Choosing display programs for various formats

[odradek]

When I click on items in my Calibre list, they open in the program my OS has them associated with, e.g., .pdf opens in Adobe Reader, and .txt opens in notepad. I'd like to change this so that, for example, clicking on a .txt file in the list will open it in yBook reader. I want to leave my OS associations the same---when clicking on a .txt file in my file manager, I almost always want it to open in notebook, but an ebook in .txt format is a different thing. It seems this bug was noted thirteen months ago:
http://oldbugs.calibre-ebook.com/ticket/5265
It seems like it should be a simple matter. Is there any way Calibre can do this?

[user_none]

Calibre uses the system associations when it is told not to open in it's internal ebook viewer. There is no way to change this.

[Manichean]

You may want to use the open with plugin. Check the plugins section.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by odradek

It seems this bug was noted thirteen months ago:
http://oldbugs.calibre-ebook.com/ticket/5265

Not a bug. Follow Manichean's advice, find the "Open with" GUI plugin in this index.

[odradek]

Thank you. I installed the Open With plugin, customized it with the line:
Title=text
Format=TXT
Application Path="C:\Users\Mike\Documents\My eBooks\yBook\yBook.exe"

Now when I click on a .txt file, Calibre still opens it in notepad.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by odradek

Thank you. I installed the Open With plugin, customized it with the line:
Title=text
Format=TXT
Application Path="C:\Users\Mike\Documents\My eBooks\yBook\yBook.exe"

Now when I click on a .txt file, Calibre still opens it in notepad.

The instructions in the first post for that plugin says to restart calibre and add it to a menu. I added it to the context menu via Preferences - Toolbar. I right click on any book entry and select open text and it opens the text in the application I chose.

Good Luck.

[Manichean]

You'll need to actually use the plugin. See the plugins description page, especially the first screenshot. You'll also need to add the plugin to a toolbar or menu as described in this thread.

[odradek]

I am actually using the plugin, and opening a text file from the menu item on the toolbar does work, but simply double-clicking on the item in the list does not.

[Manichean]

Originally Posted by odradek

I am actually using the plugin, and opening a text file from the menu item on the toolbar does work, but simply double-clicking on the item in the list does not.

Well, obviously. Doubleclicking isn't using the plugin, but rather Calibre's internal routines for opening the file. You can't change that behaviour, you only have the choice between Calibre's internal viewer and the program associated in the OS to handle the file for doubleclicking.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by odradek

I am actually using the plugin, and opening a text file from the menu item on the toolbar does work, but simply double-clicking on the item in the list does not.

You did add the OWPI to 'Context menu?

That is the way it is supposed to work. (You might want to use tweaks to set: Control behavior of double clicks on the book list. to 'do_nothing' ) to avoid confusions

[odradek]

Originally Posted by Manichean

Well, obviously.

Not obvious at all, just bad design. Having to find an item on a menu and click that for certain filetypes but not others is awkward---obviously.

[odradek]

Originally Posted by theducks

You did add the OWPI to 'Context menu?

Yes, not I have to find it on the contextual menu and then find "text" on its sub-menu to open a text file. The simple double click that works for other file types still won't work for text.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by odradek

Yes, not I have to find it on the contextual menu and then find "text" on its sub-menu to open a text file. The simple double click that works for other file types still won't work for text.

That sounds like there is problems with the file associations in you OS if you have behaviour 'use internal viewer' for txt (and TEXT) unticked.

Note. there are 2 associations that may need to be present, depending on the files extension

[odradek]

The file association for .txt in my OS is to open it in notepad (a simple text editor), since I do a lot of things with text files that are not ebooks. The file association I want _within_ Calibre is to open .txt files in yBook since, within Calibre, I only expect to open ebooks for reading, not text files for editing.

Do you mean there are two file associations to be set within Calibre? I can't find where "behaviour 'use internal viewer' for txt" is.

[kiwidude]

Your question was answered in post#2. You cannot get double click behaviour to open a "third" choice of text editor. You can:
- Get double click to open in the internal viewer
- Get double click to open in your system text editor (which you have set to notepad)
- Use the Open with plugin to have a menu item (optionally with keyboard shortcut) to open it in the editor of your choice

That's all the options you have.