Thunderbird problem

RodimusProblem · 01-14-2005, 07:43 AM

Thunderbird is nice, but why aren't links in recieved emails "hot" ?

They look and act like HTML links, but nothing happens when I click them!

kshaffer · 01-14-2005, 08:58 AM

I had this problem when I first used Thunderbird. You probably don't have a proper file association for html links. Go into preferences/settings (I think it's preferences in v. 1.0), and under "downloads" you can create and modify file associations. Make sure that you have html associated with firefox or whatever you use.

RodimusProblem · 01-14-2005, 09:14 AM

Maybe we're not looking in the same place or something else is buggered up.

In FireFox, under Preferences->Download there's the file association box, but it's disabled (for both root & user).

There's one in Thunderbird too, and it's also disabled.

KControl's file associations for HTML and the like look OK to me.

kshaffer · 01-14-2005, 01:23 PM

Ok, this issue confused me at first, but I think I figured it out. I was surprised that you could not do anything in the "attachments" or "downloads" section of preferences, because I have made this change to Thunderbird in Linux in the past. So I downloaded Thunderbird to my Windows machine at work (I had some free time today) and tried the suggestion I gave you, with the same lack of success that you described. However, I nosed my way around the user settings files and found the solution (for me anyway):

In /home/username/.thunderbird (or C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Thunderbird in Windows) there should be a profiles directory. Enter that directory and the sub-directory for your profile (I only have one). There is a file called mimeTypes.rdf. This is where the file association info is stored. To associate Firefox with HTML attachments and links, you need to add some code:

You should find an element like this:

Code:

<RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:mimetypes:root">
</RDF:Seq>

Insert the following line between those two tags:

Code:

<RDF:li RDF:resource="urn:mimetype:text/html"/>

After the </RDF:Seq> tag, but before the </RDF:RDF> tag, add the following:

Code:

<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:text/html"
                   NC:value="application/html"
                   NC:fileExtensions="html"
                   NC:description="HTML Document">
    <NC:handlerProp RDF:resource="urn:mimetype:handler:text/html"/>
  </RDF:Description>
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:externalApplication:application/html"
                   NC:path="C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
                   NC:prettyName="firefox.exe" />
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetypes">
    <NC:MIME-types RDF:resource="urn:mimetypes:root"/>
  </RDF:Description>
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:handler:text/html"
                   NC:saveToDisk="false"
                   NC:useSystemDefault="false" />

Note: the path above is for my Windows machine, adjust it to the path for Firefox on your computer.

If the only mimetype you are associating is HTML, your complete mimeTypes.rdf file should look like this (with your path in place of mine, of course):

Code:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<RDF:RDF xmlns:NC="http://home.netscape.com/NC-rdf#"
         xmlns:RDF="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
  <RDF:Seq RDF:about="urn:mimetypes:root">
    <RDF:li RDF:resource="urn:mimetype:text/html"/>
  </RDF:Seq>
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:text/html"
                   NC:value="application/html"
                   NC:fileExtensions="html"
                   NC:description="HTML Document">
    <NC:handlerProp RDF:resource="urn:mimetype:handler:text/html"/>
  </RDF:Description>
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:externalApplication:application/html"
                   NC:path="C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
                   NC:prettyName="firefox.exe" />
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetypes">
    <NC:MIME-types RDF:resource="urn:mimetypes:root"/>
  </RDF:Description>
  <RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:handler:text/html"
                   NC:saveToDisk="false"
                   NC:useSystemDefault="false" />
</RDF:RDF>

Hope that works for you. Happy Thunderbirding!

edoc · 02-05-2005, 08:38 PM

I am running FireFox and Thunderbird under WinXP at work,
where XP is sadly required, and under Suse 9.2 at home.

FireFox is pretty solid on both platforms but Thunderbird
is not-ready-for-prime-time under Linux.

As for T-Bird FAQ's, they are overwhelmingly Windows
oriented -- they frequently mention Linux but then
describe .exe files and paths that do not exist in Linux.

FireFox and T-Bird do not talk to each other in Linux,
Send Link from FireFox to T-Bird does not work under
Linux but works fine under XP, FireFox and T-Bird loaded
flawlessly and imported settings without a hitch under
XP.

FireFox handled most things well but T-Bird made a huge
mess of E-mail Inbox folders, Message Filters, and other
profile settings.

I have rebuilt my profile in T-Bird, suffering with the failure
to Send Link from FireFox or to open a T-Bird new mail
from an E-mail addy on FireFox, hoping for a fix.

Then today my notebook shut down when battery power
ran out & T-Bird misplaced its link to my profile ... arghhh!

None of the T-Bird FAQ's I have read have properly addressed
Linux solutions to this problem, they mix in so much irrelevant
XP stuff that it creates more confusion than clarity.

Sure would like to read a step-by-step Linux-only solution to
this T-Bird problem ... and hopefully encouragement that this
known-problem and the problem with the interface with
FireFox will soon be eliminated in a T-Bird update.

edoc

RodimusProblem · 02-05-2005, 08:53 PM

I just didn't upgrade to FireFox / Thunderbird again when I changed distros awhile back.

From what I've read online, Thunderbird was a colossal failure on every OS it's on.

Mozilla Browser & Mozilla Mail work well enough for me; though if they ever fix Thunderbird I'll upgrade.