Opening external link

[terrypin]

Was it ever possible to open an external link (from an email, a forum web page, a text editor, etc) directly in the associated Windows application? Rather than in the browser? (Firefox in my case, of course, but I'm thinking generally, i.e. of others receiving a link from me.)

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[DanRaisch]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but if it's an external link, doesn't that suggest that the associated Windows application would be a browser? What other sort of link would you be referring to?

[therube]

Links clicked from within the browser will open in the browser - if it can.
For some file types, you may be able to use/divert to an external application.


If IE was your default browser (cough, cough), should a html link clicked in FF open in IE ?
For a PDF, you can choose to not open it directly in FF, but rather externally, like with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

[terrypin]

Thanks both. To clarify my question, I'll stick to present tense and assume that nothing on this has
changed due to a recent FF update. And take a more specific example.

Is it possible to ensure that a URL of an uploaded JPG from my PC will be opened by the recipient in the application associated with JPGs? In my case that's Irfanview, for example.

Dan seems to imply it's not, TheRube that it is. If the latter, exactly how?

[Grumpus]

If I understand this - Should you place a jpg on an image site, like Imgur, Photobucket or Image Shack, the image uploaded would have a url specific for that Image and it should open with the browser not a specific package. However, this is not always the case with some sites which have cookie or advertising requirements which need to be met and the image might not always show.
If Ifranview is the designated software it would have to be set to automatically open the file in the /applications list for that file type but the browser already has the viewing capability and url control so Ifranview would not be the default unless set that way but only for local folders. Check and see how it's directed in the /applications menu, in some cases it's either default or always ask.
There is a way to select what opens the file but the use of a url would make the browser take precedence over a package to the best of my knowledge.
In my system I have a different image viewer set to default but the browser is set to always ask, on-line this is overridden by Firefox.
At this time Dan's response is concise and accurate. The difference is between IRL and URL, but maybe that's unnecessary theory.

[DanRaisch]

How an image or other file is viewed by a recipient is not something that the person who uploads the file can control. It will be determined by the site from which the file is downloaded (whether that site provides the downloading browser with the correct MIME type for the file or not) and what application the recipient has set as the default viewer for the file type on their local system. In other words, you are using Irfranview to display .jpg files. The recipient might not have that application installed on their computer but may be using a Windows OS and the built in image viewer or some other third party application.

[terrypin]

Thanks all, understood. I'll settle for browser opening then.