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) 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 This entry point is only useful if you plan to either set the :envvar:`BROWSER` 95 variable or call :func:`get` with a nonempty argument matching the name of a 96 handler you declare. 97 98 A number of browser types are predefined. This table gives the type names that 99 may be passed to the :func:`get` function and the corresponding instantiations 100 for the controller classes, all defined in this module. 101 102 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 103 | Type Name | Class Name | Notes | 104 +========================+=========================================+=======+ 105 | ``'mozilla'`` | :class:`Mozilla('mozilla')` | | 106 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 107 | ``'firefox'`` | :class:`Mozilla('mozilla')` | | 108 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 109 | ``'netscape'`` | :class:`Mozilla('netscape')` | | 110 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 111 | ``'galeon'`` | :class:`Galeon('galeon')` | | 112 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 113 | ``'epiphany'`` | :class:`Galeon('epiphany')` | | 114 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 115 | ``'skipstone'`` | :class:`BackgroundBrowser('skipstone')` | | 116 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 117 | ``'kfmclient'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 118 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 119 | ``'konqueror'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 120 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 121 | ``'kfm'`` | :class:`Konqueror()` | \(1) | 122 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 123 | ``'mosaic'`` | :class:`BackgroundBrowser('mosaic')` | | 124 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 125 | ``'opera'`` | :class:`Opera()` | | 126 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 127 | ``'grail'`` | :class:`Grail()` | | 128 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 129 | ``'links'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('links')` | | 130 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 131 | ``'elinks'`` | :class:`Elinks('elinks')` | | 132 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 133 | ``'lynx'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('lynx')` | | 134 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 135 | ``'w3m'`` | :class:`GenericBrowser('w3m')` | | 136 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 137 | ``'windows-default'`` | :class:`WindowsDefault` | \(2) | 138 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 139 | ``'macosx'`` | :class:`MacOSX('default')` | \(3) | 140 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 141 | ``'safari'`` | :class:`MacOSX('safari')` | \(3) | 142 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 143 | ``'google-chrome'`` | :class:`Chrome('google-chrome')` | | 144 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 145 | ``'chrome'`` | :class:`Chrome('chrome')` | | 146 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 147 | ``'chromium'`` | :class:`Chromium('chromium')` | | 148 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 149 | ``'chromium-browser'`` | :class:`Chromium('chromium-browser')` | | 150 +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+-------+ 151 152 Notes: 153 154 (1) 155 "Konqueror" is the file manager for the KDE desktop environment for Unix, and 156 only makes sense to use if KDE is running. Some way of reliably detecting KDE 157 would be nice; the :envvar:`KDEDIR` variable is not sufficient. Note also that 158 the name "kfm" is used even when using the :program:`konqueror` command with KDE 159 2 --- the implementation selects the best strategy for running Konqueror. 160 161 (2) 162 Only on Windows platforms. 163 164 (3) 165 Only on Mac OS X platform. 166 167 .. versionadded:: 3.3 168 Support for Chrome/Chromium has been added. 169 170 Here are some simple examples:: 171 172 url = 'http://docs.python.org/' 173 174 # Open URL in a new tab, if a browser window is already open. 175 webbrowser.open_new_tab(url) 176 177 # Open URL in new window, raising the window if possible. 178 webbrowser.open_new(url) 179 180 181 .. _browser-controllers: 182 183 Browser Controller Objects 184 -------------------------- 185 186 Browser controllers provide these methods which parallel three of the 187 module-level convenience functions: 188 189 190 .. method:: controller.open(url, new=0, autoraise=True) 191 192 Display *url* using the browser handled by this controller. If *new* is 1, a new 193 browser window is opened if possible. If *new* is 2, a new browser page ("tab") 194 is opened if possible. 195 196 197 .. method:: controller.open_new(url) 198 199 Open *url* in a new window of the browser handled by this controller, if 200 possible, otherwise, open *url* in the only browser window. Alias 201 :func:`open_new`. 202 203 204 .. method:: controller.open_new_tab(url) 205 206 Open *url* in a new page ("tab") of the browser handled by this controller, if 207 possible, otherwise equivalent to :func:`open_new`. 208 209 210 .. rubric:: Footnotes 211 212 .. [1] Executables named here without a full path will be searched in the 213 directories given in the :envvar:`PATH` environment variable. 214
