# Firefox 2 - change download location....



## g3ski (Mar 23, 2007)

Mac
Firefox 2.0
downloading and opening linked files

I am able to change the download location in firefox prefs... but when I click on a pdf file in a link and open the file in Preview, the file is downloaded to my desktop, eventhough my downloads go to "my downloads" folder.

For example, in yahoo mail, I click on a link to a pdf or word doc, the firefox "open..." dialog box allows me to choose to "Open with 'Choose...'". After I press 'Choose...' and select word or preview, the file always ends up on the desktop. 

If I select "Save to Disk" for that same link, it will go to the location specified in firefox prefs, as expected.

I have tried editing about:config:", adding "applications.tmp_dir" and the directory value, but that doesn't seem to have any affect at all.

Any ideas how I can set the "Open with Choose..." download location???

Thanks
-JD


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## DeltaMac (Mar 23, 2007)

In FireFox 2, you can right-click, or control-click on the pdf link, and choose Save link as... from the drop-down menu, then navigate to the folder where you want that to download. I don't see any way to save that location, and it seems to default to your desktop. You may have to do that same on each download


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## g3ski (Mar 23, 2007)

I see that changing the downloads folder in Safari affects the location of Firefox "Open with Choose..." downloads. 

If Safari is set to download file to the desktop, then "Open with Choose..." links/downloads are saved to the desktop. If Safari is set to "my internet downloads", then then "Open with Choose..." links/downloads are saved to the folder "my internet downloads".

Whatever Safari's prefs are set to do dictates where firefox will save the files when "Open with Choose..." is used. 

Can anyone else confirm this?


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## DeltaMac (Mar 23, 2007)

You seem to have a different setup from my firefox2. If I click on a .pdf link, it opens by default in a FireFox window, using Quicktime plug-in to view the .pdf directly. I right click to save the file, choosing the location to save. Makes no difference about the save location set in Safari. The default location from FireFox2 is ALWAYS the desktop for saving a link. I choose a different location, but the default is desktop. Yours seems to operate differently, so seems like you have a good fix by changing the Safari settings. I suspect that you have a Safari enhancement of some kind installed, or a plug-in or extension that affects FireFox in some way. My install on both is clean with no additions of any kind, that I am aware of.


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## g3ski (Mar 23, 2007)

I have disabled all of my extensions and have seen the same behaviour on another mac. I will give it a shot through another user account..... and I might have a 10.3.9 iBook without firefox, so I can do a clean install and test it out.

Check out these linked files from my website. The .doc and .xls are probably better tests than the .pdf, since they can't be viewed inside firefox (that I know of).

http://skipublishing.com/file_transfers/ (look in the test folder)

Thanks for testing it out.

-JD


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## DeltaMac (Mar 24, 2007)

I have both Safari and FireFox set to default to my Downloads folder. For the .xls and .doc, if I don't change anything at the Choose to open window, and simply click OK (save to disk), it downloads to my Downloads folder, as I expected. If I click on the Open with Choose..., then I get a file browser that defaults to my Documents folder, so that's what I get with the .xls and .doc files. If I choose the .pdf in your sample, it simply opens the pdf in a browser window (actually using the QuickTime plug-in), and no choice to save anywhere. The only way I can save your .pdf file, is to right- or control-click the file, and choose Save Link as...
I'm not sure how my results fit in with your question, but that's what I get here.


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## g3ski (Mar 26, 2007)

I tested this on a clean install of 10.4.8, fresh Safari, and new install of Firefox without any plugins.

Firefox "save to disk" will download to the location selected in the firefox prefs.

Files that are opened in another application through the "Open with Choose..." option, end up going to the folder specified by Safari.

On a clean system, I have confirmed the results posted earlier.

-Joe


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## g3ski (Mar 26, 2007)

Also, on the clean install of Firefox on the new/clean OS X (10.4.8), when I click on a .pdf link, the dialog box defaults to 

 "Open with: Preview (default)"


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## DeltaMac (Mar 26, 2007)

g3ski said:


> Files that are opened in another application through the "Open with Choose..." option, end up going to the folder specified by Safari.



I know how you started this thread, but this is all default operation. And the Open with Choose... is to provide you with a choice for the save location. The default seems to be set by Safari (probably the webkit, but anyway...) and is your choice for the actual save location, when you need to choose. This seems more of a FireFox design decision.
I suppose I should ask - What do you want FireFox to do at this point - Read your mind?  
Here's an app that might help you out.
http://www.rubicode.com/Software/RCDefaultApp/


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## g3ski (Mar 26, 2007)

I've seen the comment "What do you want FireFox to do at this point - Read your mind?" in other posts, and I don't believe it applies here at all. 

What I was trying to figure out is the way to control firefox (ie preference settings) that is transparent and consistent. I would be nice if Firefox was able to put all download files into the same folder. 

"Open with Choose..." is there to save steps. It allows the user to open the file directly in an application without downloading to a folder first and forcing the user to find the folder and double-click the file to open it in an application. The mystery of "Oopen with Choose..." is determining where that file will end up after it's viewed within the file. 

A friend was opening word docs in Yahoo email and everything would end up on the desktop. He wanted them to go somewhere else. ie a folder. Changing the download folder location in Firefox didn't help. At least I figured out that Safari is the controller of this location. Much like Safari and Mail (not a pref pane) controls the default apps for web and mail. Since the friend won't use Safari at all, Safari basically a really big preference pane for him now ;-0

Thanks for the link to that pref pane, looks like a nice tool.

-JD


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## deram_scholzara (Nov 14, 2007)

I'm having pretty much the same problem, except that it's for Leopard.

I have two hard drives, and I want my downloaded files to go to a Downloads folder on the second hard drive, called Pino.  In Firefox, I set the default downloads folder to /Volumes/Pino/Downloads.  Additionally, I opened Safari and set Safari's default download location to the same directory.  When I choose "Save to Disk" the file is saved to that specified directory, but when I choose "Open with" and choose a program, it ALWAYS saves to the Downloads folder on the Macintosh HD (my system volume) and then opens it.

I really would like all downloaded files to go to the directory I specified - there is no need to read my mind, since I told Firefox exactly what I want.


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