QDesktopServices open url & local file & pdf or doc

[patrik08]

Before QDesktopServices qt4.2 i use this function to open explorer file url & other mailto:xxx ecc....

/* open file browser explorer finder pdf doc ecc... url mail ecc on other programm */
void Base_Function::OpenUrl_File_Dir_Dektop( QString item )
{
    #if defined(Q_WS_WIN)
    QProcess p;
    QStringList s;
    s << "url.dll,FileProtocolHandler" << item;
    p.startDetached(QString("rundll32.exe") , s );
    #endif
    #if defined Q_WS_MAC
    QProcess m;
    QStringList macs;
    macs << item;  /* oeffnet der default browser */
    m.startDetached(QString("open") , macs );   /* open file weburl .... finder e other */
    #endif 
}

/* open file browser explorer finder pdf doc ecc... url mail ecc on other programm */
void Base_Function::OpenUrl_File_Dir_Dektop( QString item )
{
    #if defined(Q_WS_WIN)
    QProcess p;
    QStringList s;
    s << "url.dll,FileProtocolHandler" << item;
    p.startDetached(QString("rundll32.exe") , s );
    #endif
    #if defined Q_WS_MAC
    QProcess m;
    QStringList macs;
    macs << item;  /* oeffnet der default browser */
    m.startDetached(QString("open") , macs );   /* open file weburl .... finder e other */
    #endif 
}

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Now QDesktopServices open only Url http:/..... or mail to ....
& !not open file pdf or doc or other same as up write function....

wath is the location of QDesktopServices to expand this class? and Add other url different as http://

but now QDesktopServices is super to open url on linux.... method "open" exist only on mac...

#include <QDesktopServices>
    #define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
    QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR);   /* filee path not open */
    QUrl youhome1("http://www.qtcentre.org/forum/");  /* running open browser*/
    QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);

#include <QDesktopServices>
    #define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
    QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR);   /* filee path not open */
    QUrl youhome1("http://www.qtcentre.org/forum/");  /* running open browser*/
    QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);

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[jacek]

Now QDesktopServices open only Url http:/..... or mail to ....
& !not open file pdf or doc or other same as up write function....

Are you sure?

bool QDesktopServices::openUrl ( const QUrl & url ) [static]
Opens the given url in the appropriate web browser for the user's desktop environment, and returns true if successful; otherwise returns false.
If the URL is a reference to a local file (i.e. the URL scheme is "file") then it will be opened with a suitable application instead of a web browser.
If a mailto URL is specified, the user's e-mail client will be used to open a composer window containing the options specified in the URL, similar to the way mailto links are handled by a web browser.

[patrik08]

Are you sure?

Oh yes.... i testet on window & Mac .... Tiger qt4.2

#include <QDesktopServices>
#define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
 
/* image exist */
 
 
          QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR);   /* file path not open  */
          QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);
 
 
/* if  i use url.dll,FileProtocolHandler win or mac /usr/bin/open filexx   GIMP start on win & imageprewiuv on mac */

#include <QDesktopServices>
#define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())

/* image exist */


          QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR);   /* file path not open  */
          QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);


/* if  i use url.dll,FileProtocolHandler win or mac /usr/bin/open filexx   GIMP start on win & imageprewiuv on mac */

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[jacek]

#define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
...
QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR);

Are you sure this creates a valid QUrl object? What does "youhome.isValid()" return? Shouldn't there be "file://" in front of the string?

[patrik08]

Are you sure this creates a valid QUrl object? What does "youhome.isValid()" return? Shouldn't there be "file://" in front of the string?

Now is running .....

If i write a Qurl class i append this small code..... on return value....

QString IsNetFile( QString fullFileName )
{
    if (fullFileName.startsWith("http://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or 
        fullFileName.startsWith("https://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("ftp://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("news://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("mailto:", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("webdav://", Qt::CaseInsensitive)  )
       { 
         return fullFileName;
       } else {
         return fullFileName.prepend("file:///");  
       }
}

QString IsNetFile( QString fullFileName )
{
    if (fullFileName.startsWith("http://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or 
        fullFileName.startsWith("https://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("ftp://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("news://", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("mailto:", Qt::CaseInsensitive) or
        fullFileName.startsWith("webdav://", Qt::CaseInsensitive)  )
       { 
         return fullFileName;
       } else {
         return fullFileName.prepend("file:///");  
       }
}

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#include <QDesktopServices>
    #define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
 
    qDebug() << "### HOME_DIR_YOUR    " << HOME_DIR_YOUR;
    QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR.prepend("file:///"));   /* filee path not open */
    qDebug() << "### youhome.toString()    " << youhome.toString();
    qDebug() << "### youhome.toLocalFile()    " << youhome.toLocalFile();
    QUrl youhome1("http://www.qtcentre.org/forum/");  /* running open browser*/
    QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);
 
 
 
### HOME_DIR_YOUR     "C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"
### youhome.toString()     "file:///C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"
### youhome.toLocalFile()     "C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"

#include <QDesktopServices>
    #define HOME_DIR_YOUR \
              QString( "%1/ale.png" ).arg( QDir::homePath())
    
    qDebug() << "### HOME_DIR_YOUR    " << HOME_DIR_YOUR;
    QUrl youhome(HOME_DIR_YOUR.prepend("file:///"));   /* filee path not open */
    qDebug() << "### youhome.toString()    " << youhome.toString();
    qDebug() << "### youhome.toLocalFile()    " << youhome.toLocalFile();
    QUrl youhome1("http://www.qtcentre.org/forum/");  /* running open browser*/
    QDesktopServices::openUrl (youhome);
              
              

### HOME_DIR_YOUR     "C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"
### youhome.toString()     "file:///C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"
### youhome.toLocalFile()     "C:/Documents and Settings/ppk-it/ale.png"

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[wysota]

This works for me without any special magic tricks.

[RS2411]

Hi wysota,

I tried your code snipet and it works fine. The only problem I discovered is that it won't work anymore if there are spaces within the filename or path. I tried to find a workaround but I didn't find anything.

Anybody any ideas?

[wysota]

This has to be a valid URL and URL doesn't allow spaces. You might need to convert it from a local file path. Substitute:

bool r = QDesktopServices::openUrl(QUrl(path->text()));

bool r = QDesktopServices::openUrl(QUrl(path->text()));

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with

bool r = QDesktopServices::openUrl(QUrl::fromLocalFile(path->text()));

bool r = QDesktopServices::openUrl(QUrl::fromLocalFile(path->text()));

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[rupeshbhurke]

Dear all,
thank you very much for invaluable inputs.

I found that using

QUrl::fromLocalFile(...)

QUrl::fromLocalFile(...)

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is quite useful but on linux systems (, mine is ubuntu 11.04), it can't be used with urls like

www.qtcenter.org (web addresses)

www.qtcenter.org (web addresses)

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It does open with

QDesktopServices::openUrl(...)

QDesktopServices::openUrl(...)

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So after some search I came across

QUrl::fromUserInput(...)

QUrl::fromUserInput(...)

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I have tested it on WinXP, Win7, Ubuntu 11.04, MacOSX with success. I have tried opening following Urls with it (successfully):

/home (It's a dir path)
/usr/local (It's a dir path)
/home/rupesh/Pictures/1.jpg (it's a file)
/home/rupesh/Pictures/1 2 3 4.jpg (it's a file, please note spaces in file name)
/home/rupesh/Pictures/1.pdf (it's a file)
/home/rupesh/Pictures/1 2 3 4.pdf (it's a file, please note spaces in file name)
http://www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com

By the way the code I wrote was

return QDesktopServices::openUrl( QUrl::fromUserInput( theUrl ));

Please give me a feedback if you use it and come across any issues.

Thank you
Rupesh

[ChrisW67]

Why did you feel the need to resurrect a thread that has been dormant for five years to tell us about a documented function that did not exist until 2009 (Qt 4.6) and could not have been the solution the OP was looking for?

I found that using

QUrl::fromLocalFile(...)

QUrl::fromLocalFile(...)

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is quite useful but on linux systems (, mine is ubuntu 11.04), it can't be used with urls like

www.qtcenter.org (web addresses)

www.qtcenter.org (web addresses)

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Why would you expect it to do anything useful with that? "www.qtcentre.org" is not a local file is it?