how to make smb:// links open directly in Finder?

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Level 2

225 points

how to make smb:// links open directly in Finder?

Hello,

When I click on an afp or ftp link (such as ftp://abcd.defg.com/xyz/ or afp://mac.local/xyz/), in my emails (Eudora), the request is transmitted to the Finder, and I end up with a window opened in the /xyz/ folder.
This is the case because the email client is informed to do so with these links.

However, when I click on an smb:// link (to reach a folder on a PC), then Safari is chosen be default, and can't do much more than opening a window with an error message, of course.
When I try to change this, the email client asks for a program to do smb (Finder I suppose), but then, Finder is a strange software. It is there:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app
But when I try to tell Eudora to take is as the app for smb:// links, its icon is grayed, looking like a document and not an app (when all other apps are recognised as such).

How can I solve this?
It would be VERY usefull for my co-workers to be able to go directly to an smb mount from their email message.

Thank you,

Powerbook 17 1GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Aug 10, 2007 3:05 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 10, 2007 3:29 PM in response to Sylvain M

So, they're getting an eMail that has a link to an eMail on the SMB mount or what? Don't quite see the full picture.

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Answer 2

Sylvain M Author

Level 2

225 points

Aug 11, 2007 3:55 AM in response to BDAqua

Hum,
Sorry I was not clear enough.

I want, when I recieve an email message containing an smb link (ie a text string such as "smb://aezr.dqsfg.com/ror/"), to be able to click on it and cause an efficient action, as it's the case for ftp and afp links.

Clicking on the link should open a window in Finder showing the content of the /ror/ folder on the aezr.dqsfg.com PC.
For that, I need to specify Finder as a suitable program for this type of links in Eudora, but the Finder does not appear as an app in the open dialog of Eudora for some reason.

Is it clear enough now?

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Answer 3

Aug 11, 2007 5:47 AM in response to Sylvain M

Let me try. We just need a few more details. You're being pretty clear 🙂

1) The people to whom you are sending this smb link...are they in your Local Network? (office, home, LAN)
2) this 'ror' folder...where is it?
3) this 'aezr.dqsfg.com'... where is it?
4) Do these co-workers have network permissions to view this 'ror' folder?

These details will make a difference to whether this procedure you desire might need to be modified.

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 11, 2007 10:59 AM in response to Sylvain M

Here ya go... Since the Finder isn't an smb handler, you can't assign the Finder to open smb links . smbMount will pass those links to the Finder ...

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/32735

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Answer 5

Sylvain M Author

Level 2

225 points

Aug 11, 2007 12:48 PM in response to Rick Van Vliet

Rick,
Here are your answers :
1) Yes
2) on a local PC on the network (just a fake folder name)
3) just an example of fake address, it's a a PC on that local network
4) Yes, of course.

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Answer 6

Sylvain M Author

Level 2

225 points

Aug 11, 2007 1:01 PM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua,
This looked like a good idea. I installed smbMount, but it seems nothing happens when I type smb://something in the url field of Safari or Firefox (after the about:config tune up). Actually, the url just disappears.
I also tried from within Eudora, asking it to use this app for handling smb links, but no success. When I click on the link, absolutely nothing happens.

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Answer 7

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 11, 2007 1:53 PM in response to Sylvain M

Sorry, I'm on my Panther machine today and can't test that app... just wondering... did you restart Eudora?

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Answer 8

Aug 11, 2007 2:42 PM in response to Sylvain M

Your people in the LAN, if they have permission to taht folder, should not have to put in a 'dot-com' address.
You would send THEM (if they're all on macs)
afs://<computer_name>/folder/filename
or
smb://<computer_name>/folder/filename
(try that?)

You say "of course" that they have permissions. This is not an automatic given conclusion.

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Answer 9

Sylvain M Author

Level 2

225 points

Aug 11, 2007 4:21 PM in response to Rick Van Vliet

Rick,

Sorry about the misgiving adresses, folders and access rights. My question is not about these three (they were just here to tell the story). You're perfectly right to say that in a local network, there's not need to complete the full IP or ".com" name of the PCs (even if it works all the same).

When I said "of course" for the perms, it was just to mean, in the same way, that it's not this kind of problems here.

My question is much more a human/mac graphic interface problem than a network problem. I want the people (as well as myself) to be able to go in a folder on the pc network with a simple click on an smb link in an email message (as they do now on an ftp or afp link).
Thanks for the bother,

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