OS X 10.10.1: Setting a new default browser failed

[morgrowe]

I was trying to get around the new and annoying "Do you want to keep your default browser 'x' or keep using 'x'?" dialog window that was introduced in OS X Yosemite:

When I execute the following command "defaultbrowser -set safari" or "defaultbrowser -set chrome", I get this error along with the pictured dialog box:

Setting a new default browser failed

Do you know if your tool will be able to bypass the new dialog window at some point?

Thanks,
Morgan

[kerma]

I'll look into it, but the same dialog appears when you change your default browser from Chrome/Safari/Firefox settings. Seems it's something Yosemite forces on you. There might be some hack to get around that, but I don't think Apple really supports suppressing that dialog.

However, I should be able to fix the program error when you make a choice on the dialog. Failing to set the new browser makes the thing useless in the first place. Thanks for reporting.

Some background information mostly for myself: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1063529

[morgrowe]

Yes, like you said, it seems to be a new 'feature' in Yosemite. I understand why they're doing it, but I hope Apple allows you to suppress it programatically.

I didn't say it in my original post, but although your tool says it has failed, after you make a choice using the dialog window, it does set the default browser successfully. Just a shame I have to interact with the dialog.

Thanks for investing the time into looking into this issue. If you'd like me to do any testing, please let me know.

[kerma]

I removed the code that wasn't working on 10.10, so it doesn't lie anymore. Unfortunately I haven't found a solution to supress the alert message.

Maybe someone in SO comes up with something: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29500776/how-to-suppress-launch-services-alert-message-on-os-x-10-10

[shazoom]

I've written some applescript which can alleviate this problem. Here are
the relevant bits:

-- Rather than use a global to store the path I used a function to return
-- as globals don't work when you import the script. I expect there are
-- better ways but this is simple. 
on get_defaultbrowser_path()
    return POSIX path of ((path to home folder as text) & "bin:defaultbrowser")
end get_defaultbrowser_path


-- The delay here may not be necessary at all, at least most of the time.
on change_default_browser(browser)
    set m_path to get_defaultbrowser_path()
    set shell_cmd to (m_path & " -set " & browser)
    do shell script shell_cmd
    tell application "System Events"
        delay 0.2
        keystroke tab
        keystroke space
    end tell
end change_default_browser

Now, use this in a script like this:

set lib_filename to "my_lib.scpt"
-- Provide whatever path makes sense. In this case we are looking for
-- the library in the in the same directory as the calling script; this
-- script.
set my_lib to load script (POSIX path of ((path to me as text) & "::" & lib_filename))
change_default_browser("Chrome") of my_lib

[casares-dev]

I tried using this script but the pop-up is not focused when the script is run. Is there a way to call it to focus from the script? I know ways exist to do this if the window has a title, but the pop-up does not. Trying this on macOS Sierra.

[shazoom]

You're right. It doesn't get focus anymore on sierra, it doesn't work for me either.

[ITler]

Situation didn't change here, yet?

[kerma]

Closing. Same issue is discussed in: #3