Changing the text file viewer globally?

drawson1 · 03-02-2018, 06:34 PM

I'd like to change the default text file viewer to be something other than the Desktop default (Leafpad on my openSUSE / XFCE system . . . .); I figured out how to open text files with the internal ePub viewer, and I know that I can use Alt-V, click on "Open with" and change it for a single instance.

How do I make this choice permanent?

Thanks!

Dan

theducks · 03-02-2018, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drawson1

I'd like to change the default text file viewer to be something other than the Desktop default (Leafpad on my openSUSE / XFCE system . . . .); I figured out how to open text files with the internal ePub viewer, and I know that I can use Alt-V, click on "Open with" and change it for a single instance.

How do I make this choice permanent?

Thanks!

Dan

Preferences:Behavior: (right column) Apply tick

drawson1 · 03-02-2018, 06:52 PM

Hmmmm . . . . maybe I wasn't clear. I don't want to use the internal viewer for text files; I want to use another editor. When I look at Preferences -> Behaviour, I only see the choice to use (or not use) the internal viewer for different file types.

If "TXT" is un-checked, then when I double-click on a plain text file in calibre, it opens in my system default editor. I'd like to have it open in a different editor by default in calibre, WITHOUT changing the default for the remainder of the system.

Thanks!

Dan

theducks · 03-02-2018, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drawson1

Hmmmm . . . . maybe I wasn't clear. I don't want to use the internal viewer for text files; I want to use another editor. When I look at Preferences -> Behaviour, I only see the choice to use (or not use) the internal viewer for different file types.

If "TXT" is un-checked, then when I double-click on a plain text file in calibre, it opens in my system default editor. I'd like to have it open in a different editor by default in calibre, WITHOUT changing the default for the remainder of the system.

Thanks!

Dan

Use the Open With plugin by Kiwidude.
Set up a new entry to open type TXT with your prog.

drawson1 · 03-02-2018, 08:04 PM

Cool, thanks!

BetterRed · 03-02-2018, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drawson1

I'd like to change the default text file viewer to be something other than the Desktop default (Leafpad on my openSUSE / XFCE system . . . .); I figured out how to open text files with the internal ePub viewer, and I know that I can use Alt-V, click on "Open with" and change it for a single instance.

How do I make this choice permanent?

AFAIK in the Windows version of calibre, doing what you did is permanent for all instances of the designated format, I'm surprised it would be any different for Linux.

Anyway, if you right-click a TXT link in any Book Details panel, you can add and edit Open With entries and they should stick. If not, there's a bug in the Linix edition of calibre.

BR

drawson1 · 03-03-2018, 11:23 PM

Well . . . I can change it once, but it doesn't stick. If I right-click the TXT link (didn't know that menu was there, thanks!) and change it to use gedit (for example), it does open the selected file in gedit.

But if I click on the TXT link for that file again OR I double-click on the file in the main library listing, it opens it in Leafpad.

So it seems to me like that setting isn't getting saved.

Dan

theducks · 03-03-2018, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drawson1

Well . . . I can change it once, but it doesn't stick. If I right-click the TXT link (didn't know that menu was there, thanks!) and change it to use gedit (for example), it does open the selected file in gedit.

But if I click on the TXT link for that file again OR I double-click on the file in the main library listing, it opens it in Leafpad.

So it seems to me like that setting isn't getting saved.

Dan

Did you save ALL levels of the configure (Preferences)?
Is the file writable
C:\Users\,user.\AppData\Roaming\calibre\plugins\Open With.json

BetterRed · 03-04-2018, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drawson1

Well . . . I can change it once, but it doesn't stick. If I right-click the TXT link (didn't know that menu was there, thanks!) and change it to use gedit (for example), it does open the selected file in gedit.

But if I click on the TXT link for that file again OR I double-click on the file in the main library listing, it opens it in Leafpad.

So it seems to me like that setting isn't getting saved.

Dan

What happens if you press 'V', that's the way I open books, I'm mouse averse so I don't click on things unless I'm forced to.

BR

kovidgoyal · 03-04-2018, 02:14 AM

You cannot change the viewer used by clicking that will always use either the calibre viewer or the default OS viewer. You can define multiple programs to open file types with by right clicking the format in the book details pnael and choosing "Open TXT with...". Once you have added programs there, you can use them to open formats in the future by right clicking.

03-02-2018, 06:34 PM	#1
drawson1 Connoisseur Posts: 96 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Libra H20, Clara 2E	Changing the text file viewer globally? I'd like to change the default text file viewer to be something other than the Desktop default (Leafpad on my openSUSE / XFCE system . . . .); I figured out how to open text files with the internal ePub viewer, and I know that I can use Alt-V, click on "Open with" and change it for a single instance. How do I make this choice permanent? Thanks! Dan

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03-02-2018, 06:52 PM	#3
drawson1 Connoisseur Posts: 96 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Libra H20, Clara 2E	Hmmmm . . . . maybe I wasn't clear. I don't want to use the internal viewer for text files; I want to use another editor. When I look at Preferences -> Behaviour, I only see the choice to use (or not use) the internal viewer for different file types. If "TXT" is un-checked, then when I double-click on a plain text file in calibre, it opens in my system default editor. I'd like to have it open in a different editor by default in calibre, WITHOUT changing the default for the remainder of the system. Thanks! Dan

03-02-2018, 08:04 PM	#5
drawson1 Connoisseur Posts: 96 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Libra H20, Clara 2E	Cool, thanks!

03-03-2018, 11:23 PM	#7
drawson1 Connoisseur Posts: 96 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Libra H20, Clara 2E	Well . . . I can change it once, but it doesn't stick. If I right-click the TXT link (didn't know that menu was there, thanks!) and change it to use gedit (for example), it does open the selected file in gedit. But if I click on the TXT link for that file again OR I double-click on the file in the main library listing, it opens it in Leafpad. So it seems to me like that setting isn't getting saved. Dan

03-04-2018, 02:14 AM	#10
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,251 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You cannot change the viewer used by clicking that will always use either the calibre viewer or the default OS viewer. You can define multiple programs to open file types with by right clicking the format in the book details pnael and choosing "Open TXT with...". Once you have added programs there, you can use them to open formats in the future by right clicking.