[Workaround] FreeDownloadManager 3.9 with Pale Moon

[Blacklab]

As a newcomer to PM I am very much enjoying the browsing experience - VMT Moonchild! (Very Many Thanks).
My only disappointment is that FreeDownloadManager 3.9 will not integrate and "catch" downloads from PM's built-in downloader. I have used FDM with IE for a long time and find it a great help on low bandwidth connections.
The recent FDM 3.9 update (FDM 3.9 Lite version, Build 1249, installed on Win7 starter/32bit netbook) promised "Firefox 10-14 support added" but FDM/Settings/Monitoring refuses to allow Firefox monitoring to be selected and just displays "Can't install Firefox monitoring" error in pop-up. After much blog and forum searching I have found few suggestions and none work!
Is this a known "will not work with PM" or a bug?
If this is a bug - does anyone have a hack or workround, preferably without using a third party Add-On to slow PM down.

[Moonchild]

I'm afraid you will have to ask the FDM developers for support, as they obviously look for Firefox specifically, and don't support a different profile location.
It should be fairly simple to integrate Pale Moon support for them (you can always request it), and they may have a "manual copy" or similar workaround for Pale Moon in the meantime.

Since I didn't write the download manager, I know nothing about how they "install Firefox monitoring" or what it entails, exactly (I assume a browser helper object and/or an add-on installation). So it's best to ask the FDM developers.

[Blacklab]

Thanks for your prompt reply Moonchild - I have already contacted FDM but no reply so far.......
I would be interested to know if anyone has successfully run FDM 3.9 with either PM or a recent Firefox version?

[steviem1]

@Blacklab. Free Download Manager is the one I've always used in the past, unfortunately it is incompatible with PM, but the good news is, if you download another addon called FlashGot 1.4.5 you can get it to work and I find it has no impact on PM 12.2, try this link to review and download. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... /flashgot/

I'm currently using FDM 3.9.1 beta 1252, but it should also work with the current release.

[Blacklab]

Thanks Steviem1,
In my trawl round the internet I did find Flashgot but was put off by it's No4 position on the "Mozilla Wall of Shame" regarding Add-ons and speed loss! I note that Flashgot is working well for you and I will give it a try - anyhow it's my only option for now.
One forum post recommended reinstalling PM/FF after FDM update......seemed unlikely and unsurprisingly didn't work. Another suggested altering a few lines in C:/Program Files/Free Download Manager/Firefox/extension/install.rdf......which sadly didn't work either! I shall keep looking for the FDM Holy Grail of full integration.......
Had too optimistically hoped that with PM being all FF code "under the hood" that FDM would just see another FF installation and support monitoring accordingly. Obviously not true - but FDM is excellent and worth the effort.

[steviem1]

Yes, full browser integration is the ideal and hopefully FDM's developer will adapt it for PM in the near future. (I note you have contacted them about it) I've also tried to adapt it for auto- integration both in FF and PM, after version upgrades in the past, also without success.

The vast majority of FF extensions will cross-over but the PM code base is sufficiently different and forces incompatibilities with some. Like you say FDM is well worth the effort as it's superior to the built in download manager in many ways, for me I don't notice any undue speed loss and regard the FlashGot work around as a satisfactory but hopefully temporary solution.

[Blacklab]

Possible solution found? FDM General Forum http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15878 post has an interesting exchange right at the bottom of thread, after "Pale Moon 9 support ?" discussion itself has ended, which goes on to say that this method also works with Pale Moon 12.1 as well! Hooray!
I look forward to trying this as soon as I have some time....... but it looks as if I now need to download and install "Firefox proper" just to extract the "fdm_ffext@freedownloadmanager.org" file mentioned. Seems a long way round but needs must!
However..... if anyone knows where to get just this file "alone" please post the location asap!

PS. If anyone would like to help please add to this FDM thread http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16071 asking for full "FDM integration into Pale Moon"....the more the merrier!

[steviem1]

By pure coincidence I also had a look on the FDM forum because my curiosity got the better of me, so I opened the 'FDM integration into Pale Moon' topic. It looks like there is a work around to integrate it though and someone's actually succeeded. I'm going to have a look for "fdm_ffext@freedownloadmanager.org" file later to see if it works.... in the meantime good luck with your efforts.

Edit:... and it works. For those of you who would like to try FDM, here's the procedure, make sure Fx is installed first and then download the FDM addon which imediately integrates into Fx; just do a search to home in on the above file, copy and paste into PM extensions folder, fire up PM, install/restart. FDM extension will be showing in addons and away you go... dead easy and works perfectly, now I can at least get rid of one of my extensions. Pleased I crossed your path on this one Blacklab... cheers. Hopefully the developer will get round to making it fully compatible with PM in the not too distant future.

[Blacklab]

Excellent news! I hope to have time to try this for myself tomorrow. Perhaps it's time to ask the Moderator to change this topic title slightly to "FDM 3.9 will work with PM 12.1" and idc a concise version for the Pale Moon Tutorials/Howtos section giving due credit to the hack originators "Wyk & happy user" from the FDM forum would seem the right thing to do?
I note "happy user" also says he has written a batch file which would be worth checking, but I will do the hack manually first so I know what I am doing and then have a look at his batch file.

Edit 1: See also "happy user's" most interesting response 0800 Sunday 10 June 12 on "FDM Integration Into Pale Moon" topic @ http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16071
Edit 2: It would appear "happy user" has found the "Holy Grail" I was looking for - FDM full integration with Pale Moon without having to go via Firefox at all.....see his 0916 Sun 10 June 12 post - as before @ http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16071

PS. Now I just need some time to try all these options in some logical order!

[steviem1]

Moonchild: For Pale Moon users who might like to try 'Free Download Manager', for the time being it might be worthwhile just providing the link to the relevent thread/topic on the FDM forum, as there may be a more elegant/simpler way to implement the procedure for users?

[Moonchild]

Moonchild: For Pale Moon users who might like to try 'Free Download Manager', for the time being it might be worthwhile just providing the link to the relevent thread/topic on the FDM forum, as there may be a more elegant/simpler way to implement the procedure for users?

I gather the "add-on" is a very minimalist link to FDM; instead of having to install Firefox just to get this add-on that's dropped in extensions, someone could grab it and post it here as an attachment - that would be much simpler than having to install a separate browser just to get the extension.

[Blacklab]

Tried "happy user's" new manual method (see his post on FDM General Forum 0916 Sun 10 Jun 12 @ http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16071&p=35343#p35343 ) this afternoon and ended up with a "curious" partial success?
Yes I did get FDM plugin to load as PM extension without any Firefox installed - Hooray! (Although I got an additional Pop-up asking if I was happy to install the FDM Add-on)
After a failed attempt to tick Firefox box in FDM/Settings/Monitoring I looked in Pale Moon Add-ons and found that the FDM extension (FDM plugin 1.5.7.4) was installed BUT disabled! Easy button click to enable and FDM settings then allowed Firefox monitiring box to be ticked without error pop-up appearing. Thought I was home and dry...........
However even with extension enabled I cannot get FDM to "catch" downloads when right-clicking on "Save Link As".....but curiously with the "Add FDM to the Browser Context Menu" box ticked the option "Download with Free Download Manager" (and others if you have selected them) appear below "Save Link As" and work every time?
Checked everything twice - any ideas welcome!

PS. I updated to Pale Moon 12.2 before starting on the above.

[Moonchild]

It's possible you simply have to use the "download with FDM" context entry. Integration in pale moon using this "hack" may not be complete, and you should really ask the FDM developers to implement proper support for Pale Moon instead.

[steviem1]

Well, considering this is a 'hacked' solution, FDM is downloading with no issues for me everytime and I'm quite happy with it... not completely sure whether it provides 100% functionality compared to the standard installation (but the average user would be quite happy I'm sure); the developer needs to gets round to making it compatible with PM considering the current user base for PM and he is being urged to do so, as you say Moonchild that should be quite straightforward.

The workaround found on FDM forum providing a method to integrate FDM into PM without having to install Fx is very satisfactory. Here is the link again. http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16071&p=35343#p35343

Edit:
I've been comparing the 'unhacked' standard version in Fx with the 'hacked' version in PM and I'm happy to say I can't see any obvious differences in functionality.

[Blacklab]

Moonchild: Thanks again for your interest - having FDM enabled in the context menu makes it a useable application and I am delighted to have got this far. I think this may be a case of "Good try - but no Cigar" as the old saying goes.
It would be wonderful if the FDM developers would include Pale Moon's profile path and if more PM users email/comment directly to them it can only help. I hope you don't mind your users "hacking" your baby - it's a backhanded compliment really - if we didn't rate PM no one would bother!

[Moonchild]

I hope you don't mind your users "hacking" your baby - it's a backhanded compliment really - if we didn't rate PM no one would bother!

It's fine, and you're not really hacking the browser, you're hacking its interfacing with FDM
And even if you were hacking the browser, I still wouldn't mind - as you say it's a compliment to see people so tenacious in trying to get things to work on Pale Moon because they obviously see the value of it over Firefox to go to such lengths.

[Blacklab]

For anyone who would like to understand how this "hack" works this excellent mozillaZine article: Profile Folder - Firefox @ http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox will explain a lot and allow non-Windows 7 users to adapt for XP, etc.
The article contains a useful reminder that AppData (Application Data in XP) are hidden folders and "Show hidden files and folders" must be enabled.
(Try "Hifito" a tiny 92KB program, written in C for speed, that gives you a toggle switch as a tray menu or hotkey for "Show hidden files and folders" originated @ http://sourceforge.net/projects/hifito/ but can now be found on most good download sites!
Search terms like "Application Data in Windows 7" and "Windows Junction Points" produce interesting further reading.

[jaycelou]

I'm using PM and FDM and both work fine for me, the trick is xThunder. This addon allow you to configure lot of other download manager that doesn't support FF and PM

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/xthunder/?src=userprofile

[Moonchild]

Nice find, jayce!

[Blacklab]

jaycelou - thanks for the lead - look forward to trying idc. Is it just me or do some parts of the xThunder site pages render a little corrupted? Or have I just come across a reason why I actually do need Adobe Shockwave installed?

Edit: jaycelou's comment below is spot on - nothing to do with Shockwave! I was using IE8 on an old XP machine and all the chinese characters were rendered as empty square boxes! Characters rendering properly using Win7/PM and IE8 - not that I can read them! Home page has English/Chinese options but would be nice to read the Comments and FAQ?