Firefox's file dialogue box runs like crap

[Tom_ZeCat]

Edit the Kickoff menu (right click on the 'K' icon, choose "Edit Applications") find the entry for Firefox and change the startup command from "firefox %U" to "MOZ_USE_XINPUT2=1 firefox %U"

If you start Firefox from elsewhere you will need to alter the start command there.

It worked! Now the dialogue box is behaving perfectly. Thank you so much for your help.

I'm at a loss to understand what it is that made it work. Is that code an extra parameter that runs with the executable to make it work with Linux?

[SecretCode]

It's an environment variable.

The VARIABLE=value part sets the variable (in addition to any others already set in the environment) and then firefox %U runs that command. The trick is that the firefox code will check various environment variables and adjust its behaviour accordingly.

[Tom_ZeCat]

It's an environment variable.

The VARIABLE=value part sets the variable (in addition to any others already set in the environment) and then firefox %U runs that command. The trick is that the firefox code will check various environment variables and adjust its behaviour accordingly.

I see. So you could conceivably write code with an environmental variable that checks what version of *buntu the user is running (Kubuntu 14.04, 15.04, 16.04, Ubuntu ... all those versions, Lubuntu ... all those versions) and then have the app behave however is best for any particular OS?

[jglen490]

Wow! I must live a charmed life, or something. I have an very stable 14.04.4 install, use FF (47.0), and T-Bird (38.8) with Lightning. I have zero issues with any sort of file system traversing, file location, file saving, or any problems with those two applications at all. T-Bird goes out to my AT&T (Yahoo) email and pulls things in with no issues, I can traverse to and attach any file to a new email that I choose, and in FF I can download files with no sweat. No drama at all. I stay pretty close to a stock defaulted install. Maybe I need more drama?

This is why I stay with Kubuntu, and with the LTS versions, and no LTS upgrades until the nn.0n.1 version hits the streets. In fact the only truly difficult problem I ever had was when the motherboard went off to meet its maker (literally, I sent it back to Gigabyte!), and replaced it with a new MB without doing fresh OS install. I couldn't get sound to work at all, until I re-installed. Then it was back to normal, boring, highly utilitarian, usefulness. I love it when an OS just works.

Sorry you guys are having problems, but without your difficulties, I don't have any solutions ...

[jglen490]

You can set your PATH variable in your $HOME/.bashrc or /etc/bash.bashrc file if you want. You can also see what it is in a terminal by typing in:

 echo $PATH

[Tom_ZeCat]

Since I started this thread, I've upgraded to Kubuntu 16.04 LTS on my desktop machine. Although I solved that one problem, I started having problems with Adobe Flash not upgrading properly. I had even saved step-by-step instructions that used to make it work via the command line. Those stopped working, so I made a Clonezilla Ghost of my 14.04 install and then upgraded to 16.04. That way I could easily revert back if I hated the new one. So far the new version is working out great for me. I still have 14.04 on my laptops, but I'll likely upgrade them at some point.

[dequire]

Keep in mind you can easily use Google's Pepperflash implementation in Firefox if the outdated version of Flashplugin-installer is not getting the job done.

[Tom_ZeCat]

Keep in mind you can easily use Google's Pepperflash implementation in Firefox if the outdated version of Flashplugin-installer is not getting the job done.

I had all kinds of problems with Pepperflash. So far regular flash is working in 16.04.

[Guest]

Update 2017: you now need to install the plasmazilla PPA:

https://launchpad.net/~plasmazilla

[GreyGeek]

I solved my FF problems by switching to Vivaldi

[mastablasta]

I just hit into this issue. i don't want to update to 16.04 yet, as i have an AMD GPU for which the support is still slightly better under 14.04 with fglrx drivers.

The menu boxes for OK and cancel have X and empty icon inside. the file upload menu and similar menues does not appear to work at all. non resnponsive.

The strange issue is not limited to firefox (ver. 53.0 64-bit), but to some other gtk software as well such as image viewer gpicview. i was using that viewer as it is very fast to load.

now it is throwing out errors if i run it from terminal e.g.:

gpicview
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/22x22/actions/go-previous.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/go-previous.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/32x32/actions/go-previous.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/go-previous.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/22x22/actions/go-next.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/go-next.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/32x32/actions/go-next.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/go-next.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/22x22/actions/media-playback-start.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/media-playback-start.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/32x32/actions/media-playback-start.png'
(gpicview:7792): Gtk-WARNING **: Error loading icon: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/icons/oxygen/16x16/actions/media-playback-start.png'

The bizzare thing is that another PC with Kubuntu 14.04 works just fine.

Any solutions? and if not can you suggest alternatives? should i use Chrome/Chromium instead? but firefox was the "official browser".
What about the image viewer. Gvenview is too heavy and too complex. is there anything simple & qt based that would work?

Or should i do a reinstall of the whole OS?

   *-cpu
        product: AMD E-450 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics
        vendor: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]
        physical id: 1
        bus info: cpu@0
        size: 1320MHz
        capacity: 1320MHz
        width: 64 bits
      *-display
           description: VGA compatible controller
           product: Wrestler [Radeon HD 6320]
           vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]
           physical id: 1
           bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
           version: 00
           width: 32 bits
           clock: 33MHz
           capabilities: vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom
           configuration: driver=fglrx_pci latency=0

OS= Kubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit
kernel= 3.13.0-117-generic

[Snowhog]

When 'missing icons' are experienced, it is almost entirely due to either the Desktop Theme or Icon Theme that one is using. Have you tried setting both back to the defaults?

[Rod J]

I solved the Firefox file dialog problem in K14.04 here by changing the GTK3 theme in System Settings, Application Appearance, GTK to the Emacs theme. It looks ugly and doesn't fit with the rest of the OS but it is at least functional. I changed the font to DejaVu Sans 8 too. The default GTK3 theme in K14.04 just doesn't work at all in Firefox as you've seen. You need to restart Firefox to see the changes.

You could maybe download a more attractive GTK3 theme but not via the "Get New Themes" button as it doesn't work any more it seems.

[mastablasta]

now that you mentioned it, i vaguely remember having some issues with theme. default one is too bright for this laptop. in any case i switched to oxygen dark, used raleigh for GTK2 to get the icons back. now the only issue is image viewer gpicview. while it has the icons for osme reason it can not open any of the photos. i will troubleshoot it elsewhere.

but i will still leave a quesiton here - what other viewer would you recomend that is light, opens fast and works well in KDE? it would need to have picture viewing abilities and ability to temporary rotate the photo, zoom in and out and that's about it.

[Guest]

I had mouse issues with command "MOZ_USE_XINPUT2=1 firefox".

So, i uninstalled gtk3-engines-oxygen, then relog [or restart] , that should fix gtk3 themes.
If not install gnome-tweak-tool