Safari and Helper Applications
Safari and Helper Applications
- Subject: Safari and Helper Applications
- From: Larry Gerndt <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 21:19:12 -0700
Has anyone found a way to make Safari launch a custom helper application
(other than the standard QuickTime, Stuffit, etc)? What it's supposed to do
(but doesn't), is look at Internet Config, where applications are bound to
MIME types, or at least look at the LaunchServices database, which it also
doesn't. I've filed a bug with Apple about this, but my company is just now
paying attention to this problem (and putting heat on me) because Microsoft
has just announced the end of Internet Explorer/Macintosh. This means
everyone will be using Safari, and Safari just doesn't work in this regard.
In case it helps, here are the details of the problem: When the user clicks
on one of our "meeting" links in a browser, the browser downloads a document
whose extension is .ptk and whose MIME type is "text/ptk" (our custom MIME
type). In Internet Config, we've associated this MIME type and extension
with our application. Upon downloading this document to disk, MSIE then
properly launches our application and passes this document to it. Using
Safari, this does not happen. Someone mentioned that maybe Safari doesn't
read Internet Config but defers instead to the Launch Services database.
Well our application does indeed declare itself (via its Info.plist) to be
an editor for the extension .ptk, so it should still be launched, I would
think.
P.S. Since Safari seems to ignore both the Internet Config and Launch
Services databases, as a last resort I tried building a Plug-in which
declares itself as a handler for the "text/ptk" MIME type and the .ptk
extension. Only to find out that Safari plays ignorant about the existence
of this Plug-in until the user manually chooses Safari's "Installed
Plug-ins" command from the Help menu. After that, it loads the Plug-in and
uses it properly. Well this means we'd have to tell our users to do that
before it works, so that's out.
--
Larry Gerndt
AIM Handle: SonOfTheSonOfMan
Let the truth be told though the heavens fall -- James Garrison
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