FindExecutable replacement for Linux application to open HTML files at
anchor.
lazarus / 1-Linux

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han · 2016-06-02 13:58

To open local HTML files and jump to an anchor in the text, I need
direct access to the browser executable. With following command I can
jump to an anchor in a local HTML file:
    firefox "file:///documentation.html#anchorname"

This commando can't pass through
opendocument(documentation.html#anchorname) unless the anchor is
removed. It works however in openURL() for webpages but not for local
HTML files. I have a robust solution for MSWindows below but not for
Linux. Somehow I have to find out where the executable of the browser
is located. I can simple use something like
 if FileExists('/usr/bin/firefox') then browser:='/usr/bin/firefox'
but that is not a robust solution. See code below. Any ideas for a
Linux equivalent for  FindExecutable? If I look to the properties of
an HTML file, the system knows to browser application to open it. How
to extract this information from the Linux operating system?

My procedure:

procedure open_file_with_parameters(filelink,parameters2:string);{This
one does work for anchor parameters. Works for chrome and Firefox, not
for internet explorer}
 {$ifdef unix}
var
  AProcess: TProcess;
  browser :string;
begin
  {FindExecutable not available in Linux, workaround:}
  if FileExists('/usr/bin/firefox') then browser:='/usr/bin/firefox'
else
  if FileExists('/usr/bin/seamonkey') then
browser:='/usr/bin/seamonkey' else
  if FileExists('/usr/bin//google-chrome') then
browser:='/usr/bin/google-chrome' else
  if FileExists('/usr/bin/opera') then browser:='/usr/bin/opera' else
browser:='';

  if browser<>'' then
  begin
    AProcess := TProcess.Create(nil);
    AProcess.Executable := browser;
    AProcess.Parameters.Add('file:///'+filelink+parameters2);
    // AProcess.Options are not set so the program continues after
starting the browser}
    AProcess.Execute;
    AProcess.Free;
  end
  else
  OpenDocument(Filelink);{unknown browser, open without anchor}
end;

{$ELSE} {windows}
 var
    Buffer: array[0..MAX_PATH] of
    Char;
    Res: Integer;
  begin

  FillChar(Buffer, SizeOf(Buffer), #0);
  Res := FindExecutable(PChar(filelink), nil, Buffer );
  if Res > 32 then {Executable program for filelink is in Buffer}
  begin
    ShellExecute(mainwindow.handle, 'open', buffer,
PChar('"'+'file:///'+filelink+parameters2+'"'),nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) 
{file:///  for firefox, otherwise # becomes %23,  '"' for paths with
spaces like program files}
  end;
end;
 {$endif}