Is there ANY OFFICIAL available documentation for software companies on how to properly register their software application as a 'Helper Application' in the new Netscape 6 browser? The registration method that works on earlier versions (e.g. NS4.7) of the Netscape Browser, does no longer apply. This methods is: - Creating the following registry entries: Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\Suffixes Value: application/abc Value Data: abc Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\User Trusted External Applications Value: C:\PROGRA~1\DANISH~1\ABCSTU~1\Student.exe Value Data: Yes Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\Viewers Value: application/abc Value Data: C:\PROGRA~1\DANISH~1\ABCSTU~1\Student.exe Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\Viewers Value: TYPEXX Value Data: application/abc These registrations enables hyperlink activation of the helper application, as well as detection access through the navigator.mimeTypes javascript object. We have identified that the 'Helper Application' informations in the New Netscape 6 are stored in the 'mimeTypes.rdf', from the publication at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/l10n/mlp_what2.html I hope you can advise us and thereby enabling us to promote the new Netscape 6 browser as well.

--> networking per timeless

really over.

confirming bug to get it into the developer's queue

Ack, did i mention that HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\Suffixes is depricated. You're supposed to use the windows system mime types and associations. This might be a wontfix. I'll see if i can find the documentation about this. This would only be wontfix if the correct system [systemwide mimetypes and associations] works in mozilla and someone can explain or post a url to document it.

Just use the standard windows registry keys for mime types and application associations. Netscape 6 sucks up all of that information up when determining mime type information. as timeless suggested I think this should be marked wontfix.

What do you mean, 'wontfix'? This guy asked for documentation. Clearly this needs to be documented. What do people on mac and unix need to know about helper apps? What else do you need to know about helper apps on windows besides how to register them? Move this to the documentation product if you don't like it.

http://search.microsoft.com/us/Default.asp?so=RECCNT&qu=registry+mime+types+settings&boolean=ALL&btnsearch=Search&i=02&i=08&i=07&p=1&nq=NEW How IE treats http: vs file: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q216/8/42.ASP This is an important reference, although I don't guarantee it is 100% accurate wrt netscape [it's form microsoft] http://www.microsoft.com/Mind/0197/Geek0197.htm read the paragraph: GEEK Ahhhh, ... The MIME registration information is not a browser feature, but a system feature. ... The argument is simple and correct, mime types are system wide. AFAIK BeOS was always mime based, windows 9x introduced (I presume nt didn't have it first) a system structure for mime types (windows*4+ share a common system as it is part of win32). MacOS Internet Config controls protocols but not mime types as of probably system8. How ie determines mappings: http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/networking/moniker/overview/appendix_a.asp --End Microsoft Results-- http://help.netscape.com/search?NS-query=mime+types&NS-search-page=results&NS-collection=corporate&NS-collection=consumer Adding helper applications (MIME types) types via the Windows Registry http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19980424-2.html Communicator 4.x (Navigator 3.x method will work as well) Modify the registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type to hold the sub-key of the new mime type. Look at the other mime type entries for clues on what to do, like adding the default file extension for the MIME type. How do you configure helper application associations by hand? http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970825-17.html <ignore content-type="text/plain" value="Netscape 3 Reference"> Registry Entries for MIME Types http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970620-24.html </ignore> Again, for netscape >3 or mozilla on windows * 4+ DO NOT put entries into HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\Viewers. [the Netscape help site supports nt3.51 and netscape3 among other platforms, and as such it has to include information that is relevant for older browsers] If we write any new help documentation we have to include something like this: Warning about application/octet-stream mime type http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19990107-2.html When viewing your email you may run across an attachment with the mime type application/octet-stream. These are .exe or executable files. These files should always be saved to your hard drive first and then run from within Windows. If you do run into an error message within Netscape it is best to set up a Helper Application to handle the octet/stream file type. By setting up a Helper Application inside of Netscape you are also setting one up inside of Windows. Do not ever attempt to set up a mime type to view these files in another program. By creating a mime type for octet/stream and telling it to be handled by another program you will cause Windows to attempt to load all .exe files in whatever program you have set up. This change will result in Windows not being able to launch any .exe files. v-- Mac stuff --v Handling of MIME types in the Mac version of Communicator http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19971115-1.html ^Too vague to be useful^ v-- Unix stuff--v UNIX version Mime Types Listing for Navigator http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19961206-10.html ^Netscape 1-3, NOT 4+ ^ <http://help.netscape.com/search-ui/icons/star4.gif> <http://help.netscape.com/search-ui/icons/gethtml.gif> How do I make mailcap file or MIME files for the X Window version of Netscape Navigator? http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19960514-72.html This document explains all there is to know about mailcap files. http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/mailcap.html On a related subject, check out our documentation on MIME Types. http://home.netscape.com/assist/helper_apps/mime.html Our list of default MIME types built into the Navigator. http://home.netscape.com/assist/helper_apps/mimedefault.html --Plugin Stuff-- How do you enable a plug-in when you have two or more that handle the same file type? http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19990126-2.html How to uninstall or remove a plug-in from Netscape http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19981202-2.html Communicator's built-in capabilities for plug-ins and helper applications http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970621-22.html Is inaccurate, as netscape6/mozilla do not currently support xbm (see bug xxx) Helper Applications vs. Plug-ins http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970621-24.html Configuring Helper Applications for Communicator http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970626-1.html I only went through hits 1-120. -- Apple Stuff from TIL http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/797a936e79d3ea86862567d90053e336?CreateDocument Mac OS 8.5: Internet Control Panel Or Internet Config? http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n24679 Internet Config was replaced by Apple's compatible version "Internet Control Panel". I will still call it Internet Config, according to this doc, mac help/dialogs in 8.5 still did. Web Sharing MIME Types: More examples http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n30728 Related MIME type informational sites: http://www.starnine.com/support/technotes/servingmacfiles.html http://www.starnine.com/support/technotes/suffixmapping.html ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types http://search03.apple.com/s97is.vts?Action=FilterSearch&ResultTemplate=webx11.hts&collname=Developer&ServerKey=Primary&filter=nullflt.hts&SourceQueryMode=simple&SearchPage=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch03.apple.com%2Findex.html&SourceQueryText=&queryText=internet+config Carbon Spec for Internet Config [this is for our backend developers, but i'm sure they already have it] http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/carbon/CarbonSpecification/Internet_Config.html For X http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macosx/Carbon/CarbonSpecification/Internet_Config.html Unfortunately macos doesn't really do mime typings :-( there are a few apps that do it independently: <apple> QuickTime Sherlock <microsoft> IE. presumably iCab, OMNIWeb, Opera.

->Documentation

peter, was your original question answered sufficiently?

I'm guessing the question was about how to add it so that it shows up in the preferences panel, too, which is something I would sure like to know (see bug 61408).

Dawn, as I see it, the new information added about this problem has only investigated it, but haven't answered the problem's three core questions, which are: 1) Does there exist an URL which describe a method for programmatic registration of an 'Helper Application' in NS6? 2) Does this method also add the Helper Application's file extension/mimeType information to the 'navigator.mimeTypes' javascript object/collection? 3) If not, how are software development companies to register, their products as a 'Helper Application' in the new NS6 browser and thereby promote it?

I don't think it makes much sense for mozilla/netscape to help apps register platform specific features. If you build a helper application for most os's then you also package some installation mechanism. On windows that probably means an msi file (which you might send via a smartupdate jar) the msi installer will register the correct mime settings with windows. I realize this is a mess. wrt adding stuff to the preferences panel, if you >register with the os< we should show it. If you want your own preferences pane then you're writing a plugin which is outside the scope of this bug.

What we are trying to accomplish is the following: The functionality we required is similiar to e.g. the RealAudio Player integration with the NS browser. Our application is installed using e.g. the msi installer, however during this installation we need to register the application to be startable through the NS browser. Our application can be started from the desktop as well, however starting it through a web browser by clicking a specific file type (like RP files: .rpm) is also required. And currently, as far as I see it, documentation is only available for doing this is NS1 - NS4?

there doesn't seem to be documentation on this yet. If we can collect the info someone would need to write such a document (or at least the questions such a document should answer) that would help someone write it. I've posted to the documentation newsgroup to see if someone would like to help write one.

Dawn: Have you been able to get any documentation from Scott M.? Eric K.: You have a mandate from Adobe, Macromedia, and all of their peers for this, right? I hope you and Scott understand the comments here, especially those of timeless dated "2000-12-14 21:00" for the cross-platform cannon on type registration. This must have a lot to do with the interface implied by bug 58811.

accepting QA for mozilla developer docs. some of these bugs have been around for a _long_ time. Reporters, would you please review the bugs, see if the issues have been resolved, and close bugs appropriately. I will do a full review of all bugs not touched in one week (8th April). Thanks. </spam>

Could these documents at Mozilla.org be applicable to this bug? Test Documentation for Helper Application UI http://www.mozilla.org/quality/browser/front-end/testcases/file-handling/helper-apps.html Test Documentation for Downloading & Saving UI http://www.mozilla.org/quality/browser/front-end/testcases/file-handling/downloading.html Feature Test Spec MachV Mail and News Component Helper Applications http://www.mozilla.org/quality/mailnews/tests/sea-mn-helperapps.html Improve Helper Application Management Detailed Description This set of features relate to the "Helper Applications" preference panel. http://www.mozilla.org/xpapps/MachVPlan/HelperAppMgt.html Attachments in an Open Msg http://www.mozilla.org/mailnews/specs/threepane/Attachments1.html Let Google search Mozilla.org for relevant info: http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Amozilla.org+%22helper+application%22&sourceid=mozilla-search

So... I'm trying to figure out what this bug is asking for. To add helper applications to the system so that Mozilla will detect them, you just add them in the standard way (registry on Windows, under the corresponding extension, IC on mac, mailcap on Linux). This standard way should be covered by the OS documentation. Is this bug a request for us to basically point to copies of that documentation (or write our own versions)? If not, what is the request? (Note that the issue with navigator.mimeTypes is separate from whether we detect the helper application; there bug 58811 for that.)

Based on comment #18 resolving as invalid, Reopen if you disagree

Whatever it is, this probably depends on bug 57420.

jps@bovik.org: you're supposed to answer the question in comment 18 when reopening. I don't see an answer anywhere and happen to think the bug is invalid, as it indeed belongs in OS documentation, not our. I also don't see how does this depend on bug 57420 - it is not related at all.