Cannot open Casper Remote logs in Chrome

Worth noting that based on my testing this is an issue in Chrome running on Sierra (macOS 10.12). I've been going back and forth with my TAM on this since the beta days.

PI-003017
Effects Sierra only apparently.

+1
waiting for fix

+1
Still waiting for fix...

+1
Still waiting for a fix...

Hey all,

We don't have an ETA on a fix; when it's fixed, it will be noted in the Release Notes.

We are aware that the issue still exists as PI-003017 is still in the open status.

Thanks!
Amanda Wulff
Jamf Support

Has this been fixed yet?

@regan ,

We make every effort to ensure that all fixed Product Issues are listed in the Release Notes.

If you do not see PI-003017 listed in the Release Notes it means that it has not yet been fixed.

Thanks!
Were Wulff
Jamf Support

As long as it works in a browser - it works for me. Safari it is for viewing logs.

@Chuey That's great if Safari is your default browser, but not so great if you use Chrome.

I don't quite understand the mechanics of it, but when you click on the button to see the log, it uses a format of "file:///.file/id=1234567.12345678" which maps to a Casper log file in ~/Library/logs/Casper%20Logs/ such as
"file:///Users/[myuser]/Library/Logs/Casper%20Logs/1.01.17%20at%204.31.26%20PM.html" -- my question is:

Since Casper/Jamf Pro creates said log file, why can't it link directly to the html file instead of creating the ".file/id=" equivalent? The ".html" URL would work in all browsers.

@tony.schaps Just copy and paste the URL in Safari - few extra steps but it works.

@Chuey Of course I know I can do that, that's what I've had to do to see the logs. But that's a workaround, not a solution.

I spent a few minutes researching what's going on here. The link to the log files in Casper Remote is a "File Reference URL" (also called a "bookmark" in Apple developer parlance), which helps when referencing files whose locations may change. Since these log files don't change location, I am not sure why it was coded this way.

For whatever reason, Chrome in Sierra can no longer convert the file reference URL to a Path-based URL automatically, but it's apparently simple to do in the code. For example, you can run the following Applescript in the Terminal to convert a File Reference URL to Path-based URL:

osascript -e 'get posix path of posix file "file:///.file/id=1234567.12345678" -- kthxbai'

It seems to be a simple fix, so I don't know why this has taken so long to address. If you use Casper Remote a lot, copying the File Reference URL to paste into Safari is an annoying blocker which used to work just fine. If it's not a feature you use much, that's great for you, but don't discount the annoyance experienced by those who do use it a lot.