Fluxbox gaim and thunderbird default mta

swordsaintzero · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 32

Heres my issue, I use Gaim, when someone sends me an email link I want to be able to click on it and call on MozillaThunderbird -compose instead of getting "mailto is an unregistered protocol".

I am using the latest version of Gaim. Thunderbird and fluxbox.

So...

A. I have to find a way to set the default handler for mailto links in fluxbox so that no matter the program if I am running fluxbox and I click on a mailto link it calls up thunderbird.

B. Is there is a setting I missed in gaim? I only saw a browser preference...

C.Could defining the mime type in /etc/cups/mime.types allow this to work as described in A. ?
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OdinsDream · Veteran Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 1057

When GAIM launches a link, it's going to use your browser, and it's going to act just as if you had opened up thunderbird and typed the link into the location bar.

In the case of mailto links, can you open thunderbird and type in the location box:

mailto:someone@somewhere.com ?

What happens? Does it open up a composition window? If it doesn't, you'll need to look through the preferences in Thunderbird itself.

Do you have regular links working correctly from gaim? If not, start with the Browser section in Gaim preferences, and fix that first. Once that works, move to thunderbird.

My gaim browser is set to Manual, and in the textbox I have: MozillaFirebird %s

You should not have to mess with anything in /etc/cups. That's just for the printing system.
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swordsaintzero · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 32

browser has been working fine with gaim and uses the mozdev to call on thunderbird when i come across a mailto link while browsing.im only trying to get the mail client to work with mail to links. Which is hard to do since in fluxbox there appears to be no way to set default programs for certain actions.
I wouldnt have even looked at the mime.types file in cups except from my googling its the only place you can define mime types. .... Whats so hard about having a windows manager independent means of saying this file is opened with this program?

:evil:

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when we do right noone remembers,
when we do wrong noone forgets
-sonny barger

OdinsDream · Veteran Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 1057

The point I was trying to make, was that no window managers assume this responsibility. Now, gnome may appear to do this, but it certainly isn't because of the window manager. It's because gnome bundles a browser, and the browser is aware of configurations in the Desktop Environment.

Perhaps you've confused Fluxbox for a desktop environment. It purports to do nothing but manage your windows. As you know, gaim doesn't care whether you run it under fluxbox or kde or gnome. It works either way.

This is the whole reason why a "mime type" file exists for cups, and cups alone. If this were a window-manager responsibility, then cups would look to the window manager for this information. Indeed, the cups mime file would not be necessary. Of course, this would assume that everyone uses a window manager, or graphics at all.

I'd like to know what happens if you open the same browser that Gaim uses to launch hyperlinks, go to the location bar, and type in "mailto:someone@somewhere.com"

Does thunderbird open?
_________________
s/(?<!gnu\/)linux(?! kernel)/GNU\/Linux/gi

Don't blame me. I didn't vote for him.

http://john.simplykiwi.com

swordsaintzero · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 32

I realise that fluxbox is only supposed to manage my windows. Nothing else, unless you add to its functionality with extra programs. Its small foot print is why I chose it. What I was trying to say in my own confusicated way (quote "having a windows manager independent way" endquote) was that I wish that there was a file for ALL window managers to call on which you could edit to set default programs for certain files. Gnome and kde DO have something along these lines in there control panels its in the thunderbird faq on how to set it as the default mail program.

If I copy and paste "mailto:someone@somewhere.com" I recieve the exact same error as if I had clicked on the link in gaim (mailto is not registred protocol). I did try it when you first mentioned it and im sorry that I omitted it in my last post. I was irrtiated because my long carefully thought out reply was lost for some reason when I clicked to submit it.

I believe this is because mozillafirebird is not designed to handle mail protocol in any way. Its one of the reasons why its so lean. You have to install the mozdev plugin in order for firebird to understand what mailto means. Mozdev intercepts the mailto request and passes it on to the thunderbird mail client. Out of curiousity what email client are you using? When someone sends you an email link you can click it and have this client start automatically?

This has irritated me enough that I might switch.

honestly thanks for your input hope to hear back again shortly
_________________
when we do right noone remembers,
when we do wrong noone forgets
-sonny barger

OdinsDream · Veteran Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 1057

Unfortunately, I don't have an actual solution for you. I figured the whole mozilla suite contained something in the preferences to handle this. I use only the firebird browser component, I haven't installed the other ones.

I use sylpheed-claws for my mail client, but honestly I haven't really clicked a mailto link to e-mail someone. Usually I just type in the address.

I wish I had a better solution for you, so you wouldn't have to give up on fluxbox. I'm not even sure that would really fix your problem. Perhaps you should look further into what Thunderbird does under gnome that makes the difference?

Good luck!
_________________
s/(?<!gnu\/)linux(?! kernel)/GNU\/Linux/gi

Don't blame me. I didn't vote for him.

http://john.simplykiwi.com

swordsaintzero · n00b Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 32

GIVE UP ON FLUX ???

oh no its polished perfection my flux WM is so tweaked out i could never give up on it. even backed my configs up on floppy. i meant mail client. I too was using sylpheed-claws on my last distribution (debian) but (call me picky) I liked have a unified looking suite for browsing and email and thought well surely there will be interoperabilty through plugins. I DO have a solution though. I took a look at what is required for an extremely simple gaim plugin much like mozex (dont know why i was calling it mozdev *hit forehead) so im going to code it up and offer it as an ebuild as soon as my upcoming move is complted on the 26th. If anyone is interested in recieiving the code when its finished simply add a post to this thred. oh and since i learned a bit about mimetypes on gentoo i might as well add. THERE IS an /etc/mime.types *not* in cups you have to emerge it as part of a package. Now if I knew what mime type would be considered email or if gaim even supported checking the mime.types file I would be in bussiness.

I really want to say thanks to you for replying back and forth with me and helping me unweave the tangle in my head just by having someone technical to throw ideas back and forth with. Its people like you that make this forum the best fscking one on the net with people of ALL distros not just the infinetely superior :wink:

gentoo looking for answers here.

EDIT::
(in case anyone wonders since that almost sounded like im running a diff distro after reading through im running gentoo mm sources with the 2.6.1 kernel on an ibm thinkpad t23 with everything but the dialup modem working and that was working under 2.4)
gnight everyone tip your waitress on the way out
END EDIT::
_________________
when we do right noone remembers,
when we do wrong noone forgets
-sonny barger

ajv · n00b Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 23 Location: U.S.A.

I have the same problem ( kind of ). I use evolution and MozillaFirebird and when I click a 'mailto:*' link in firebird I get an unregistered protocol error message. I really would like this to call evolution but....

Anyway, good luck with a fix and I would love to hear about it if you do figure something out.

ajv

xlyz · Veteran Joined: 27 Oct 2002 Posts: 1470 Location: Italy

ajv · n00b Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 23 Location: U.S.A.

Well after I got off of work I went home and started messing with my laptop and I figured out how to make it work. I went hunting around gconf-editor and found a few entries where the browser was labeled as 'mozilla' and I changed it to 'MozillaFirebird %s' and it works.

I never would have thought to look at gconf cause I use openbox but hey...

Thanks

ajv

EDIT: Sorry, I got clicking on links in evolution to open in firebird but I still have the mailto problem. I'll check the link you provided above... Thanks alot!