Fedora 40 Open/View/Edit in dispVm doesn't work

User Support
1

I have

qubes.OpenInVM * @anyvm @dispvm allow

in my policy. I have set default dispvm template for Qubes based on fedora 40 (dvm) template. When I doubleclick, or via context menu entry try to open/view/edit file in dispvm, dispvm starts, and then I’m getting dialog box question form that dispVM asking me

Are you sure you want to start another disposable VM?

If I choose No, it shuts down and I can’t view file. If I choose Yes, it would open another dispVM, with the same question form that new dispvm, and so on, and so on, without possibility to ever Open/View/Edit file in dispVM.

WTH?

I have no such problems in dispVMs based on fedora 39.

2

That’s strange. It seems to work as expected for me, everything is default and using fedora 40 dvm template as installed during initial qubes OS configuration post-install. Are you sure that you don’t have a conflicting policy entry that is being read before that line?

:EDIT: oh you said it works fine using Fedora 39 dvm template. I have no idea then.

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3

I’m using fedora 40-minimal.
Downloaded stock minimal.
Created dvm template from it.
Still the same.

Fedora-40-xfce dvm template works as expected.
I don’t want to use -xfce’s

So, I guess it’s some bug, or so to say missfeature in minimal.

Can someone at least confirm f40-minimal-dvm-template works as expected for them?

4

I am seeing the same behavior when trying to view a simple text file in fedora 40 minimal dvm.

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5

This might be a mimeapps.list issue in the template for the dispVM. If the user account has a version that overrides the default this error can occur.

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6
  1. It’s stock minimal, so I don’t see relation?
  2. If I copy the same file to such dispVM, and view it from there, it works?

Exactly the case. I haven’t tried other types.

7

Is it a fedora-39-minimal template or a standard fedora-39 template?
I’ve tested this with a default fedora-39-minimal template without any changes and it behaves in the same way.
I guess there are no application associated by default with text files and if no application is found it’ll open this file in the new disposable by default.
So for the minimal templates you need to configure the files association manually.

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8

Minimal, and I never set any associations manually, and it still worked, as with all other previous versions…

9

Well,

After inspecting @qub411’s and @apparatus’ leads, I have found that for some reason /usr/share/applications/defaults.list differs in fedora-40-minimal from previous versions.

fedora-40-minimal has only

text/plain=qvm-open-in-dvm.desktop

which obviously produces loop, and once I changed it to equals with fedora-39-minimal and earlier

text/plain=org.xfce.mousepad.desktop;qvm-open-in-dvm.desktop;

(or any other editor of choice), now it works as expected. I am not sure what possible security consequences this might have.

For the sake of transparency for the users looking for a solution in the future, I will mark this post as a solution.

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