native-web-app 1.0.0

Build Electron-like apps without Electron

native-web-app

A drop-in replacement for Python's webbrowser.open() that opens a native browser window without browser controls. Build Electron-style apps without shipping Electron!

import native_web_app

url = "http://localhost:8000/"

try:
    native_web_app.open(url)
except Exception:
    print(f"No web browser found. Please open a browser and point it to {url}.")

API Documentation

This module exposes a single open function:

def open(url: str, try_app_mode: bool = True) -> None:
    """
    Open a URL in a modern webbrowser.
    In contrast to webbrowser.open, this method gracefully degrades
    to a no-op on headless servers, where webbrowser.open would otherwise open lynx.

    Args:
        url:
            The URL to open, e.g. http://localhost:1234.
        try_app_mode:
            If True, try to open the URL in "app mode", i.e. without browser controls.
            This allows for Electron-like apps without having to deal with Electron.
            If no suitable browser is found, it gracefully falls back to a regular browser instance.

    Raises:
        RuntimeError, if no suitable browser is found.
        OSError, if the browser executable could not be executed.

        For robustness, implementors should catch any Exception and take that as a signal that opening the URL failed.
    """

Changelog

native_web_app 1.0 (2020-08-11)

• Initial Release

FAQ

How do I detect when the browser window is closed?

We recommend you use JavaScript to notify your backend:

window.addEventListener('unload', function() {
    navigator.sendBeacon("/shutdown");
}, false);

What about Firefox?

Firefox implemented what they call "site-specific browser functionality" in 2020, but it currently only supports HTTPS, i.e. it does not work with http://127.0.0.1:1234 or file:// URLs (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1631271). This makes it unsuitable for this project.