Fallback when Preferred App is missing

[humdinger]

This is in vmware, r22624.

I have several files, saved in BeOS R5 that have the attribute BEOS:PREF_APP set to application/x-vnd.Be-STEE. That's StyledEdit's signature in BeOS. Haiku's is changed to application/x-vnd.Haiku-StyledEdit. Consequently the system doesn't find the preferred application and offers to find an app to open the file.

Wouldn't it make sense to fallback to the app determined by the file's MIME type? (In my case that would be text/x-trackerbase, which defaults to StyledEdit)

[stippi]

There is different sides to this situation. For one thing, there could be something wrong with your installation (like you accidentally removed your preferred app or something). In that case, you might want this warning, otherwise you might be wondering why the file does not open in the app you have configured. But I don't know how likely that is. On the other hand, you could have gotten the files from someone else, similar to your situation above, in which case the system should not bother you with the missing app and simply open the file with whatever other app you do have. Since the system does offer you to find another app though, maybe that's good enough. It could additionally offer an easy way to remove the "preferred app" attribute of that particular file. In any case, it depends on how common we think those situations are in which you would want the notice. Thoughts?

[axeld]

I'm a bit torn, too. In the case of "preferred app of document invalid" I think we should have the option of removing that and try again. If however the FileType defaults to an invalid app, that hint should be silently ignored IMO.

[humdinger]

I'd argue for the second solution, i.e. fallback to the preferred app for that MIME type as set in the FileTypes preferences. That's what it is for, you determine which app you want to open this kind of file by default. So, when you don't have the app installed that your collegue, who mailed you the file, prefers for that particular file, your own favorite app is launched.

Just imagine your annoying collegue always sets BEOS:PREF_APP to "emacs" and you have only the correct editor installed: "vi"... :)