.hta is a MS specific extension: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_Application It worked well with IE 5 to 9. With IE there is a possibility to natively save / overwrite an existing file. IE 10+ know about the file extension, but have limited possibilities.

I did a short test and it still saves with IE win10.

Since it still works with IE10+ and windows, I'll close the issue. ...

from file-backups.

I used the extension .hta from the early beginnings of using TW classic. Previous use of TW with file-backups worked with this extension. Unfortunately cannot provide info on previous use since several updates of FF (and probably file-backups) occurred since last use of one of my TWs.

are you sure? My system even doesn't know about the extension.

from file-backups.

ubuntu 17.10 can't handle the file type. .. so It opens the system save dialog. ...

from file-backups.

Yes, I am sure about having used .hta
...however, I do not find any MIME-type definition on my system

Test:

Naming the TW5 file just "tttt" w/o extension:

file tttt
tttt: HTML document, UTF-8 Unicode text, with very long lines, with CRLF, LF line terminators
"double click" in dolphin opens FF correctly and save from within TW5 creates a file in "~/Downloads" (i.e. file-backup mechanism fails)

Naming the TW5 file arbitrily "tttt2.asdf"

file tttt2.asdf and "double click" in dolphin -> exactly same behaviour

Naming the TW5 file arbitrily "tttt3.pdf"

file tttt3.pdf
tttt3.pdf: HTML document, UTF-8 Unicode text, with very long lines, with CRLF, LF line terminators
"double click" in dolphin opens PDF viewer (okular) which complains about an Error

Theory:

1. Unknown extensions are handled by file magic
2. Registered file extensions (the shadow of DOS...) are opened acc. the MIME-type definition
3. file-backups somehow requires extension .html

Note:

I think it is not really important which value this file extension has (anyway just a DOS thingy) - it would be good for the user to know that this applications needs ".html"

from file-backups.

As I wrote. ... None of my FireFox browsers, windows and ubuntu, know about .hta files, as web pages. ..

They don't open them. I do get a dialog: "What should FF do?" ... Which is a OS dialog. ...

I did test .hta files with IE on windows 10 it saves. ... NO plugin needed. ... It is MS specific and also Edge browser doesn't open it. ...

So I wont-fix .hta specific problems. ...

from file-backups.

At the moment the plugin uses 2 patterns to be enabled.

      "matches": [
        "file:///*.html",
        "file:///*.htm"
      ],

I'll check if it makes sense to extend those ... Not sure atm. ...

from file-backups.

Web extensions have a manifest.json file, that is evaluated by browsers at addOn installation time. ... It is relatively strict, for security reasons. ...

One goal of the plugin was, to use as less permissions as possible. That's why it only uses 2 at the moment.

• Download files
• Access to browser tabs

If I add arbitrary extension I'd need to use file:///*.* which would inject the plugin scripts into every page, that is loaded from the users drive.

Call me paranoid, but I personally don't want any plugin to have this behavior. ... except add-blockers.

I did update the addOn info page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/file-backups/

from file-backups.

I am fully with you - just a little hint in the documentation might help others stumbling into this.
Linux-Users might not be so used to beware correct filename extensions

In case you added this already on the info page - please apologize but I just checked and didn't notice.

from file-backups.

In case you added this already on the info page - please apologize but I just checked and didn't notice.

No problem. Thx for your info! ... I did add it 1 day ago :)

from file-backups.