Getting URL files to use default browser?

what happens if you finder select the url file, select menu File->Show Info, select ( open with application ) in the popup menu, change that to your desired target app, and hit the ( change all ) button?

or have you tried that? you alluded to 'open with'.

not using IE? you might try stuffing that app to see if the 'hunt for default app' fails, but try the show info method above first, as i think that's supposed to affect your intended behavior.

let us know.

mervTormel,

Thanks for the ideas... Unfortunately, Show Info doesn't give the "Open With Application" option, for URL files. Most baffling. It almost feels like an intentional and subtle omission, maybe to appease the Gates-demon for his investment.

But enough conspiracy theories... I still use IE from time to time, mainly when a page doesn't display properly in OmniWeb. But I might try stuffing IE, double-clicking a URL file, and seeing if something good happens....

Funny, this works fine for me with Mozilla.. I even tried dragging an IE url to the dock, and then clicking, which opened the IE url in Mozilla, which is the default in my system prefs. Don't know why yours would be different.

hmmmm, some url type files _are_ app changable.

some url type files have the link in the rez fork? but i set it's file type/creator to LINK/MSIE and swapped rez and data forks (SNAX) and then it was 'app changable'

conspiracy, indeed...

% bill gates

OK? kill gates? yes
kill: Arguments should be jobs or other pop icons

Well I stuffed IE and moved it to the Trash, and my test URL file (a .webloc) launched in OW. I then moved IE back to the Applications folder, and the same file went back to preferring IE. Sigh.

I'll investigate the resource fork, etc. stuff (via Snax, eh?) after dinner.... Or maybe once I have my real work under control. :p

Is there some central place where OS X keeps track of which extensions are opened by which applications?

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist, I believe.

i believe that's the role of these files:

% ll Library/Preferences/LS*
-rw------- 1 merv staff 837k Feb 17 15:55 Library/Preferences/LSApplications
-rw------- 1 merv staff 652k Feb 17 15:55 Library/Preferences/LSClaimedTypes
-rw------- 1 merv staff 5.3k Feb 17 15:55 Library/Preferences/LSSchemes

Thanks for the paths to those files. (Though I wasn't able to do much with the LS* files, and LaunchServices.plist checked out how I expected it to be.)

However, things are now working correctly. Woo. I think it's due to my new "good hygiene" whereby I am sure to reset the default browser every time I update OmniWeb *BEFORE* I launch said app. It must be that part of the system was getting the idea that IE was again the default, and when I changed it in SysPrefs (after opening OW) only SysPrefs was made aware of the change. Or at the least, the Finder wasn't told.

So the lesson (that should have been more obvious): When you're playing with system prefs concerning an application, and things aren't working out properly, quit the app first, then change the settings... :rolleyes: