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Setting gmail as default for sending files via email

When I select File, Send and Email Document in LibreOffice it keeps coming up with this screen:

Libre Office File Send Email

After which it tries to configure one of these two undesired applications presumably for Thunderbird or another email server. I want to use gmail email server though.

I've installed gnome-gmail application which comes with screen snapshots of what the process looks like I desire but no instructions (that I could find). I installed desktop-webmail and configured Empathy but that doesn't change the Libre Office Send E-mail process either.

I'm agnostic as to which of the two above applications to use but which is the simplest to use gmail as default service for sending files and how is this accomplished?

As an aside I have future goal of emailing files from terminal using gmail so whichever package also accomplishes this and is user-friendly for setting up emailing documents would be best.

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WinEunuuchs2Unix
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  • What email program do you normally use? – heynnema Jul 15 '17 at 21:39
  • @heynnema I always use gmail for the last decade or so. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jul 15 '17 at 22:00
  • Do you use the gmail webmail interface via your web browser? Do you have any reason not to use Thunderbird (or whatever) as the interface to gmail? Whenever you try and send email from LibreOffice it's going to try and open your default mail app with a new email opened, but it's going to require you to fill in the to: and subject: info. Getting ahead of myself, you'll need postfix and mailutils to send mail/files from the terminal. Postfix can use a "relay" server which can be set to the gmail smtp server. – heynnema Jul 15 '17 at 22:04
  • @heynnema I have out-of-the-box google chrome, Ubuntu 16.04 and Libre Office. Although I've installed gnome-gmail and desktop-webmail they aren't doing anything to solve the problem at hand yet. I don't know what you mean by: Do you use the gmail webmail interface via your web browser so the answer must be no. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jul 15 '17 at 22:12
  • It sounds like you're opening Chrome and going to gmail.com or mail.google.com and using their web-based mail program. Sound familiar? I'm not familiar with gnome-gmail or desktop-webmail but it sounds like they use the gmail web interface... and with recent security changes at Google, I'd be a little surprised if they still work. What you should do is setup Thunderbird (or whatever) to send/receive your gmail using their IMAP/SMTP servers, and use that as your normal way to send/receive email. Then LO would use TB for outgoing mail, which would go to/through the gmail servers. – heynnema Jul 15 '17 at 22:18
  • Yes I open gmail.com from a new tab in google chrome and sign on that way. Although Thunderbird is installed by default in Ubuntu I'd rather not have to set it up unless that is unavoidable. I've seen IMAP and SMTP referenced for many years no but have no experience at configuring them. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jul 15 '17 at 22:21
  • @heynnema I figured out the solution as per answer just posted. Thanks for your inquiries to help narrow down the problem. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jul 15 '17 at 22:42
  • You should get some experience with IMAP (and POP) and SMTP mail servers. You could learn using Thunderbird, and if you use IMAP (instead of POP) for your incoming mail, you won't disturb it at all for your current method of using gmail. I'd really recommend Thunderbird (or whatever app) as a way to read/write/manage your gmail mail. – heynnema Jul 16 '17 at 15:44
  • @heynnema This is certainly a world of "the more you know, the more you know you don't know". I do have plans to install and learn LAMP on backup laptop. I imagine these new terms (to me) of POP, IMAP, SMTP will be learned along with DNS, HTTP, HTTPS, PORTS, etc. My current focus is BASH and then C & SQL. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jul 16 '17 at 17:14

2 Answers2

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After you install gnome-gmail or desktop-webmail for Ubuntu 16.04 you need to set it as the default mail application. Some instructions online say to go to Applications - Internet but that is for older versions. For Ubuntu 16.04 you need to go to System Settings -> Details -> Default Applications where you will be greeted with this screen:

System Settings Details Default Applications

The second option Mail will contain these options (after installation steps in the question):

  • Thunderbird
  • Gnome Gmail
  • Desktop Webmail

In the example above Gnome Gmail has been selected as the default mail application. Now when you click to send files in LibreOffice gmail will be used instead of Thunderbird configuration popping up.

heynnema
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WinEunuuchs2Unix
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If you use Chrome you can navigate to Gmail or Inbox and on the far right side of the omnibox (address bar) you have an Icon with two overlapping diamond-shaped boxes. The one left to the star symbol Click this and you get a question if you want to bind mails to Gmail/Inbox. By clicking "Allow" Gmail/Inbox will be set as your default mail program.