Thunderbird doesn't open http link in firefox

I have exactly the same problem with a fresh install of feisty.

I identified the problem and a workaround, but I think the problem should be investigated more in depth.

I was using Feisty before. For different reasons, I had to make a fresh install.
So I did a complete backup from my /home
Then I installed Feisty.
After installing, I copied .mozilla-thunderbird from my backup, so I could use all my old settings.
It worked fine but then there was this url problem.

Workaround :
make a backup of .mozilla-thunderbird
then delete .mozilla-thunderbird
start thunderbird and create your account again manually
and the url problem should disappear.

From now on, I'll remember that copying a config directory isn't 100% safe.

This problem can be solved without removing the profile - see:

http://ubuntuzilla.wiki.sourceforge.net/#tochome22
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=910152&postcount=3

Confirming this bug for Gutsy release.

[rant]Shouldn't bug reports from beta testers at the very least be assigned before release?[/rant]

It has also happened to me.
I was using Ubuntu Gutsy, then upgraded to Hardy installing from CD and using the same partition as home.

I have resolved it following the thread that Nico Dietrich has given but changing user.js by prefs.js.

To sum up. Add the following lines to ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/*default*/prefs.js

user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.http", "/usr/bin/firefox");
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.https", "/usr/bin/firefox");

Can this be fixed?

no, thunderbird will use the gnome "preferred application" to open http links. On kde you have to add things manually.

this should be able to happen but most likely wont be fixed in any of the stable releases due to this is not a security problem.

Alexander, so this bug by definition is none because it "only" relates to kde? If it came to gnome, you surely would have fixed it before release? But with kde, there even was no need to comment for about one year?

John, thanks for your courtesy of at least changing importance from "won't fix" to "wishlist", even if indeed only kde users would ever wish this to be solved.

Finally this "bug" shows up to be due those eternal differences about which GUI should be supported. Love you all... (see http://bp1.blogger.com/_A7vd1oW85hU/Re1c4KJmAmI/AAAAAAAAAno/lGRaFNqo9Ww/s400/green.jpg)

fbusse wrote:
> Alexander, so this bug by definition is none because it "only" relates
> to kde? If it came to gnome, you surely would have fixed it before
> release? But with kde, there even was no need to comment for about one
> year?
>
> John, thanks for your courtesy of at least changing importance from
> "won't fix" to "wishlist", even if indeed only kde users would ever wish
> this to be solved.
>
> Finally this "bug" shows up to be due those eternal differences about
> which GUI should be supported. Love you all... (see
> http://bp1.blogger.com/_A7vd1oW85hU/Re1c4KJmAmI/AAAAAAAAAno/lGRaFNqo9Ww/s400/green.jpg)
>
>
Once we have if we have a *-kde-support package like firefox-kde-support
and tbird ect... this will no longer be an issue but since i brought it
up during gutsy's devel cycle it hasnt been done. however upstream has a
bug to maybe build it. dont remember off hand though

John Vivirito wrote:
> fbusse wrote:
>
>> Alexander, so this bug by definition is none because it "only" relates
>> to kde? If it came to gnome, you surely would have fixed it before
>> release? But with kde, there even was no need to comment for about one
>> year?
>>
>> John, thanks for your courtesy of at least changing importance from
>> "won't fix" to "wishlist", even if indeed only kde users would ever wish
>> this to be solved.
>>
>> Finally this "bug" shows up to be due those eternal differences about
>> which GUI should be supported. Love you all... (see
>> http://bp1.blogger.com/_A7vd1oW85hU/Re1c4KJmAmI/AAAAAAAAAno/lGRaFNqo9Ww/s400/green.jpg)
>>
>>
>>
> Once we have if we have a *-kde-support package like firefox-kde-support
> and tbird ect... this will no longer be an issue but since i brought it
> up during gutsy's devel cycle it hasnt been done. however upstream has a
> bug to maybe build it. dont remember off hand though
>
>
Alexander,
  I thought i saw upstream saying they would build this but if not or if
so is there a ETA or is it really going to happen?

This is also a problem in xfce (xubuntu 8.10). Pablo's fix worked for me, but would be nice to have it work out-of-the-box - we don't all use Gnome.

Is this still an Issue with the latest Thunderbird 2 release? My links in Thunderbird open fine in Firefox.

This bug is in karmic while it was not present for me in 2 previous releases ... Adding the network.protocol-handler.app.http string and pointing it to /usr/bin/thunderbird solved the issue ... but that isn't newbie friendly ...

Hi,

I've had the same issue after updating to karmic. It was not present in Intrepid or Jaunty. The default browser is Firefox 3.5.3, but no links would get opened when clicked. I'm using thunderbird 2.0.0.23

Adding the protocol-handler.app.http and pointing it to /usr/bin/firefox solved the problem.

regards

I'm having this issue on a Karmic upgrade from Jaunty. I had Thunderbird 2 and recently started using Thunderbird 3. Links worked in Thunderbird 2, but not in 3. The suggested network.protocol-handler changes suggested don't fix my problem

Piclemonkey:
We do not support thunderbird-3.0 yet. not sure wher eyou got 3.0 from but if it was from mozilla you need a thunderbird-3.0-gnome-support
package.
Is this on gnome kde or another WM. make sure you set up a default browser in preffered apps menu

This same issue now occurs when upgrading from Karmic to Lucid (which uses Thunderbird 3). The user is prompted for what program they want to use to open http and https links.

It seems to me this should be handled by mime typing in all cases rather than Thunderbird's config itself.

Note that installing thunderbird-gnome-support (which I did not have for some reason) does not help.

Seeing the same here, tested with http, https, and ftp links

x64 build

thunderbird:
  Installed: 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
thunderbird-gnome-support:
  Installed: 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 3.0.1+nobinonly-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Lucid Gnome users should be following bug 526290 which contains a workaround.

Also bug 543064 will likely resolve this in Lucid for non-Gnome users.

I'm currently using Karmic (upgraded from Intrepid then Jaunty).

Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 / Firefox 3.5.9

Thunderbird WILL launch links with Opera and Midori but not Firefox.

I tested this by adding the following user prefs to Thunderbird:

"network.protocol-handler.app.http" = "/usr/bin/opera"
"network.protocol-handler.app.https" = "/usr/bin/opera"

and then amending to:

"network.protocol-handler.app.http" = "/usr/bin/midori"
"network.protocol-handler.app.https" = "/usr/bin/midori"

After spending a couple of hours looking into this, the root of my problem turned out to be caused by Thunderbird setting the environment variable "LD_PRELOAD=libpulsedsp.so" before calling Firefox, which would then silently fail.

As a workaround, I created a custom Firefox launch script to unset this variable first.

Create a file "/usr/local/bin/firefox-launcher"

-------------------
#!/bin/bash
unset LD_PRELOAD
/usr/bin/firefox $1
-------------------
Make it executable.

Ensure that Thunderbird has the following config settings:
"network.protocol-handler.app.http" = "/usr/local/bin/firefox-launcher"
"network.protocol-handler.app.https" = "/usr/local/bin/firefox-launcher"

Thunderbird should now open links with Firefox.

I'm affected by this bug, and tried to install a special launcher....with nos success.
The launcher itself works. however, when called by firefox, firefox collapses.

However, I doesn't know if my Thunderbird does preload libpulsedsp.so.
How can I find this information.

Thanks

@robert leleu

This guy had a SIMILAR problem with a different variable - http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/firefox_does_not_launch_when_a_http_link_is_clicked_in_thunderbird#reply_1050379 -

His follow-up post describes how he found out which variables thundebird was setting - http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/firefox_does_not_launch_when_a_http_link_is_clicked_in_thunderbird#reply_1051256

Hope this helps.

This helped! Indeed in my case the culprit was
LD_LIBRARY_PATH
instead of your
LD_PRELOAD

the medecine being the same...

I reported it in my french forum in https://listes.geckozone.org/wws/arc/utilisateurs/2010-04/msg00135.html (one shall switch characters code to UTF-8)

the original way to find which is the culprit is in http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/firefox_does_not_launch_when_a_http_link_is_clicked_in_thunderbird#reply_1050379

I had this problem on a fully updated Lucid yesterday. Reinstalling from scratch fixed it.

I have this problem on a clean install of Kubuntu 10.04/lucid, fresh install of firefox and thunderbird, but profiles restored from backup, "choose application" prompt on links in thunderbird.

Guymac,
Your issue is not the same as this bug. Please file a new bug by typing the following command in a terminal:
ubuntu-bug thunderbird
If that doesnt work please file it from bugs.launchpad.net
I need the bug # after you file it

Today I thought I suffered from this bug because I had the very same symptom, but then I found out it was a completely different (and selfmade) problem. It turned out that for https links thunderbird was still trying to start a local copy of firefox that I just deleted. It wasn't configured as network.protocol-handler.app.https but as a mime type. To figure out if you have the same problem, just run this:

fgrep firefox .thunderbird/*default*/mimeTypes.rdf

and check the output for non standard pathes to firefox.

I have the same problem on Thunderbird 3.1.7 with Ubuntu 10.10 i386

You must set firefox as a default browser, and all works

Is this still an issue in precise or later?

no longer an issue in Mint15 (raring)

Thanks, Robert.

Per, what about you?

Not sure if feedback is needed from me, but just in case it is, I'm
currently using Xubuntu 13.04 and this issue has gone away.

Cheers,

Richard Gunn.

On 2013-08-21 23:03, Rolf Leggewie wrote:
> Thanks, Robert.
>
> Per, what about you?
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the
> bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/136303
>
> Title:
> Thunderbird doesn't open http link in firefox
>
> Status in “thunderbird” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Have upgraded from Feisty Fawn, which was upgraded from Dapper.
> Version running now is Gutsy Tribe5 with subsequent updates
>
> Now clicking on a http link in an email message doesn't bring up
> firefox or opens a new tab in an already running firefox.
>
> Thunderbird does not emit any error message when run from the
> commandline and clilcking on a url.
>
> This used to work before the upgrade.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
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