"Open with" in Dolphin has an application pre-entered in the text field but does not even show it

Help
1

Hi everyone,

in a lot of cases, when I use “open with” on a file, the dialogue that opens has the previously selected / default application entered in the text / search field but shows no application. It looks like it’s the class name or some ID that is in the text field, which does not 100% match the application’s name. However, it should not have anything entered anyway.

Now, I can’t reliably reproduce this, so I’d like to investigate. What might cause anything to appear in the text field in this dialogue?

KDE 6.7.5
KDE Frameworks 6.30.0
dolphin 26.08.1

This is on Arch, all KDE packages have been installed via pacman.

2

that field for me keeps stuffing the last handler’s desktop id (org.kde.whatever) and then the filter matches nothing so the list looks blank.

id try:
-note the exact string sitting in the field next time it happens
-dolphin --version
-cat ~/.config/mimeapps.list | head -40
-kbuildsycoca6 --noincremental
-wipe the text then type the app name

if it keeps coming back w/ a class name, paste that string + which file type u clicked.

3

Today the text field said “mpv Media Player” for a jpg file. I canceled and it did not appear again. I had a suspicion, based on my previous experience, and rebooted, which made it appear again. Looks like this always happens when opening the dialogue for the first time after boot.

Dolphin version is as noted in the OP.

[Added Associations]
application/json=sublime_text.desktop;
application/pdf=mupdf.desktop;
application/x-zerosize=sublime_text.desktop;
application/xml=sublime_text.desktop;
image/jpeg=XnView.desktop;
image/png=XnView.desktop;
image/webp=XnView.desktop;
message/rfc822=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop;
text/plain=sublime_text.desktop;
video/mp4=mpv.desktop;
x-scheme-handler/mailto=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop;
x-scheme-handler/mid=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop;
x-scheme-handler/net.thunderbird=userapp-Thunderbird-VNDDV3.desktop;

[Default Applications]
application/json=sublime_text.desktop;
application/pdf=mupdf.desktop;
application/x-zerosize=sublime_text.desktop;
application/xml=sublime_text.desktop;
image/jpeg=XnView.desktop;
image/png=XnView.desktop;
image/webp=XnView.desktop;
message/rfc822=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop
text/plain=sublime_text.desktop;
video/mp4=mpv.desktop;
x-scheme-handler/jetbrains=jetbrainsd.desktop
x-scheme-handler/mailto=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop
x-scheme-handler/mid=userapp-Thunderbird-QO6BV3.desktop
x-scheme-handler/net.thunderbird=userapp-Thunderbird-VNDDV3.desktop
4

yeah that tracks. after a cold boot open with stickys the last app name across types so a jpg can show mpv from whatever you opened last.

wipe the field and pick XnView once. if image/jpeg still points at XnView.desktop in ~/.config/mimeapps.list and the wrong name comes back on the next reboot, its probably last-used / recent, not the mime default.

5

Wiping and picking something did not remove the useless suggestion in the past. I tried the following to test if it’s “last used”:

  1. I associated PNG with MuPDF
  2. I associated PNG with XnView
  3. Reboot
  4. “Open with” on JPG now suggests XnView, not MPV as the two times before

I recently installed MPV, so I guess before 1 and 2, it was MPV that I last associated with something.