Automatically open JPEG with default program always

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cnjersey22
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Joined: January 21st, 2004, 9:53 pm

Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by cnjersey22 »

Under tools->options->file types
I have it set so that my image viewer should automatically open when I click on a link to a JPEG file. Problem is that it doesn't automatically open... I still get a dialogue that asks which program to open the JPEG with. And the checkbox labeled "Do this automatically for file like this from now on" is already checked. So why does it keep showing the dialogue window?

The link looks like this: from a dicussion board:
www.

I'm sorry I can't post the exact URL, it's confidential.

Thanks.
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Atropos
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Joined: December 4th, 2002, 6:18 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by Atropos »

cnjersey22 wrote:The link looks like this: from a dicussion board:
www.


Yeah, well that link explains it all - see the word attachment? The file that is being attached is sent with Content-Disposition header set to "attachment" instead of "inline" and thus you get prompted to save or open it regardless. Also perhaps the file is being sent with Content-Type: application/octet-stream instead of image/jpeg.

Just a case of Mozilla supporting something that IE doesn't again. IIRC, IE doesn't care what the server wants you to do with the file and doesn't care about what the file type the server says it is. This means everyone using IE on that forum will see behavior not intended by the forum software programmers when it comes to clicking on the attachment links.
cnjersey22
Posts: 50
Joined: January 21st, 2004, 9:53 pm

Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by cnjersey22 »

Atropos wrote:
cnjersey22 wrote:The link looks like this: from a dicussion board:
www.


Yeah, well that link explains it all - see the word attachment? The file that is being attached is sent with Content-Disposition header set to "attachment" instead of "inline" and thus you get prompted to save or open it regardless. Also perhaps the file is being sent with Content-Type: application/octet-stream instead of image/jpeg.

Just a case of Mozilla supporting something that IE doesn't again. IIRC, IE doesn't care what the server wants you to do with the file and doesn't care about what the file type the server says it is. This means everyone using IE on that forum will see behavior not intended by the forum software programmers when it comes to clicking on the attachment links.


Well Firefox seems to recognize it fine as a JPEG since it brings up a dialogue window asking if I want to open it in my image viewer. Why can't it just do it? Seems like a bug to me....

Btw, IE has no problem displaying the image.
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Atropos
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Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by Atropos »

Well Firefox seems to recognize it fine as a JPEG since it brings up a dialogue window asking if I want to open it in my image viewer. Why can't it just do it? Seems like a bug to me....


The reason why it can't do it is because the forum software on the website says the image file is to be considered an attachment. For attachments, you're supposed to be prompted to choose whether or not to save the file or open it, regardless of your browser settings.

Mozilla App Suite handles this correctly, if you click on a link to an attachment, it will show the prompt that says this:

-----
The site has suggested that "[filename]" be handled as an attachment. It is
of type [MIME type] ([type name]) located at:
(URL)
What should Mozilla do with this file?
  • Open it with the default application ([application])
  • Open it with ...
  • Save it to disk
[ ] Always perform this option when handling files of this type
-----

and the "Always perform this option when handling files of this type" option remains disabled. If the web server meant for your browser to automatically handle the file, it would leave out the "Content-Disposition" header altogether or specify it as "inline", and not "attachment".

Firefox prompts, however the dialog does not mention the attachment suggestion, so I can see how you'd be confused about why it does not automatically open the file. Besides that, it also has the "Do this automatically for files from now on" enabled, even though that option does not have any effect on links that are attachments. Other than that, nothing is wrong with Firefox.

Internet Explorer on the other hand does things differently. For links to files, regardless of what file type or content disposition the server sepcifies, if the file is an image, it will display the image. However if the file was a text file or HTML document, it would most likely prompt to save the file as it should. IE is wrong to handle images that way.
cnjersey22
Posts: 50
Joined: January 21st, 2004, 9:53 pm

Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by cnjersey22 »

Atropos wrote:
Well Firefox seems to recognize it fine as a JPEG since it brings up a dialogue window asking if I want to open it in my image viewer. Why can't it just do it? Seems like a bug to me....


The reason why it can't do it is because the forum software on the website says the image file is to be considered an attachment. For attachments, you're supposed to be prompted to choose whether or not to save the file or open it, regardless of your browser settings.

Mozilla App Suite handles this correctly, if you click on a link to an attachment, it will show the prompt that says this:

-----
The site has suggested that "[filename]" be handled as an attachment. It is
of type [MIME type] ([type name]) located at:
(URL)
What should Mozilla do with this file?
  • Open it with the default application ([application])
  • Open it with ...
  • Save it to disk
[ ] Always perform this option when handling files of this type
-----

and the "Always perform this option when handling files of this type" option remains disabled. If the web server meant for your browser to automatically handle the file, it would leave out the "Content-Disposition" header altogether or specify it as "inline", and not "attachment".

Firefox prompts, however the dialog does not mention the attachment suggestion, so I can see how you'd be confused about why it does not automatically open the file. Besides that, it also has the "Do this automatically for files from now on" enabled, even though that option does not have any effect on links that are attachments. Other than that, nothing is wrong with Firefox.

Internet Explorer on the other hand does things differently. For links to files, regardless of what file type or content disposition the server sepcifies, if the file is an image, it will display the image. However if the file was a text file or HTML document, it would most likely prompt to save the file as it should. IE is wrong to handle images that way.


The fact that there exists an option for "Do this automatically for files from now on" and this doesn't work as shown, regardless of the content-disposition, should be handled somehow. I think we all agree on this.

But I happen to think the browser should be more flexible to the user's preferences rather than the site designer. So if I want all "attachments" to be opened automatically, then the browser should cater to my need. Imagine if the browser did whatever the site designer dictated.. then I would have 100 popups on my screen by now. And some sites lock their font sizes to tiny size, which is impossible to read without browser zooming functionality. So in short, there should at least be an option to open attachments automatically, and by default it should prompt. In other words, the "Do this automatically for files from now on" should work as shown.
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Atropos
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Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by Atropos »

cnjersey22 wrote:The fact that there exists an option for "Do this automatically for files from now on" and this doesn't work as shown, regardless of the content-disposition, should be handled somehow. I think we all agree on this.


I don't understand what you're saying here. First of all, content is either inline or attachment, and if its attachment it requires the user to decide what to do each time. Thus the automatic option is ignored for attachments, and since it is ignored it should be disabled, as it is in Mozilla.[/quote]

But I happen to think the browser should be more flexible to the user's preferences rather than the site designer. So if I want all "attachments" to be opened automatically, then the browser should cater to my need.


And not follow the RFC? [url=http://rfc.net/rfc2183.html]Communicating Presentation Information in
Internet Messages:
The Content-Disposition Header Field[/url]

So in short, there should at least be an option to open attachments automatically, and by default it should prompt. In other words, the "Do this automatically for files from now on" should work as shown.


The problem is the forum software has a feature that supports a method defined by an RFC which is poorly implemented in the most common browser, and you expect altogether different behavior from the browser that is supposed to follow standards better? Just ask the site owner to hack that script. All it takes is few keystrokes to delete the attachment keyowrd. Good luck convincing the developers that attachments should be able to open automatically.
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Re: Automatically open JPEG with default program always

Post by Guest »

Atropos wrote:
cnjersey22 wrote:The fact that there exists an option for "Do this automatically for files from now on" and this doesn't work as shown, regardless of the content-disposition, should be handled somehow. I think we all agree on this.


I don't understand what you're saying here. First of all, content is either inline or attachment, and if its attachment it requires the user to decide what to do each time. Thus the automatic option is ignored for attachments, and since it is ignored it should be disabled, as it is in Mozilla.


Let me quote you:
"Firefox prompts, however the dialog does not mention the attachment suggestion, so I can see how you'd be confused about why it does not automatically open the file. Besides that, it also has the "Do this automatically for files from now on" enabled, even though that option does not have any effect on links that are attachments. Other than that, nothing is wrong with Firefox. "

All I'm saying is 1) Firefox should fix this issue. and #2) How they should fix this is by doing what's shown on the screen, and not going the Mozilla route and disable the "Do this automatically.." function for "attachments"

The RFC says attachments should prompt for action, and by DEFAULT they SHOULD NOT VIOLATE the RFC, but as a power user I want the ability to override this. This isn't "hurting" anybody since in this case the RFC is dictating what should be done on the client side, not server side.

By the way this became an issue for me because I'm going through a long list of image links in this forum, and every single time it prompts for action, which is very annoying when all I really want is to open it automatically each time. And it seems to open a new empty window every time I click on these attachents, so I have to close the image in my image viewer and then close this empty window. This become very tedious for a list of 100 images.

Atropos wrote:
And not follow the RFC? [url=http://rfc.net/rfc2183.html]Communicating Presentation Information in
Internet Messages:
The Content-Disposition Header Field[/url]


The problem is the forum software has a feature that supports a method defined by an RFC which is poorly implemented in the most common browser, and you expect altogether different behavior from the browser that is supposed to follow standards better?


Well I think the bigger problem is FF is saying it can always open images automatically, when it really can't. I think this is even poorer implementation than IE, which actually does what it says it's going to do (open all images automatically - attachment or not), even though technically it goes against the RFC.
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