How To Set a New xdg-open Setting for irc:// Links

In this article, we will walk you through the process of setting a new xdg-open setting specifically for irc:// links. This is a useful trick for system administrators and power users who want to customize how different types of files and URIs are handled on their Linux system.

Understanding xdg-open and MIME Types

Before we dive in, it’s important to understand what xdg-open and MIME types are. xdg-open is a command-line tool used in a Desktop Environment to open a file or URL in the user’s preferred application. It uses the FreeDesktop.org MIME Applications Associations specification to determine the default application for a certain type of file.

MIME types, on the other hand, are a way of identifying files on the Internet according to their nature and format. For example, using the “Content-Type” header value defined in a HTTP response, the browser can open the file with the appropriate extension or plugin.

Finding the MIME Type

First, you need to find out the MIME type for the irc:// URI scheme. The MIME type for irc:// links is x-scheme-handler/irc. This is a standard MIME type for IRC (Internet Relay Chat) links.

Locating the .desktop File

Next, you need to find the .desktop file of the application you want to associate with irc:// links. These files are usually located in /usr/share/applications or ~/.local/share/applications.

You can use the grep command to search for the application name in these directories. For example, if you want to associate irc:// links with HexChat, you can run:

grep "HexChat" -l -r /usr/share/applications

This command will return the path to the .desktop file for HexChat.

Setting the Association

Once you have the MIME type and the .desktop file, you can use the xdg-mime command to set the association. The syntax for the command is:

xdg-mime default <desktop-file> <mime-type>

So, to associate HexChat with irc:// links, you would run:

xdg-mime default hexchat.desktop x-scheme-handler/irc

Verifying the Association

After setting the association, you can use the xdg-mime query command to verify it. The syntax for the command is:

xdg-mime query default <mime-type>

So, to verify the association for irc:// links, you would run:

xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/irc

This command should return hexchat.desktop, confirming that the association was successful.

Conclusion

In this article, we covered how to set a new xdg-open setting for irc:// links. This process involves finding the MIME type for the URI scheme, locating the .desktop file for the desired application, and using the xdg-mime command to set the association. With these steps, you can customize how different types of files and URIs are handled on your Linux system.