[WIP] Open additional URLs with the same TorBrowser instance #395

hefee · 2019-03-23T22:47:56Z

When we looked at the history of issues about opening links with TorBrowser, we
found #103 where initially the feature to open links from other applications
was added. Then some months later, the feature was removed again, as it was not
working because of #157 and #175. The issues was back then (~4years ago), that
when users had a normal Firefox running, urls got opened in the normal firefox
insead of TorBrowser. That was because TorBrowser had the --no-remote flag set
deep down in their code.
In the meanwhile TorBrowser removed the explicit --no-remote flag, so we are
able to use --allow-remote again.
On top of that there is another issue when we want open urls with TorBrowser:
If the LOGNAME is the same as the LOGNAME of the opened firefox, urls are still
opened in the open firefox. But if we set the LOGNAME envrionment variable
explicitly, we can make sure, that the url opens in the TorBrowser instead of
a running Firefox.

Should fix: #245, #259, #380

WIP: it is not cleaned up, maybe we want revert 3f1146e and have the setting accept_links back.

When we looked at the history of issues about opening links with TorBrowser, we found torproject#103 where initially the feature to open links from other applications was added. Then some months later, the feature was removed again, as it was not working because of torproject#157 and torproject#175. The issues was back then (~4years ago), that when users had a normal Firefox running, urls got opened in the normal firefox insead of TorBrowser. That was because TorBrowser had the --no-remote flag set deep down in their code. In the meanwhile TorBrowser removed the explicit --no-remote flag, so we are able to use --allow-remote again. On top of that there is another issue when we want open urls with TorBrowser: If the LOGNAME is the same as the LOGNAME of the opened firefox, urls are still opened in the open firefox. But if we set the LOGNAME envrionment variable explicitly, we can make sure, that the url opens in the TorBrowser instead of a running Firefox. Should fix: torproject#245, torproject#259, torproject#380

u451f · 2019-03-27T11:25:19Z

I think this would solve number of open Debian bugs, such as https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=910062 and friends :)

antofthy · 2019-08-05T04:19:17Z

You would need to add -allow-remote to the "Browser/firefox" script
but only for the first launch. Otherwise you get multiple windows.
Basically as -allow-remote is not passed by "torbrowser-launcher" (invalid option).

Regardless. torbrowser is always launched with the startup pages for each new window.
The URL argument to "torbrowser-launcher" is basically completely ignored.

Really torbrowser needs to have some way of opening a specified URL, both on the initial window, and in a currently running browser. It has been asked for for years!

hefee · 2019-08-07T07:33:55Z

You would need to add -allow-remote to the "Browser/firefox" script
but only for the first launch. Otherwise you get multiple windows.
Basically as -allow-remote is not passed by "torbrowser-launcher" (invalid option).

I can't reproduce your described behavior, did you tested my patch? I run my patch since March locally and it works. I don't get new windows every time I open links.

Regardless. torbrowser is always launched with the startup pages for each new window.
The URL argument to "torbrowser-launcher" is basically completely ignored.

as it described in my initial description, this is not true anymore, that's why this patch is enough and no need to change anything in Tor Browser.

Really torbrowser needs to have some way of opening a specified URL, both on the initial window, and in a currently running browser. It has been asked for for years!

To be able to open multiple windows, we need to pass the new-window/new-tab command lines to start-tor-browser, but that's a different patch, after that got accepted.

antofthy · 2019-08-10T08:18:28Z

I run my patch since March locally and it works. I don't get new windows every time I open links.

I tried adding it... Got python errors. I don't know python, (though I am an old - 30yo programmer -
sh perl, c, not python) and this is a system installed package! I assume I would have to 'compile' the ".py" file to "py[co]" files.

...
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/torbrowser_launcher/launcher.py", line 441, in run
    subprocess.call([self.common.paths['tbb']['start'], '--allow-remote', self.url_list], cwd=self.common.paths['tbb']['dir_tbb'], env=my_env)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 172, in call
    return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 394, in __init__
    errread, errwrite)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 1047, in _execute_child
    raise child_exception
TypeError: coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, list found

hefee · 2019-08-11T21:25:34Z

I run my patch since March locally and it works. I don't get new windows every time I open links.

I tried adding it... Got python errors. I don't know python, (though I am an old - 30yo programmer -
sh perl, c, not python) and this is a system installed package! I assume I would have to 'compile' the ".py" file to "py[co]" files.

nope you don't have to 'compile' it on your own. It is compiled, when you first need the file.

...
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/torbrowser_launcher/launcher.py", line 441, in run
    subprocess.call([self.common.paths['tbb']['start'], '--allow-remote', self.url_list], cwd=self.common.paths['tbb']['dir_tbb'], env=my_env)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 172, in call
    return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 394, in __init__
    errread, errwrite)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/subprocess.py", line 1047, in _execute_child
    raise child_exception
TypeError: coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, list found

The issue is that python2 (EOF 1.Jan 2020) is used to run torbrowser-launcher and not python3. Not every distribution is using a symlink python -> python3, but every distribution should have installed python3. If you run the code with python3 it works.

Or replace the following to be python2 complainant:

- subprocess.call([self.common.paths['tbb']['start'], '--allow-remote', self.url_list], cwd=self.common.paths['tbb']['dir_tbb'], env=my_env)
+ subprocess.call([self.common.paths['tbb']['start'], '--allow-remote'] + self.url_list, cwd=self.common.paths['tbb']['dir_tbb'], env=my_env)

rogers0 · 2020-04-30T05:27:15Z

as stated in upstream ticket: https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/15185#comment:2

default "--no-remote" is set for good reason.
it makes less footprint on the host TBB is running.
we need to find other better way to open URL from command line under "--no-remote" setting.
better not to merge this patch.

hefee requested a review from micahflee as a code owner March 23, 2019 22:47

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[WIP] Open additional URLs with the same TorBrowser instance #395

[WIP] Open additional URLs with the same TorBrowser instance #395

hefee commented Mar 23, 2019

u451f commented Mar 27, 2019

antofthy commented Aug 5, 2019

hefee commented Aug 7, 2019

antofthy commented Aug 10, 2019 •

edited

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hefee commented Aug 11, 2019

rogers0 commented Apr 30, 2020

[WIP] Open additional URLs with the same TorBrowser instance #395

Are you sure you want to change the base?

[WIP] Open additional URLs with the same TorBrowser instance #395

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hefee commented Mar 23, 2019

u451f commented Mar 27, 2019

antofthy commented Aug 5, 2019

hefee commented Aug 7, 2019

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hefee commented Aug 11, 2019

rogers0 commented Apr 30, 2020

antofthy commented Aug 10, 2019 •

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