Can't download filters in 2.008

This issue has been ping-ponging back and forth between Tech Support and me. The text following is a summary of issues I have submitted.

Program worked as expected until version 2.008. Now I get the following message when trying to download filters with Firefox 3.6.6.

"Firefox can't find the file at filterforge://open-8799"

Please note: This isn't isolated to case of filter in example. They all fail the same way, and have since I installed 2.008. I checked to see if FF cookies were being stored on my system, and there were 12 of them. I'm wondering if problem arises because you're pushing ads from your site. As a matter of routine, I block all ads and advertiser profiling on my system, and I certainly don't think I should be confronted by either if I'm accessing the site of a program I've paid for.

The recommended solution, doing a clean reinstall of 2.008 after closing all Firefox windows didn't help. I replied as follows:

I'm still unable to download any filters. I'm beginning to think it may have something to do with Addthis, Facebook and Facebook Canada, all of which want to run scripts as part of the filter downloading process. I have no need for social networking as I have real friends and don't need any new ones in Cyberspace. The intrusive privacy invasions of these companies is widely documented, and they have no place in a purchased product. As a rule, I don't accept third party cookies, and I certainly don't want to accept any from Facebook or Addthis. I don't know if cookies from these outfits are a new requirement for 2.008, but if they are, that would be unacceptable. That said, I did try once to download filters with all of my script blockers, web bug blockers, ad blockers, Flash cookie blockers and Blacklist blockers disabled. The damned filters still wouldn't download! I have noticed that even when I allow Addthis on a page, it shows up as blocked again whenever I click a button that changes or refreshes the page. This holds true even when I allow their scripts and turn off ad blocking. This scenario is unique to Filter Forge. Addthis tries to run scripts on many other sites I visit, but blocking them causes no problems.

As I prepare to submit this, I notice that the rightmost quarter of my screen is filled with some garbage from Facebook, including an ad for FF at 50% off, allegedly lasting only through today. What are the chances that I'll see the same Facebook crap and the same discount offer tomorrow and a month from now?

I hope you or the developers can help me with this. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Filter Forge enforces updates to newest versions, and in the case of FF 2.008, the newest version doesn't work for me.

First: can you open filters from another browser?
Second: have you clicked the 'Download more filters' link in the FF main window?

The issue is not related to third-party cookies (most probably not related to cookies at all). You can block all the social media scripts if you want to.

buccaneer, feel free to block access to any site beyond filterforge.com and filterforge.net. The social media sites are not essential and not related to your issue.

Please confirm that you have clicked the 'Download more filters' link in the FF main window.

Ron, I'm not sure I understand the issue. I can download and open the filter using your link in the post above. Please check if your browser is set to download .ffxml files and not to open them.

Hey GMM & Carl,

Thanks for the help.
Carl, I did as you suggested & it works that way.
Before the Server update, or whatever happened, I used to double click
the F/F file & it opened in Filter Forge. Does not work that way now.
I will have to look into what GMM said.

Have a GREAT day!

Ron

I'm having this exact same problem and am at an utter loss to explain it.

Yes flterforge is registered just as shown in your example. Directly above it there is another entry - 'Filterforge Command', which displays with the proper FF logo, and the action is listed as 'Save'.

Below is a copy of an email + attachment I sent to tech support late last night.

Note: There has been no reply to either of my last two emails. Please forward this 'upstairs' if there is any question as to what the attached screen capture implies.

I opened a new browser session with all previous warnings and errors cleared. The attachment is a partial display of the Firefox Error Console, which was populated as you see after I performed the following three steps:

1) I opened filterforge.com/filters.
2) I clicked the link that appears when installed copy of Filterforge is not found (although it was running at the time, and cookies were enabled).
3) I attempted to download a filter.

Every warning and the error message you see on attached page were generated by these three steps and absolutely nothing else.

The first step produced nothing. Everything on the page was triggered by the second and third steps. The highlighted error message suggests to me what might be contributing to my previously reported issues. Please note the position of the scrollbar on right edge of attachment. The depicted warning messages went on for another half screen.

I read on the Forum (I forget where) that another user started experiencing problems when [you] recently moved to a new server. I don't know if this is true, but Bitrix is mentioned in every warning. Have I run into a coding error that dumps me out of the filter download areas because it doesn't recognize that I have an installed, licensed copy running at the time? Is the error message that I get every time inaccurate?

Finally, another user announced on the Forum that he or she was experiencing problems identical to mine. Forum postings present a very diminished picture of how widespread a problem might be, as most users send issues directly to support team and wait for subsequent versions to address them. I'm quite certain there must be more than just the two of us.

I don't have FF 1.x installed. Once I determined that 2.x was working in beta, I migrated my 1.x filters. After trying the new installation for a few days, I decided to uninstall 1.x. If memory serves, 1.x was removed when FF 2 was still in the third to last beta. I can download the 2.x filters using IE7 or Opera 10.60, but in both cases it is an agonizingly slow process. Neither of these two browsers recognizes that FF2 is installed and running, so it would seem that they all suffer from at least part of the problem I've had with Firefox.

Note to GMM: You nailed it! My issue was fixed by removing the following lines from mimeTypes.rdf in my Firefox profile:

<RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:application/ffcmd"
NC:value="application/ffcmd"
NC:editable="true"
NC:fileExtensions="ffcmd"
NC:description="Filter Forge Command">
<NC:handlerProp RDF:resource="urn:mimetype:handler:application/ffcmd"/>

Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction and your perseverance on my behalf.

Your problem sounds very similar to the one I had. If you follow this thread from about mid way on, there are useful tips to be found. Pay special attention to GMM's last several posts and the specific fix for my issue (my previous post). Good luck!