desktop-file-utils Ubuntu package.
XDG utils package, part of the LSB.
Can open both Internet URLs and local files:
echo a > a.html
xdg-open a.html
xgd-open http://google.com
Sources:
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/16580/where-are-file-associations-stored
- http://standards.freedesktop.org/mime-apps-spec/mime-apps-spec-1.0.1.html
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Default_Applications
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xdg-open
Preferred choice for default program opening command since it is desktop/window manager agnostic.
On Ubuntu 15.10, it is just a large bash script provided by xdg-utils that forwards to another default program. Ubuntu 15.10 uses gnome-open (or the related gvfs-open).
Based on MIME type of file to open, not extension.
Configuration files:
/usr/share/applications/defaults.listglobal (TODO find citation)- user specific:
$XDG_DATA_DIRS/applications(.local/share/applications), eitherdefaults.list(old) ormimeapps.list(new).
Spec: https://specifications.freedesktop.org/mime-apps-spec/mime-apps-spec-1.0.1.html
Maps file MIME types to default applications.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/default_applications
Many applications generate default entries under:
~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
You should enter your custom ones under:
~/.config/mimeapps.list
View and modify the mimeapps.list file.
Get mime of given file:
xdg-mime query filetype my/file.txt
Get application for given mime:
xdg-mime query default application/pdf
Location: ~/.local/share/mime/packages/application-x-foobar.xml
Arch wiki has the best example as usual: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/default_applications#Custom_file_associations
TODO? Can't even find question.
Fails:
xdg-open new-file
Must e.g. touch it before...