open URL in non-default browser?

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open URL in non-default browser?

b holi
run("URL...", urlString) will open the url in the default browser.

From ImageJ, can an alternate browser be targeted or selected to open
instead?

I have developed several browser javascript applications to be run on the
localhost as ImageJ 'helper apps' but I want to avoid having ImageJ open
them in MS Internet Explorer.  From the applications I can detect which
browser is launched and close the window if it is MSIE (to avoid presenting
the user with fatal javascript errors), but I'm hoping to avoid directing
users to open the HTML files manually in a different browser.  These are
large applications developed in Gecko browsers and I am not eager to accept
the project of taking them to Internet Explorer.

I'll be grateful for any comments or suggestions.

-Bruce Holifield
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Re: open URL in non-default browser?

dscho
Hi,

On Fri, 9 Oct 2009, b holi wrote:

> run("URL...", urlString) will open the url in the default browser.
>
> From ImageJ, can an alternate browser be targeted or selected to open
> instead?

Sure, as long as you can be certain that the alternate browser you have in
mind is installed, you can always use java.lang.Runtime's exec() methods.

It is prone to failure, though, as

- the browser might not be installed, and

- it might get tricky to find out where the browser's executable is
  located (think of Microsoft Windows)

> I have developed several browser javascript applications to be run on
> the localhost as ImageJ 'helper apps' but I want to avoid having ImageJ
> open them in MS Internet Explorer.  From the applications I can detect
> which browser is launched and close the window if it is MSIE (to avoid
> presenting the user with fatal javascript errors), but I'm hoping to
> avoid directing users to open the HTML files manually in a different
> browser.  These are large applications developed in Gecko browsers and I
> am not eager to accept the project of taking them to Internet Explorer.

I fear you will have to do the same as generations of developers before
you: grudgingly add work-arounds for Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  A
large part of the general user base still uses this browser (most as the
only browser, if I remember correctly), after all.

Ciao,
Dscho