Firefox File Links Take 2 – URL Protocol Handler

Update 15-12-2007: for smb links, I noticed that the handler would throw an error message when a login to the server hosting a resource had not yet been done regardless of the existence of the resource. I changed the handler so that it will try to open the resource in explorer if it is not a file. (It may still be a file – but we can’t see due to the missing login – so we open the resource in explorer to login.)

In a previous blog entry I presented my solution in .net for adding opening file links functionality to Firefox.

A nuisance of the solution is the black cmd.exe box that appears every time a link is clicked. In addition the .net framework must be installed, which it is not in spite of Microsoft’s efforts.

Recently I saw an example of some jscript, which started an external program. When interpreted by wscript.exe (Windows Scripting Host) there are no popups. So I wrote a new script to replace the functionality of smb.exe.

In the mean time I had found a need for opening Remote Desktop Protocol (rdp) links from the browser. I decided to extend the jscript to become a general and extensible protocol handler. So, at present, the url_protocol_handler.js script will open smb and rdp links.

The program with instructions for installation and extensions can be downloaded here.