bug#1367: #1367 - 23.0.60; Mailto service won't work - Emacs bug report logs

[Adrian Robert]

Hello,

> I have set the mailto handler to be emacs. If I run the command open 
> mailto:joe.the-plumber@example.com
> ...
>
> At the very least, I would have expected a <ns-spi-service-call>  
> event to be generated

I am unsure about how mailto: works.  However, ns-spi-service-call is  
only generated when items under the "Emacs.app" heading in the  
Services menu are called.  If the mailto: mapping you describe should  
do this (I don't readily see how), then there is a bug.

On the other hand, if the mailto: mapping results in some random  
applescript command being sent to Emacs, then what is needed is an  
enhancement.  I am unfamiliar with how standardized the various  
applescript things a well-behaved OS X application should respond to  
is.  Is there documentation on this somewhere?  Also, I don't know if  
you are familiar with Cocoa programming, but I wonder if there is an  
NSApp delegate method or a notification that could be registered for,  
avoiding the need to parse applescript.  (This is the way, e.g.,  
double-clicking associated files in the Finder can open them in  
Emacs.app.)

The Carbon port of emacs did do applescript parsing, but I was never  
convinced that it was sufficiently "core" functionality to bring to  
the Cocoa port (given the bloat involved).  Though nowadays with DBUS  
in the X11 emacs the case is more compelling.

-Adrian