Bug 503956

Summary:	"File associations" should allow "Default web browser" as an entry
Product:	[Applications] systemsettings	Reporter:	Ellie <el>
Component:	general	Assignee:	Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Severity:	normal	CC:	kde
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	6.3.4
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Other
OS:	Linux
See Also:	https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=503745
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Ellie 2025-05-09 11:50:17 UTC

SUMMARY

It seems like ".xhtml" didn't default to a web browser on my system in the past, so I changed the file association to the web browser I used at the time. But when I changed my default web browser later, it didn't keep up. The problem seems to be that the file associations picker doesn't allow picking "the default web browser" but requires choosing a specific one. I suggest that this is changed. The same problem also seems to apply to .html files, when I check the "Open with" options there is no "the default web browser" choice either as far as I can tell.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

1. Go to "File associations" in KDE system settings
2. Pick ".html" or ".xhtml" files in the area to the left
3. Try to set the default web browser as the application to the right, but in a way that it will keep up to date after the default browser is changed in the future. There doesn't seem to be an obvious way to do that.

OBSERVED RESULT

It doesn't seem to be possible to set "Open with" to the default web browser in a way that sticks when the default browser changes.

EXPECTED RESULT

It doesn't seem to be possible to set "Open with" to the default web browser.


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS

Windows: 
macOS: 
(available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window)
Linux/KDE Plasma: postmarketOS v24.12 and postmarketOS Edge
KDE Plasma Version: 6.2.4 and 6.3.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.8.0 and 6.13.0
Qt Version: 6.8.2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Comment 1 David Edmundson 2025-05-09 12:19:12 UTC

See "default applications" rather than file associations to change the browser

Comment 2 Ellie 2025-05-09 12:23:14 UTC

Sorry if there's a misunderstanding, but that doesn't seem to be working for xhtml files: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=503745 And for html files it doesn't seem to list the correct entry either. This is why I made this ticket. Let me know if I should keep this ticket closed anyway, I'll wait a bit for a response and otherwise reopen if that's okay.

Comment 3 David Edmundson 2025-05-09 12:38:26 UTC

I think I did misunderstand. Sorry.

>3. Try to set the default web browser as the application to the right, but in a way that it will keep up to date after the default browser is changed in the future. There doesn't seem to be an obvious way to do that.

Yeah, we don't have a way to say "look up this other scheme to follow this one", it sounds q

I bet we have people out there that want a different URL scheme handler to local file handler who would be upset if we did change anything.

Comment 4 David Edmundson 2025-05-09 12:42:29 UTC

Silly bugzilla, sorry for the half-written post.

*Yeah, we don't have a way to say "look up this other scheme to follow this one", it could get quite could confusing. Mimedata itself doesn't support that, and we can't do anything on a KDE level because apps look up mime associations directly.

We can't change one when we change the other, because we have browsers that change it directly too. 

I'm afraid for this edge case it's not feasible.

Comment 5 Ellie 2025-05-09 17:08:56 UTC

A new separate entry of "Do whatever the default browser entry says" might help, people can still pick other entries if they want to, right? But even if I try to make it follow the default browser, I can't for some reason.