URL, so mailto links sent to Thunderbird will accept any number of valid parameters for a mail message. Paste the following line into your Firefox address bar to test:

mailto:hello@world.nul?subject=test&body=this%20is%20a%20test&cc=joe@nul.nul

Brett

[Edit]

Okay, evidently it's even easier than I thought in SUSE 9.3. The startup script provided with the Thunderbird RPM takes care of everything, almost. Get the latest Thunderbird RPM here:

ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/mozilla/thunderbird
(Choose a mirror near you)

Use the "about:config" method in Firefox, or edit your Firefox prefs.js to add these settings:

Code:

user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.http", "/usr/bin/firefox");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.mailto", "/usr/bin/thunderbird");

Restart Firefox. That's it.

SchadeBoy · 10-19-2005, 10:11 AM

Cripes! Does the word "Simplicity" ever enter into the Linux lexicon? Whatever happened to simple file association, huh? Fer shizzle! You know, I don't want Linux to be "like Windows", but can't we make even a few things easy?

Things like this make me really wonder why I even try to run Linux.