Links to lin files in forum posts

[y66]

Would like to include a link to a LIN file from The Vugraph Project in a forum post, using the <http://> button, so that a forum reader can just click on the link and launch the BBO viewer.

 

For example: 2007 Spingold Semifinals, Nickell v Henner-Welland

 

When I try this, the linked file displays in my browser (Firefox) as a LIN file (of all things), i.e.:

 

vg|2007 SPINGOLD - SF 1,FIRST QUARTER,I,1,16,NICKELL,0,HENNER-WELLAND,0|

rs|3NW-1,3DW+1,4SW-1,5CSx-2,3SN=,4SN=,4SS-1,2SS=,6SW-1,6SW-1,4SS=,4SS=,3NN=,3NN+1,2SS+3,4HN=,2SS-2,3HW=,2SN=,2SN=,2SE-2,2SE-1,2DW-1,2DW=,2SNx+1,4SS-2,2SN=,3DS+1,2CS-1,3DS=,4HW=,2SS=|

pn|Soloway,Welland,Hamman,Willenken,Henner-Wel,Nickell,Sementa,Lall|pg||

qx|o1|st||md|3ST84HQJ754DA52CJ2,SAJHK6DQJ9863C873,SQ9763HA8DKTCT964,SK52HT932D74CAKQ5|sv|o|mb|p|mb|1C!|an|can be short|mb|p|mb|2N!|an|either FG NAT or weak w/ clubs|mb|p|mb|3C!|mb|p|mb|3N|mb|p|mb|p|mb|p|pg||

pc|s3|pc|s2|pc|sT|pc|sJ|pg||

...

 

Is it possible to code something in my "link" to launch the BBO viewer instead?

 

Searched this forum for something on this. Couldn't find the answer tho.

 

Update: The BBO viewer launches when I use a different browser IE7, so maybe this is a browser setting thing. Will play with this.

[hotShot]

If you have a webserver you need to define what MIME type a lin-file is.

For apache webserver you add:

 

AddType application/bbolin .lin

 

Microsoft is ignoring web standards and ignores the MIME-type send by the server and uses the file-extension instead.

[y66]

Thanks hotShot.

 

After reading your reply, I tested a link to a DOTW LIN file on the BBO server. When I click on this link, Firefox launches the bridge viewer, as hoped. Am concluding that the behavior is different when linking to Nikos Sarantakos' site for the reason you give and that there's nothing I can do about this on my end (except use IE7 :)).

 

Test link to DOTW lin file on www.bridgebase.com

[uday]

Exactly; the issue is with Nikos' website.

 

If you click directly on , say,

 

http://www.sarantakos.com/bridge/vugraph/2007/spin/sfa1.lin

 

you'll see the raw linfile in Firefox. IE, however, will launch the BBO viewer.

 

I think FF is behaving "correctly", fwiw

[DenisO]

I use IE6 and all Lin files on Nikos's site (plus the DOTW files) open with the BBO Viewer - not as text files. I think this is what y66P wants. To achieve this you need to associate the extension .lin with the BBO engine NetBridgeVu.exe (generally found on C: drive) I believe the issue is with Firefox and not Nikos's site as Uday suggests. If a Lin file is required as a text file it should be opened with a text editor e.g. Wordpad.

 

Denis

[uday]

Denis

 

It is true that the LIN files on the site will open with the BBO viewer.

 

That is because IE will associate the BBO program with the extension ".lin"

 

However, I believe that the "proper" way is for the web server to send down a mime type in the response to the web browser request; this identifies the type of the document and tells the browser how to open it.

 

Relying on the extension is less robust.

 

Setting the mime type of the document ( instructing the web server to send down the proper mime type) will allow the document to be opened by the proper application (in this case the bbo viewer) on Firefox and (perhaps) other browsers.

 

Hotshot has it right, a few posts up.

 

In the end, this probably only affects people who can't use IE, so arguably it is not a big deal one way or another.

 

If you want to tinker with the web server and need help, drop an email to gerardo@ and I'm sure he'll lend a hand.