Html export triggers Parallels

[Paul Kelly]

I am a recent convert to Bookpedia from Delicious Library. It is great to find a product which properly deals with using the data rather than just capturing it.

I am experiencing a strange problem when I export to an html template. When the export is complete, rather than opening the new index page in the Mac Firefox browser (which is already open), it tries to open it in a Windows version of Firefox so triggering Parallels to start and hence Windows to start. Once Windows has finally loaded and the Windows Firefox browser launches, the index page does not appear - presumably some part of the instruction dropped by the wayside during the lengthy Parallels start up.

If I double click on the same Bookpeida produced index page in Finder, it correctly launches in the Mac version of Firefox.

As a further curiosity, I get the same effect from your free Bwana application. If I type "man:pwn" in the address bar of Mac Firefox, it opens Parallels, Windows and Windows Firefox and gives me the answer there.

Any suggestions on a cause and cure?

Regards,

Paul Kelly

[Conor]

Hi Paul,

This is a bug in Launch Services preferring Firefox on Parallels than on the Mac. We tried to work around it by detecting that Firefox was your preferred browser and using an AppleScript to launch Firefox, instead of asking the Finder to open the resulting export. Are you using the latest version of Mac OS X 10.6.3?

Please download this special version of Bookpedia that I have updated to make sure it triggers the AppleScript work around. It believe the latest version of Firefox is called "Firefox 3" to the Finder and I only check for "Firefox". If it's still failing please check your console log which will have information on what bookpedia sees as your default browser. If the AppleScript work around is no longer working I am not sure I can suppress the launch of Parallels. You would have to disable Firefox on Parallels to get around it.

[Paul Kelly]

Thanks.

The specialised version of the Bookpedia application that you linked to does not change the behaviour of triggering Parallels. I am running 10.6.3.

I have now deleted Firefox from the Windows VM, but Bookpedia still fires up Parallels and I eventually get a message saying that Firefox cannot be found. I don't know what I need to do to spread the understanding to the rest of the system that there is no Windows Firefox any more.

I found the following two lines in the log each time this happened; I don't know if they are helpful to you in any way.

19/05/2010 19 May 00:54:26 Bookpedia[11613] Default browser: Firefox.app
19/05/2010 19 May 00:54:26 Bookpedia[11613] Executing script: do shell script "open -a Firefox " & "file://localhost/Users/Paul/Desktop/BP%20dProf%20-%20Travel%20Guides/index.html"

I am running Firefox Mac version 3.6.3, if that is relevant.

Regards.

[Conor]

It is detecting Firefox and trying to do the AppleScript work around. Thank you for confirming that the bug workaround is not working. You can disable sharing of applications if that is an option, as another user did or this post might also help. .

[marumari]

Why not just use open(1) on the html file itself? Doesn't that just open it in the system's default browser?

[Conor]

The Pedias use the Cocoa version of that:

Code: Select all

[[NSWorkspace sharedWorkspace] openFile:previewIndex];

I think all commands run through Launch Services that triggers Parallels.