Bug 508607

Summary:	"Open With" no longer lists NoDisplay applications, breaking MIME associations
Product:	[Frameworks and Libraries] frameworks-kio	Reporter:	evgeniyharchenko.dev
Component:	general	Assignee:	KIO Bugs <kio-bugs-null>
Status:	CONFIRMED ---
Severity:	normal	CC:	cfeck, evgeniyharchenko.dev, faure, ihatemylife0025, KaiUweBroulik2, kde, kdedev, kdelibs-bugs-null, nate
Priority:	NOR	Keywords:	regression, usability
Version First Reported In:	6.17.0
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Neon
OS:	Linux
URL:	https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1937
See Also:	https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=509746
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments:	Default desktop file for MS PowerPoint (Created by "Edit Menus" in Crossover) Desktop file for one of MS PowerPoint association (Created by "Edit Associations" in Crossover)

Description evgeniyharchenko.dev 2025-08-22 13:20:52 UTC

SUMMARY
After a recent commit in KIO: https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kio/-/merge_requests/1937/diffs?commit_id=16d8b4cdfbcd9ac884581df67441e98efa743eb3
the "Open With" dialog no longer shows applications marked with NoDisplay=true. It introduces a regression in practical usage.

The new behavior breaks common workflows:

Applications that declare support for certain MIME types but are NoDisplay (e.g. helper tools, editors, converters) can no longer be chosen manually via "Open With".

They now only work if set as the default handler (highest priority in mimeapps.list), which defeats the purpose of MIME associations with multiple possible handlers.

Users lose flexibility to open a file once with such an application without making it the default.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO
1. CrossOver installs multiple .desktop files for Microsoft Word, e.g. for different open configurations, all with NoDisplay=true.
2. These entries are properly associated with application/msword and application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document.
3. User has LibreOffice Writer as default, but wants to open a .docx via "Open With" → choose MS Word.

OBSERVED RESULT
None are shown, unless one is set as the default in mimeapps.list. There are only NoDisplay=false apps.

EXPECTED RESULT
All registered Word launchers appear in the list, because they support the MIME type.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: KDE neon User Edition
KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.17.0
Qt Version: 6.9.1
Kernel Version: 6.14.0-28-generic (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: X11

Comment 1 Nate Graham 2025-08-22 19:49:56 UTC

> 1. CrossOver installs multiple .desktop files for Microsoft Word, e.g. for different open configurations, all with NoDisplay=true.
Why would these have NoDisplay=True? Wouldn't you want the launchers for these apps to show up in Kickoff, KRunner, etc.?

Comment 2 evgeniyharchenko.dev 2025-08-22 21:34:27 UTC

CrossOver installs multiple .desktop files for the same app (e.g. different launch variants of MS PowerPoint). Showing all of them in Kickoff/KRunner would clutter the menu with duplicates.

Similarly, some helper/alternative launchers are only useful in the context of MIME handling, not as standalone applications.

Comment 3 evgeniyharchenko.dev 2025-08-22 21:39:42 UTC

Created attachment 184362 [details]
Default desktop file for MS PowerPoint (Created by "Edit Menus" in Crossover)

It is default "clear" launcher of MS PowerPoint. It should be displayed everywhere.

Comment 4 evgeniyharchenko.dev 2025-08-22 21:46:21 UTC

Created attachment 184363 [details]
Desktop file for one of MS PowerPoint association (Created by "Edit Associations" in Crossover)

It is special desktop file for opening .pptx files in presentation mode (slideshow mode) immediately. It shouldn't be anywhere except for the "Open with" item. So it has NoDisplay=True.

Comment 5 Nate Graham 2025-08-25 22:08:39 UTC

Thanks.

Here's the actual text of the spec in question:

> https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/recognized-keys.html
> 
> NoDisplay means "this application exists, but don't display it in the menus". This can be
> useful to e.g. associate this application with MIME types, so that it gets launched from a
> file manager (or other apps), without having a menu entry for it (there are tons of good
> reasons for this, including e.g. the netscape -remote, or kfmclient openURL kind of stuff)."

I could see this text interpreted to mean  "don't display in launcher menus like Kicker and Kickoff, but do allow it to appear in "open with" UIs for the purposes of allowing it to get chosen by the user for being launched from a file manager, even if they are menu-like".

So it depends if the word "menu" means "launcher menu like Kickoff" or either "any kind of menu" "or any kind of UI". 

Arguably "launcher menu like kickoff" is what the original intend was, even if the chosen phrasing was confusing.

I'm ccing David Faure, who's listed as an author on https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/.

David, can you clarify the original intent here?

Comment 6 Nate Graham 2025-09-18 21:44:59 UTC

*** Bug 508967 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***