Default viewer for unknown file type Topic is solved

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Massimo_B
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Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by Massimo_B » 2017-10-04, 06:01

Hi,

opening files of type "unknown", the reader here is always the pdf reader by default. Selecting some other editor is lost the next time trying to open such a file. In the Preferences->Applications there is no type "unknown" in the list.

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adesh
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by adesh » 2017-10-04, 12:54

Probably you need to do this in your OS. Most likely you'll have xdg-utils installed. So, do the following.
Find current application to open "unknown" type:

Code: Select all

xdg-mime query default application/octet-scream
Change it to something else:

Code: Select all

xdg-mime default mpv.desktop application/octet-scream

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Massimo_B
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by Massimo_B » 2017-10-05, 05:55

adesh wrote:Probably you need to do this in your OS. Most likely you'll have xdg-utils installed. So, do the following.
Find current application to open "unknown" type:

Code: Select all

xdg-mime query default application/octet-scream
This is empty here.
However I tried setting it, but Palemoon still opens the unknown file type with my pdf viewer:

Code: Select all

$ xdg-mime default gvim.desktop application/octet-scream
$ xdg-mime query default application/octet-scream
gvim.desktop

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stevenpusser
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by stevenpusser » 2017-10-05, 19:16

Should be "octect-stream" instead of "-scream". Must be getting too close to Halloween!

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adesh
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by adesh » 2017-10-05, 19:55

Indeed! Thanks steve for catching the typo.

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Massimo_B
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by Massimo_B » 2017-10-06, 07:33

Works, thanks! btw. how do I delete that silly scream default now?

Why can't Palemoon set a viewer for the unknown filetype? It can do that for all other types as well. And even if I selected gvim manually by "Other.." then it did not remember for the next time or provided it in the listbox.

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adesh
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Re: Default viewer for unknown file type

Unread post by adesh » 2017-10-06, 12:14

Massimo_B wrote:Works, thanks! btw. how do I delete that silly scream default now?
Sorry for causing you trouble. Please delete the relevant line from ~/.config/mimeapps.list
Massimo_B wrote:Why can't Palemoon set a viewer for the unknown filetype?
Cannot comment with with certainity, but. Beacuse unknown file type by definition is unknown and since we are unsure about the kind of data the file may have, there is less of a point to set a default viewer for that type. In other words, it is highly unlikely that a program which successfully opens an unknown file today will be able to handle all the other unknown files.

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