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Create a Preference?
In Firefox for Android it was suggested that I "create the preference browser.download.dir as a string." I don't know how to do that even in Firefox for Windows. What does it mean, and how do I do it?
(Motorola G6 phone running Android 8 and Firefox 64.0.2.) -- jclarkw
Chosen solution
Hi jclarkw, it looks like you solved it over here while I was off traveling: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1235944#answer-1196490
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ฉันไม่ทราบวิธีการใช้งานทางเทคนิคและปัญหาอื่นๆที่เกิดขึ้นกับการใช้งานที่สนับสนุนข้อมูล นโยบายความเป็นส่วนตัว ฉันจะหารายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมได้อย่างไรบ้าง.ขอบคุณมาก
KrisanaSangduen said
ฉันไม่ทราบวิธีการใช้งานทางเทคนิคและปัญหาอื่นๆที่เกิดขึ้นกับการใช้งานที่สนับสนุนข้อมูล นโยบายความเป็นส่วนตัว ฉันจะหารายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมได้อย่างไรบ้าง.ขอบคุณมาก
I can't read this.
christ1 said
See https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1235944
Relevant (I posted the last entry!) but doesn't address the question.
This old thread is more "step by step" but the settings change might not work in the newest versions of Android:
jscher2000 said
This old thread is more "step by step" but the settings change might not work in the newest versions of Android: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1096142
Thanks for this reference; however, this newbie to smartphones needs a bit more guidance. In particular:
1) I'm still not sure what's going on here. I think you are "creating a preference" when you tap the "+" button in step (3). Correct?
2) You have given the example, "/sdcard/FxDown," as a possible path of the folder where downloads should be redirected, but higher up you imply that a file manager is needed to determine this. So I cannot simply use the name in the example (assuming I first create a folder named "FxDown" on the SD card). Correct?
3) I tried your suggested ES File Explorer File Manager Pro, but it says that it was written for an earlier version of Android (I have 8.0.0) and that the Root Explorer won't work on my device. (The free version of this file manager was updated recently but does not appear to install the rood explorer.) I'm assuming I need the Root Explorer to find the full path of the proposed download folder. Correct?
4) According to the last post to that thread (from Dec., 2015!), this procedure may no longer work with versions of Android more recent than 4.x -- something about permissions for the SD card. It would be great if somebody updated this procedure to work with Android 8!
Best Regards -- jclarkw
Hi jclarkw, on #1, yes, and on #2, the actual path of the SD card could vary, for example, /sdcard could refer to a part of internal memory rather than your actual microSD card. That is what a file manager was needed for.
I haven't revisited that process for a while and I will hand the project off to you now.
jscher2000 said
I haven't revisited that process for a while and I will hand the project off to you now.
I'll try, but I'm not sure I'm up to it. Two more background questions if I may:
1) If it's a permissions issue, should one of the fancier file explorers enable me to appropriately adjust the permissions of the SD card?
2) Should I need a "Root Explorer" to get the full path of the SD card? (Everything I've tried so far shows "Root" as empty, even if hidden items are shown.) If so, what does it mean to "root your device?" (A quick Web search suggests this will void the warranty and might "brick" the phone...)
Best Regards -- jclarkw
jclarkw modificouno o
I currently have Total Commander as my file manager for poking around in storage. Its startup view shows:
- Device memory
- SD card
The path for the SD card is under /storage and then what looks like a serial number. If I were trying the old steps today, I would use that, followed by the name of whatever folder I created on the SD card.
See also: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1238842
And... Don't root your device.
jscher2000 said
The path for the SD card is under /storage and then what looks like a serial number. If I were trying the old steps today, I would use that, followed by the name of whatever folder I created on the SD card.
Got it. Doesn't work. I looked at the new link you gave and concluded tat this just isn't going to work.
I guess it won't kill me to find downloaded files in Internal/Downloads and move them from there, but it's an extra step that should be unnecessary... -- jclarkw
jclarkw modificouno o
When I look in my about:config, I see I tested having downloads go to the SD card, but the path from that test is not the short one given in the other thread:
browser.download.dir => /storage/9C33-xxxx/Android/data/org.mozilla.firefox/files/Download
If I switch
browser.download.folderList => 2
Firefox does save new downloads to that folder. However, for whatever reason, I changed it back to 1 at some point.
jscher2000 said
...the path [to the SD card] from that test is not the short one given in the other thread: browser.download.dir => /storage/9C33-xxxx/Android/data/org.mozilla.firefox/files/Download
The path to the proposed cache on my SD card appears to be much less complicated than yours:
/storage/33303336-2d33-3733-3000-0000100040000/fxdownloads
Not sure if it makes sense, but that's what my file manager is telling me. I did try and fail to get downloads re-directed there, but since it is now working for you, I had better try again.
Just for completeness, what version of Android are you running for this test? -- jclarkw
jscher2000 said
browser.download.dir => /storage/9C33-xxxx/Android/data/org.mozilla.firefox/files/Download
jscher2000 -- I tried the experiment again with browser.download.dir = /storage/33303336-2d33-3733-3000-0000100040000/fxdownloads, as indicated by my file manager. (I had previously created the folder, fxdownloads, on my SD card.)
1) With browser.download.folderList = 1, a downloaded file gets saved in Internal/Download as expected.
2) With browser.download.folderList = 2, a downloaded file appears to get saved, but neither in Internal/Download nor in the specified folder on the SD card.
3) Interestingly, with browser.download.folderList = 2, if I set browser.download.dir = /sdcard/fxdownload, the downloaded file appears in Internal/Download as though I had set browser.download.folderList = 1.
This suggests to me that the path indicated by my file manager, as used in (2), is valid, but that something is preventing the actual save. Does this mean anything to you? -- jclarkw
Hmm, interesting. Unfortunately, I'm not keeping up with permission changes in new versions of Android. In scenario #2, can you find the download in another location, such as the one I mentioned earlier?
jscher2000 said
Unfortunately, I'm not keeping up with permission changes in new versions of Android.
Do you know anyone who is?
jscher2000 said
In scenario #2, can you find the download in another location, such as the one I mentioned earlier?
No. I don't have a global search capability, but the name of the file I happened to download for a test is long and distinctive, and there aren't any likely-looking directories on either Internal or SD Card that contain it... -- jclarkw
jscher2000 said
When I look in my about:config, I see I tested having downloads go to the SD card... Firefox does save new downloads to that folder.
I had also asked, "Just for completeness, what version of Android are you running for this [successful] test?"
Best Regards -- jclarkw
I'm running the latest Samsung variant of 8.
jscher2000 said
I'm running the latest Samsung variant of 8.
OK, then this really should be working for me (Motorola G6 running Android 8.0.0)! Any suggestions why it isn't?
Previously you said, "Unfortunately, I'm not keeping up with permission changes in new versions of Android." Anyone else at Mozilla know about this? Any reason why Motorola would have different SD-card permissions than Samsung? -- jclarkw
jclarkw modificouno o
Hi
Even if both may be running the same core version of Android, Samsung and Motorola use different settings and display things slightly differently.
Seburo said
Hi Even if both may be running the same core version of Android, Samsung and Motorola use different settings and display things slightly differently.
Thanks. Should I assume that SD-card permissions are not something I can either view or modify? Or are there readily-available file managers out there that can do this? If there are such, would this be a straightforward or a risky modification?
Best Regards -- jclarkw