OK, here's how to reproduce the bug from a default Ubuntu install:
(Note: When Ubuntu is installed by default, there is only one file
browser, Nautilus. In the "Preferred Applications" utility (easily
searched for in the Launcher), there is no place to specify one's
favorite File Manager/File Browser. But a graphical utility to set this
does exist, unbeknownst to most users, called "exo-preferred-
applications". But there's no icon ever presented for this in the
Launcher. You can run "exo-preferred-applications" from the command
line.)
1) In a Terminal, run "exo-preferred-applications". Go to the
"Utilities" tab, and note that the "File Manager" is set, by default, to
"No application selected". In this state, the bug does not occur.
Close "exo-preferred-applications" for now.
2) Install a second File Manager/File Browser, say, Thunar.
3) In Firefox, download some file, say a .pdf. Once downloaded, double-
click the .pdf in the "Downloads" window to try to open it. Now there
are two possible File Managers to pick from, so a dialog is presented
for you to select your default File Manager (see screenshot). Choose
Nautilus, and click OK. NOW THE BUG IS IN EFFECT! And you'll promptly
be presented with the error message window ('Could not display
"/home/myuser/Downloads/sample.pdf" The location is not a folder'),
instead of the .pdf opening properly. And now you'll also be screwed in
the way the original poster of this bug explained: no files can be
launched from the "Files & Folders" utility either (in the Dash, or
Launcher).
4) Open "exo-preferred-applications" again. Go to the "Utilities" tab,
and note that the "File Manager" is now set to Nautilus. And you can't
choose "No application selected" anymore, you can only select between
Nautilus and Thunar. So you can't go back to the state before the bug
occurred. But you can set Thunar to be the default File Manager, as a
workaround.
Now, PhobosK, do you see the relevance of my previous post? It nailed
down exactly where this error occurs, and explains why the workaround
works.
Most Ubuntu users will never install a second File Manager, and
therefore never run into this bug. But I had to install Thunar, as a
workaround to another Nautilus bug:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gvfs/+bug/574693
The solution to this issue might need to be twofold:
1) Allow the selecting of preferred File Manager in the "Preferred
Applications" utility. And the default should be "Nautilus", not "No
application selected".
2) Nautilus should successfully open URI's beginning with "file:///" and
ending with a filename, just like Thunar can, as per my previous post.
And perhaps a better title for this bug (although I know it's way too long)
might be 'Launcher/Dash can't directly open files, unless 'File Manager' is set
to "No application selected" in "exo-preferred-applications"'
** Attachment added: "Screenshot of "Choose Preferred Application""
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-place-files/+bug/751374/+attachment/2345690/+files/Screenshot-Choose%20Preferred%20Application.png
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/751374
Title:
Dash won't open files anymore
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