Ubuntu – How to open local filesystem links in Google Chrome

filesystemgoogle-chromekubuntu

In our work intranet I get served links in the form:

file:///home/bruni/Documents/

(These links lead to a mountpoint on my local filesystem.)

Is it possible to click on these links and open them in Dolphin?

I am using google chrome on KUbuntu 17.10.

In Firefox I have found an add-on (Local Filesystem Links) that does exactly this (though it strangely opens the links in Nautilus and not Dolphin).

On Chrome every add-on I tried seems to be written for windows. Does anybody know of a similar solution for Chrome under Kubuntu?

PS: To clarify. One solution would be something like this for Ubuntu.

Best Answer

The problem is due to the security policies of the web browsers. More detailed explanation is provided here. The good news is that there is a couple of available extensions that could solve this problem. For example:

  • For Firefox prior to Firefox Quantum:

    • The extension LocalLink will add an entry (called Open Link in Local Context) into the right click context menu.

    • The extension Local Filesystem Links will open these links (file:///) into the default File Explorer - in my case it is Nautilus.

  • For Chrome/Chromium:

    • The extension Enable local file links will cause the browser to work with the local links (file:///) as if they are 'normal' links.

While the extension Local Filesystem Links could serve within Firefox according to the question's requirements, I couldn't found an analogical extension for Chrome/Chromium. But I found the following workaround.

1. Add the extension Open in Firefox to Chrome/Chromium. Follow the installation guide and setup the extension.

2. Once the extension works properly, right click on its icon and go to the Options menu. Fill in /usr/bin/dolphin for "Path to executable" and Save.

3. Now you could open these links via the option Open Link in Firefox Browser from the right click context menu.

Here is a demo how the mentioned extensions for Chrome work (together):

enter image description here

Related Question