can't open url files

[askodude]

I'm unable to open some url files by clicking on them. How do I do it?

[DoctorG]

@askodude That is a bug in Vivaldi, it creates file missing one byte of data. This confirmed bug:
VB-79801 "Dragging a link from the browser to the desktop on Windows10 works, but Windows always prompts with a security alert when you open it."

If you get a security warning for such .url file, you can open it.

In case you are interested ↓

if you drag such desktop association into Notepad++ editor, you can see there is no end of line character in last line of source.

[askodude]

It only brings up text, but that's okay. I love Vivaldi and now I will just put my links on my start new tab page rather than my desktop till and if it gets fixed. Thanks, Mike A

[DoctorG]

@askodude said in can't open url files:

It only brings up text, but that's okay.

What action brings up text? Opening a URL saved as desktop shortcut?

[askodude]

exactly

[DoctorG]

@askodude Oh, i know what you mean!

You open the desktop shortcut with Ctrl+O and by "Open file" dialog.
That will not open the saved URL.
And it does not work in any browser [except a very old outdated Internet Explorer] on my Windows 10 .

Those url files can only be used for opening URLs in Windows Explorer or Desktop. That is as designed by Microsoft.

[iAN CooG]

I tried this simple batch and I DON'T KNOW WHY it fixes all my .url on my desktop dir
Create a new text document on desktop, name it fixurl.bat and fill it with

@echo off
for %%a in (*.url) do call :fixit "%%a"
goto :eof

:fixit
set b="%~n1.bak"
copy %1 %b%
type %b% > %1
del /q %b% >NUL
goto :eof

Save it and then click on the newly created fixurl.bat on the desktop.
this pratically makes a backup copy of every *.url file on desktop, types its content from the .bak to the .url (and theoretically shouldn't change ANY byte) and then removes the .bak
Now the .url files on desktop are clickable and open in Vivaldi for me, without any prompt. The copy triggers something in Windows that makes the .url files now "valid" or already flagged to be ok, I have no real idea

[Pathduck]

@ian-coog Are you on Win7?

Vivaldi saves the URL file as Unix (LF) format, instead of the Windows (CR LF) that Win Explorer expects. Which is a bug, other browsers save in Windows format.

I think the type command either converts to CR LF, or it inserts a LF at the end. You can check this in Notepad++ by looking at the file format.

I also think there's been changes to how type works since Win7, and maybe Win10 it handles Unix format text files properly, while in Win7 it would just print a single line. Same with Notepad - earlier versions did not handle Unix format at all.

Curiously, my Win10 has no problem with opening URL files saved by Vivaldi even if they're in the "wrong" format, so it's a bit confusing

[iAN CooG]

@pathduck said in can't open url files:

@ian-coog Are you on Win7?

Win10 64bit on both work and home PCs

Vivaldi saves the URL file as Unix (LF) format, instead of the Windows (CR LF) that Win Explorer expects. Which is a bug, other browsers save in Windows format.

I know, I also suggested this in another thread
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/65848/website-shortcuts-change-icon-and-not-opening-immediately/3

I think the type command either converts to CR LF, or it inserts a LF at the end. You can check this in Notepad++ by looking at the file format.

no it doesn't, I verified that my batch DOES NOT alter the destination url file of a single byte. Still, now the .url file, which was dragged from Vivaldi url bar to the desktop and caused the popup warning to appear, now opens normally in Vivaldi without any warning. I know, Misteries.

Curiously, my Win10 has no problem with opening URL files saved by Vivaldi even if they're in the "wrong" format, so it's a bit confusing

That's strange, it warns about the file on both my PCs and as you can see also different users are seeing this problem.

This is an extremely EASY fix and it's being ignored by the devs, we shouldn't be even discussing about it.

[joeduffus]

@askodude I've had that problem, too, and it is likely you need to do something like this:

1. Open your Settings.
2. Type "Default Apps" in the setting search.
3. Scroll to the bottom of that list and click "Set defaults by app"
4. Under the Programs list, select "Internet Explorer" (yeah, I know) and click "Manage."
5. Click "Choose defaults for this program".
6. For the filetype .url set it to "Internet Browser." That will open a .url file in whatewver browser is your default.

NOTE that this does not fix the main problem that I and many others have been WHINING... and WHINING... and WHINING... about for at least a year. Vivaldi has a known BUG, which seems like it should be a really small bug, but they have not addressed it.