[ale] Solution Re: [ale] OT: how are Netscape helper apps invoked?

[Joseph A Knapka]

Keith Hopkins wrote:
> 
> Joseph A Knapka wrote:
> 
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > Does anyone know how Netscape invokes helper applications
> > (configured in "Edit->Preferences->Navigator->Applications")?
> > For example, I associate .wav files with a Tcl script that's
> > supposed to pipe the file data into /dev/dsp. How does
> > NS pass the file data? It doesn't do either of the obvious
> > things (send the data via standard input, or send the
> > local filename as a command-line argument). I've tried
> > the Netscape docs and Google, with no luck so far.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > -- Joe
> 
> Hi Joe,
> 
>    The closest I could come up with an answer is "go read the source".  I did a quick search around the Netscape, but came up with zilch too.  The only info I found that might be useful to you is the plug-in source code over at mozilla.org.

Hi Keith,

Thanks for the tip. Turns out that there's a mysterious
escape-character code that one can use when specifying
the helper application. The command that actually gets
invoked is built by replacing the escape characters
with relevant data. The only one I know for sure is
that "%s" expands to the local filename after a file
is downloaded. So to make .wav files get sent to
/dev/dsp, specify the helper command "cat %s > /dev/dsp"
in the Applications tab of the preferences notebook.

I found this tidbit at the following URL:

<URL: http://home.netscape.com/assist/helper_apps/shorthelper.html>

I think your advice to "use the source" may be the only
way to get comprehensive knowledge on the matter,
though.

Cheers,

-- Joe
# "You know how many remote castles there are along the
#  gorges? You can't MOVE for remote castles!" - Lu Tze re. Uberwald
# Linux MM docs:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jknapka/linux-mm/vmoutline.html

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