1 :mod:`webbrowser` --- Convenient Web-browser controller 2 ======================================================= 3 4 .. module:: webbrowser 5 :synopsis: Easy-to-use controller for Web browsers. 6 7 .. moduleauthor:: Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake (a] acm.org> 8 .. sectionauthor:: Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake (a] acm.org> 9 10 **Source code:** :source:`Lib/webbrowser.py` 11 12 -------------- 13 14 The :mod:`webbrowser` module provides a high-level interface to allow displaying 15 Web-based documents to users. Under most circumstances, simply calling the 16 :func:`.open` function from this module will do the right thing. 17 18 Under Unix, graphical browsers are preferred under X11, but text-mode browsers 19 will be used if graphical browsers are not available or an X11 display isn't 20 available. If text-mode browsers are used, the calling process will block until 21 the user exits the browser. 22 23 If the environment variable :envvar:`BROWSER` exists, it is interpreted as the 24 :data:`os.pathsep`-separated list of browsers to try ahead of the platform 25 defaults. When the value of a list part contains the string ``%s``, then it is 26 interpreted as a literal browser command line to be used with the argument URL 27 substituted for ``%s``; if the part does not contain ``%s``, it is simply 28 interpreted as the name of the browser to launch. [1]_ 29 30 For non-Unix platforms, or when a remote browser is available on Unix, the 31 controlling process will not wait for the user to finish with the browser, but 32 allow the remote browser to maintain its own windows on the display. If remote 33 browsers are not available on Unix, the controlling process will launch a new 34 browser and wait. 35 36 The script :program:`webbrowser` can be used as a command-line interface for the 37 module. It accepts a URL as the argument. It accepts the following optional 38 parameters: ``-n`` opens the URL in a new browser window, if possible; 39 ``-t`` opens the URL in a new browser page ("tab"). The options are, 40 naturally, mutually exclusive. Usage example:: 41 42 python -m webbrowser -t "http://www.python.org" 43 44 The following exception is defined: 45 46 47 .. exception:: Error 48 49 Exception raised when a browser control error occurs. 50 51 The following functions are defined: 52 53 54 .. function:: open(url, new=0, autoraise=True) 55 56 Display *url* using the default browser. If *new* is 0, the *url* is opened 57 in the same browser window if possible. If *new* is 1, a new browser window 58 is opened if possible. If *new* is 2, a new browser page ("tab") is opened 59 if possible. If *autoraise* is ``True``, the window is raised if possible 60 (note that under many window managers this will occur regardless of the 61 setting of this variable). 62 63 Note that on some platforms, trying to open a filename using this function, 64 may work and start the operating system's associated program. However, this 65 is neither supported nor portable. 66 67 68 .. function:: open_new(url) 69 70 Open *url* in a new window of the default browser, if possible, otherwise, open 71 *url* in the only browser window. 72 73 .. function:: open_new_tab(url) 74 75 Open *url* in a new page ("tab") of the default browser, if possible, otherwise 76 equivalent to :func:`open_new`. 77 78 79 .. function:: get(using=None) 80 81 Return a controller object for the browser type *using*. If *using* is 82 ``None``, return a controller for a default browser appropriate to the 83 caller's environment. 84 85 86 .. function:: register(name, constructor, instance=None, *, preferred=False) 87 88 Register the browser type *name*. Once a browser type is registered, the 89 :func:`get` function can return a controller for that browser type. If 90 *instance* is not provided, or is ``None``, *constructor* will be called without 91 parameters to create an instance when needed. If *instance* is provided, 92 *constructor* will never be called, and may be ``None``. 93 94 Setting *preferred* to ``True`` makes this browser a preferred result for 95 a :func:`get` call with no argument. Otherwise, this entry point is only 96 useful if you plan to either set the :envvar:`BROWSER` variable or call 97 :func:`get` with a nonempty argument matching the name of a handler you 98 declare. 99 100 .. versionchanged:: 3.7 101 *preferred* keyword-only parameter was added. 102 103 A number of browser types are predefined. This table gives the type names that 104 may be passed to the :func:`get` function and the corresponding instantiations 105 for the controller classes, all defined in this module. 106 107 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 108 | Type Name | Class Name | Notes | 109 +========================+=========================================+=======+ 110 | ``'mozilla'`` | :class:`Mozilla('mozilla')` | | 111 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 112 | ``'firefox'`` | :class:`Mozilla('mozilla')` | | 113 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 114 | ``'netscape'`` | :class:`Mozilla('netscape')` | | 115 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 116 | ``'galeon'`` | :class:`Galeon('galeon')` | | 117 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 118 | ``'epiphany'`` | :class:`Galeon('epiphany')` | | 119 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 120 | ``'skipstone'`` | :class:`BackgroundBrowser('skipstone')` | | 121 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 122 | ``'kfmclient'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 123 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 124 | ``'konqueror'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 125 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 126 | ``'kfm'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 127 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 128 | ``'mosaic'`` | :class:`BackgroundBrowser('mosaic')` | | 129 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 130 | ``'opera'`` | :class:`Opera()` | | 131 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 132 | ``'grail'`` | :class:`Grail()` | | 133 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 134 | ``'links'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('links')` | | 135 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 136 | ``'elinks'`` | :class:`Elinks('elinks')` | | 137 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 138 | ``'lynx'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('lynx')` | | 139 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 140 | ``'w3m'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('w3m')` | | 141 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 142 | ``'windows-default'`` | :class:`WindowsDefault` | \(2) | 143 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 144 | ``'macosx'`` | :class:`MacOSX('default')` | \(3) | 145 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 146 | ``'safari'`` | :class:`MacOSX('safari')` | \(3) | 147 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 148 | ``'google-chrome'`` | :class:`Chrome('google-chrome')` | | 149 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 150 | ``'chrome'`` | :class:`Chrome('chrome')` | | 151 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 152 | ``'chromium'`` | :class:`Chromium('chromium')` | | 153 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 154 | ``'chromium-browser'`` | :class:`Chromium('chromium-browser')` | | 155 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 156 157 Notes: 158 159 (1) 160 "Konqueror" is the file manager for the KDE desktop environment for Unix, and 161 only makes sense to use if KDE is running. Some way of reliably detecting KDE 162 would be nice; the :envvar:`KDEDIR` variable is not sufficient. Note also that 163 the name "kfm" is used even when using the :program:`konqueror` command with KDE 164 2 --- the implementation selects the best strategy for running Konqueror. 165 166 (2) 167 Only on Windows platforms. 168 169 (3) 170 Only on Mac OS X platform. 171 172 .. versionadded:: 3.3 173 Support for Chrome/Chromium has been added. 174 175 Here are some simple examples:: 176 177 url = 'http://docs.python.org/' 178 179 # Open URL in a new tab, if a browser window is already open. 180 webbrowser.open_new_tab(url) 181 182 # Open URL in new window, raising the window if possible. 183 webbrowser.open_new(url) 184 185 186 .. _browser-controllers: 187 188 Browser Controller Objects 189 -------------------------- 190 191 Browser controllers provide these methods which parallel three of the 192 module-level convenience functions: 193 194 195 .. method:: controller.open(url, new=0, autoraise=True) 196 197 Display *url* using the browser handled by this controller. If *new* is 1, a new 198 browser window is opened if possible. If *new* is 2, a new browser page ("tab") 199 is opened if possible. 200 201 202 .. method:: controller.open_new(url) 203 204 Open *url* in a new window of the browser handled by this controller, if 205 possible, otherwise, open *url* in the only browser window. Alias 206 :func:`open_new`. 207 208 209 .. method:: controller.open_new_tab(url) 210 211 Open *url* in a new page ("tab") of the browser handled by this controller, if 212 possible, otherwise equivalent to :func:`open_new`. 213 214 215 .. rubric:: Footnotes 216 217 .. [1] Executables named here without a full path will be searched in the 218 directories given in the :envvar:`PATH` environment variable. 219
