file types and programs

[Bob McClure Jr]

On Sun, Mar 14, 2004 at 01:53:44PM -0600, Fred Grant wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-03-13 at 20:05, Bob McClure Jr wrote:
> > On Sat, Mar 13, 2004 at 06:50:47PM -0600, Fred Grant wrote:
> > > I recently installed Adobe Acrobat5 but I can't get it to become the
> > > default pdf viewer.  The file types and programs seems to work only for
> > > programs that were installed when I first loaded rh9.  I would like to
> > > get Adobe running because it seems to be the only pdf viewer that can
> > > click on links embedded in the pdf file.
> > > 
> > > I use the gnome desktop.
> > > 
> > > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> > 
> > What browser?  I don't know if they all use the same file (they jolly
> > well should), but try editing your ~/.mailcap file.  I know Netscape
> > and Mozilla use it.
> > 
> > Look for a line that looks like
> > 
> > application/pdf;/usr/bin/xpdf %s
> > 
> > Change /usr/bin/xpdf to /path/to/acrobat.  If such a line is not
> > there, add one.
> > 
> > You will need to restart your browser.  In fact, maybe it should be
> > off when you edit the file.
> > 
> > Cheers,
> 
> Thanks Bob, you pointed me in the right direction.I did this with
> Mozilla preferences to avoid having to "get under the hood" of the
> system.
> 
> I'd still like to set Acrobat to be the default for reading pdf files I
> have saved.  I find the Gnome help pages confusing.  The form we are
> suppose to use to change these file types and programs asks for a
> protocol without explaining what that is.  The form won't accept a path
> name either.  Can you help on this?
> 
> Thanks

Hmm.  I don't know what that's about.  I don't use GNOME regularly, so
I had to log out of my AfterStep session and bring up GNOME.  I did a
little poking around and found this to suggest.  Go to your start
button (lower-left corner of screen.  Select Preferences -> File Types
and Programs.  Then, in the dialog box, click on the little |> next to
Documents to open it up.  Then do the same for Published Materials,
and you'll see "PDF document".  Click on that, and then hit the "Edit"
button, and fix it the way you want it.  If Adobe is in your PATH
(from a terminal window, type "which <adobe's_name>" and it will show
up if it is in your PATH), you can specify the program name without
the path.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
robertmcclure at earthlink.net  http://www.bobcatos.com
Life is short.  Pray hard.