Viewer won't open PDF with external viewer

devogon · 11-21-2023, 03:55 PM

Calibre 7.0 won't open any pdf files with an external viewer (it used to), but will open others (epub, mobi, azw). Internal viewer will open pdf files but that's not (for me) ideal. Using Fedora.

BetterRed · 11-21-2023, 04:31 PM

Make sure PDF is unchecked in the Preferences->Behaviour->Use internal viewer for: list. If that's as it should be, make sure you have a default handler defined for PDF in Fedora.

Added: where did you get calibre 7… from calibre website or from Fedora repo?

BR

devogon · 11-21-2023, 06:36 PM

Already checked that checkmark. Prior to the recent upgrade to 7, it worked just fine. And I update calibre from the calibre website.

d.

devogon · 11-21-2023, 07:07 PM

aha. it's just the shortcut "v" that doesn't work. menu (right-click -> view) works just fine. Reassigning to another key also does not work. Alt-V then selecting the format works.

BetterRed · 11-21-2023, 08:40 PM

FWIW the JobSpy plugin has an option in its utilities toolbox to show keyboard assignments in a table with sortable columns. I found it useful when I somehow managed to have the same key assigned to two different functions following an upgrade.

BR

kovidgoyal · 11-21-2023, 10:24 PM

It works fine. xdg-open on your system is probably using the calibre viewer as its default PDF viewer.

devogon · 11-22-2023, 03:25 AM

fwiw, xdg-open uses evince at the command line. and, weirdly, it's only pdf that won't open.

devogon · 11-22-2023, 03:41 AM

I'll poke around further, but it doesn't work in a newly established database either.

Quoth · 11-22-2023, 07:08 AM

Calibre on Mint 21.2 with Mate is opening Okular fine as external PDF viewer. Before that it opened whatever was the Mint default. I tested a load of PDF Viewers and like Okular (which views other types). I did have to edit all the defaults settings on Okular to make text sizes and page formats sensible.

devogon · 11-24-2023, 02:12 AM

View (v) does not work. It just gives me the "i'm thinking about it" spinny-wheel and then nothing. I changed viewers and xdg-open works like it should. Alt-V works fine but pdf (and djvu) files won't open with an external viewer. Giving up on trying to make something work and just have to Alt-V for now.

BetterRed · 11-24-2023, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by devogon

View (v) does not work. It just gives me the "i'm thinking about it" spinny-wheel and then nothing. I changed viewers and xdg-open works like it should. Alt-V works fine but pdf (and djvu) files won't open with an external viewer. Giving up on trying to make something work and just have to Alt-V for now.

Did you check for duplicate shortcuts, I don't know how it happened here, IIRC it was one of the Add shortcuts - but it was what lead to the List shortcuts feature in Jobspy.

For other reasons I disabled the 'V' for View default shortcut and assigned it to View specific format.

BR

ambroz09 · 11-24-2023, 06:14 PM

I am confirming the devogon's problem.
I have just upgraded calibre to 7.1.

Since the upgrade when clicking on the "PDF" next to "Formats" nothing happens (rotating cursor shows briefly).

If I want to open a PDF book I have to right click the "PDF" and choose "OpenPDF with..." then select my (any) dedicated PDF viewer.

"Use internal viewer for PDF" is unchecked.
System opens every PDF file with my designated PDF viewer without problems.
The problem arose only in calibre and right after upgrading to v7.

OS: Ubuntu 22.04.3

kovidgoyal · 11-24-2023, 06:43 PM

Run calibre from a terminal. Try to view the PDF file, see the error from whatever component on your system is failing to open the PDF file. Given this is Linux, my bet would be something in GNOME gio-launch-desktop or similar, since you claim xdg-open works, Qt is presumably nowadays using something else. Figure out whatever it is on your system that's missing/broken and fix it.

kovidgoyal · 11-25-2023, 12:10 AM

And reading the Qt source code this is wayland specific. Under wayland Qt now runs xdg-open asynchronously to use waylands "xdg activation token". Which means the env var sanitisation calibre does when calling the qt function does not work. Sigh wayland is the gift that keeps on giving. As always I strongly suggest you stick to X11, where you shouldnt have any such issues.

You can easily test this by running calibre as

QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb calibre

and opening pdf files will work just as before.

kovidgoyal · 11-25-2023, 01:50 AM

Qt bug report: https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-119438

11-21-2023, 03:55 PM	#1
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	Viewer won't open PDF with external viewer Calibre 7.0 won't open any pdf files with an external viewer (it used to), but will open others (epub, mobi, azw). Internal viewer will open pdf files but that's not (for me) ideal. Using Fedora.

11-21-2023, 04:31 PM	#2
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,725 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Make sure PDF is unchecked in the Preferences->Behaviour->Use internal viewer for: list. If that's as it should be, make sure you have a default handler defined for PDF in Fedora. Added: where did you get calibre 7… from calibre website or from Fedora repo? BR Last edited by BetterRed; 11-21-2023 at 04:34 PM.

11-21-2023, 07:07 PM	#4
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	aha. it's just the shortcut "v" that doesn't work. menu (right-click -> view) works just fine. Reassigning to another key also does not work. Alt-V then selecting the format works. Last edited by devogon; 11-21-2023 at 07:09 PM. Reason: add alt-v

11-25-2023, 12:10 AM	#14
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,355 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	And reading the Qt source code this is wayland specific. Under wayland Qt now runs xdg-open asynchronously to use waylands "xdg activation token". Which means the env var sanitisation calibre does when calling the qt function does not work. Sigh wayland is the gift that keeps on giving. As always I strongly suggest you stick to X11, where you shouldnt have any such issues. You can easily test this by running calibre as QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb calibre and opening pdf files will work just as before. Last edited by kovidgoyal; 11-25-2023 at 12:15 AM.

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11-21-2023, 06:36 PM	#3
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	Already checked that checkmark. Prior to the recent upgrade to 7, it worked just fine. And I update calibre from the calibre website. d.

11-21-2023, 08:40 PM	#5
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,725 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	FWIW the JobSpy plugin has an option in its utilities toolbox to show keyboard assignments in a table with sortable columns. I found it useful when I somehow managed to have the same key assigned to two different functions following an upgrade. BR

11-21-2023, 10:24 PM	#6
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,355 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	It works fine. xdg-open on your system is probably using the calibre viewer as its default PDF viewer.

11-22-2023, 03:25 AM	#7
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	fwiw, xdg-open uses evince at the command line. and, weirdly, it's only pdf that won't open.

11-22-2023, 03:41 AM	#8
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	I'll poke around further, but it doesn't work in a newly established database either.

11-22-2023, 07:08 AM	#9
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,045 Karma: 105092227 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Calibre on Mint 21.2 with Mate is opening Okular fine as external PDF viewer. Before that it opened whatever was the Mint default. I tested a load of PDF Viewers and like Okular (which views other types). I did have to edit all the defaults settings on Okular to make text sizes and page formats sensible.

11-24-2023, 02:12 AM	#10
devogon Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: boox nova air	View (v) does not work. It just gives me the "i'm thinking about it" spinny-wheel and then nothing. I changed viewers and xdg-open works like it should. Alt-V works fine but pdf (and djvu) files won't open with an external viewer. Giving up on trying to make something work and just have to Alt-V for now.

11-24-2023, 06:14 PM	#12
ambroz09 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2023 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I am confirming the devogon's problem. I have just upgraded calibre to 7.1. Since the upgrade when clicking on the "PDF" next to "Formats" nothing happens (rotating cursor shows briefly). If I want to open a PDF book I have to right click the "PDF" and choose "OpenPDF with..." then select my (any) dedicated PDF viewer. "Use internal viewer for PDF" is unchecked. System opens every PDF file with my designated PDF viewer without problems. The problem arose only in calibre and right after upgrading to v7. OS: Ubuntu 22.04.3

11-24-2023, 06:43 PM	#13
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,355 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Run calibre from a terminal. Try to view the PDF file, see the error from whatever component on your system is failing to open the PDF file. Given this is Linux, my bet would be something in GNOME gio-launch-desktop or similar, since you claim xdg-open works, Qt is presumably nowadays using something else. Figure out whatever it is on your system that's missing/broken and fix it.

11-25-2023, 01:50 AM	#15
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,355 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Qt bug report: https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-119438

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