I have been unable to change my file association preferences using the GUI at "system settings/default applications". Everything seems to work as it should and I get an information screen indicating that the system is reconfiguring, yet nothing is reset.

I am using Ubuntu 8.04 with KDE 3.5.10.
BTW if I change to the gnome desktop, the changes I have implemented are working. They do not work only in the KDE environment. I have tried both Konquerer and Dolphin file managers.

Thanks,
Rene

Did you try File associations? You say 'Default applications' which isn't the same as far as I am aware.

john_hudson wrote:Did you try File associations? You say 'Default applications' which isn't the same as far as I am aware.

Yes, the file associations is accessed from default applications.

I've been looking all over and this seems to be a problem that many are having. Haven't found a solution yet though.

Rene

System Settings > Advanced > File Associations

jrick wrote:System Settings > Advanced > File Associations

There is no System Settings/Advanced/File Associations.

What I have is System Settings/Advanced/Disk & File Systems; System Services; Login Manager; Windows Applications; Audio Encoding; KDE Resources; Service Manager; Session Manager

Could I be missing a KDE component?

Rene

Ah, never mind. Looking at your original post, I see that you are still using 3.5 (which is perfectly OK). It's been a while since I've used 3.5, and Kubuntu's System Settings may not be exactly the same as the System Settings in KDE4.

Rene Ducheneau wrote:BTW if I change to the gnome desktop, the changes I have implemented are working. They do not work only in the KDE environment.

I am not sure what you mean here.
Did you change the GNOME associations? Or the KDE associations from withing GNOME?

Cheers,
_

Rene Ducheneau wrote:

jrick wrote:System Settings > Advanced > File Associations

There is no System Settings/Advanced/File Associations.

What I have is System Settings/Advanced/Disk & File Systems; System Services; Login Manager; Windows Applications; Audio Encoding; KDE Resources; Service Manager; Session Manager

Could I be missing a KDE component?

Rene

its in general --> default apps or somthing in that style(förvalda program in swedish)
in the row with 4 menu modules ,the one whit regional settings menu modual.

"I am not sure what you mean here.
Did you change the GNOME associations? Or the KDE associations from withing GNOME?"


I changed the settings within the KDE environment. Then I logged off and back on in the gnome desktop and found that the changes were implemented correctly in gnome. I did this to see if the problem seemed to be in the system or in KDE. (Faulty logic?)

I wonder if anyone can tell us what the specific configuration file is so we can open it in kate and see what it tells us.

Try running the command: kcmshell filetypes. that is the command line way to open the KDE 3 File Associations panel, any changes implemented here should affect all of KDE 3 immediately. I have a feeling you are using the GNOME tools, which of course KDE will ignore.

bcooksley wrote:Try running the command: kcmshell filetypes. that is the command line way to open the KDE 3 File Associations panel, any changes implemented here should affect all of KDE 3 immediately. I have a feeling you are using the GNOME tools, which of course KDE will ignore.

Thanks for the input. I am definitely using the KDE utility and not gnome. Your suggestion opens the same dialog window that I have been using. I tried it anyway with the same result. I get an "Updating system configuration" information window but the change is not implemented.

I just tried something...don't know why I did not try this before. My primary application that I wish to change is the opening of .pdf files. The system always defaults to xpdf to open these files. Utilizing the KDE utility, I just removed xpdf from the list of applications used to open .pdf files and I now can use Adobe Reader as the default.

I wonder if we have approached this from the wrong side. Could it be that somehow xpdf is configured to always be the default no matter what the KDE utility is set to? Just guessing here.

Could be. I know realplayer is like that. No matter what, even if I have Kaffeine at the top of my list to play MP3 files, with realplayer no where in sight, real player will come up anyway.... try checking to see if xpdf has registered the PDF mimetype, or file extension. I have a feeling that KDE is obeying the one other than the one we are changing.

Rene Ducheneau wrote:I wonder if we have approached this from the wrong side. Could it be that somehow xpdf is configured to always be the default no matter what the KDE utility is set to? Just guessing here.

Very unlikely. KDE3's usual default is KPDF, but since this is Ubuntu, everthing might be possible.

Cheers,
_

bcooksley wrote:.... try checking to see if xpdf has registered the PDF mimetype, or file extension. I have a feeling that KDE is obeying the one other than the one we are changing.

Educate me a little. How do I check this? Is there a mime HOWTO?

Mimetypes are actually an internet standard used by a Web Server to tell the Web Browser what the file it is transmitting is. They are now used by most operating systems other than Windows to determine what a file is, instead of by it's extension.

In order to change the mimetype associations you can use the same method you did to change the PDF file extension association previously but look out for one named like this: application/pdf instead of just pdf.