Opening a PDF file from a link provided in Thunderbird email [SOLVED]

[Canuck]

Just received notice, in Thunderbird, of a PDF file for a publication I receive bi-monthly.   Clicking on the link in other distributions, used before switching to Vector 7.0 immediately
opened a PDF reader with the PDF file.     Clicking on the PDF link in Thunderbird takes me to  LAUNCH APPLICATION.   Clicking on Launch Application takes me to my home directory containing folders such as
Documents, Photos, etc.

How to I open a PDF link supplied in a Thunderbird 'letter?    I know how to create a link to the PDF reader when I have a PDF file in my documents.    But having a link in a email leaves me at a loss as to how to even open it.

[sledgehammer]

From within Thurnderbird:  Edit>Preferences>Applications>PDF Document

Good luck. 

[Canuck]

"From within Thurnderbird:  Edit>Preferences>Applications>PDF Document"

There is no  Tab, Button, etc.  labeled "Applications" and therefore no  "PDF Document"  in my Thunderbird.   There is "Attatchment" but that does nothing for my problem

[Canuck]

Are there any other solutions to my query?   I have been unable to find the sequence to PDF files in Thunderbird. 

In other distros I have used, it is merely a matter of clicking on the link to the PDF file link contained in an email to activate downloading the file and then opening it.   Surely there is a way to do this in Vector 7.0     I really want to use Vector 7.0 as my main desktop computer, but this issue I need to resolve, if possible.

[sledgehammer]

Sorry, Canuck,

I gave you bum advice.  Instead of what I said, in thunderbird 7.0.1 go to

Edit>Preferences>Attachments.

This is apparently what you are doing.  When I do it, I see a whole list of Attachments, one of which is PDF Documents.  I tell it to open PDF Documents with Adobe Reader 9.4 (Use Adobe Reader 9.4 (in Thunderbird))

Are you getting the list of attachments?

John

[Canuck]

When I  go to Attachments in Thunderbird through 'Edit Preferences'  I see nothing, no PDF files.   I downloaded and installed adobe acroread  9.3.4 i586 from the vl respository.   
Still nothing.   The PDF LINK [There is no PDF attachment to the email, just a link to the publisher's website] Is in the body of an email that I received from the publisher of the PDF file.   In other distros, I need only to click on the link, which causes the browser to open (Firefox) and download the PDF file which is then opened by Adobe.   The problem is associated with the link to a PDF file.  Clicking on the link in the email causes the  LAUNCH APPLICATION window to open.   Looking for the application takes me to the Home directory: Desktop, Documents, etc.

I note that you suggested Adobe 9.4 in Thunderbird.    Where in Thunderbird?   I must be missing something.   Thank you for your continued help.

[sledgehammer]

I don't know where I got the latest adobe reader, probably from the repositories (perhaps a testing one).  I will look when I get time.  Perhaps I got it from SlackBuilds.org.

As to the other problem, I think where it says "launch application" you are going to have to find out where adobe reader is on your hard drive and put that in the blank.  You might try getting adobe to run first from the command line or do a whereis to find where it is. I find adobe reader 9 in my application finder (from the menu Accessories>Application Finder. Perhaps someone else can help here.

[GrannyGeek]

I always get Adobe Reader from adobe.com. Make the binary executable and just run it. By default it installs in /opt.

No package is necessary.
--GrannyGeek

[Canuck]

Likely a dumb question.   How do I make the 'binary executable'?

I am beginning to suspect that my problem has to do with the fact that the PDF file I want to open is embodied in the Thunderbird email as a LINK, not as a PDF file.    In other words, I have a link to the PDF file on a website.   In other distros, when I click on the link in said email, Firefox opens, downloads the file and it opens in Adobe Reader or another PDF reader.   It appears that Vector 7.0 does not support this feature OR that I haven't figured out how to make this work. 

Thank you to all who are working on this issue.   I honestly have never encountered this issue in other distros.   I just click on the link and my browser opens, the PDF file is downloaded and opened.   That is it!

[hata_ph]

can't you use ePDFViewer which come as default in VL?

[sledgehammer]

Forget for a moment about opening a pdf file which is referenced in a document.  What about just opening a pdf file which has been saved to your harddrive.  Can you do that?  If so, what file opens it?  Adobe Reader? epdfviewer?  gimp?  Something else? 

If you are trying to open a file and VL7 doesn't recognize the app which is to load it, you have to tell VL where it is.

[Canuck]

If I have a PDF file on my hard drive, then clicking on the file immediately opens the file.  It is the PDF Viewer 0.1.7 which comes with VL 7.0 that opens the PDF file. 

Is it possible that the supplied viewer, Viewer 0.1.7 will not work with a link?   If Adode will, I have adobe acroread 9.3.4 installed.   How do I make it the reader which is activated when a PDF file (or link?) is selected.   In other words, how do I associate  the adobe acroread with opening a PDF file, instead of the Viewer 0.1.7?

[hata_ph]

can you try this?

Go to your Tools>Options>Attachments, then Click "View & Edit Actions."
  Find the PDF extension action, click on it to highlight it, then click
"Change Actions."  Select either "Open with Default Application" if the
PDF reader is set as the default action, or Select "Open them with this
application" abd brows your way to your PDF reader.  Click "OK."

PS: the location of the Attachment tab may be different on the latest thunderbird...try it

[Canuck]

I am using Thunderbird 7.0.1 which comes with Vector 7.0    There is no access to PDF matters from Tools > Options > Attachments.     In fact, there is no choice 'Options' under Tools.

HOWEVER, I went back to my other distro.  The email client, Evolution, is where the letter containing the link to the PDF publication is found.   I forwarded the email to my family account which is read by Thunderbird.   The links were included in the forwarded email.   I clicked on the link to the PDF publication and all I could get was a pop-up menu from Firefox reading   "What should Firefox do with this file?"
Choices were:  Open with  [Browse]  which if clicked, led me to my /home directory    and also   Save File.    Choosing  Save File places the PDF file in the Downloads folder.    This then would require reading with a PDF reader, which would be fine and would solve my Thunderbird/Vector  issue.       All I can get by clicking on the PDF link in Thunderbird  7.0.1  is  Launch Application which if I select Browse takes me to my / home directory.   

So, the problem is with Thunderbird.   Now, I would be satisfied if Thunderbird would even offer the option of downloading the PDF file, which would require a Browser to be activated (this, of course, does not happen)   

Hope this is informative and will lead to a solution within Vector.

[GrannyGeek]

How do I make the 'binary executable'?

There are a number of ways. What I do is open Midnight Commander as root, highlight the Adobe .bin file, do Control X, C, which gives me the list of permissions for the file. and set "execute/search  by owner." To run the file, do
./nameofbinary
as root.
--GrannyGeek