java.awt
class Desktop

java.lang.Object java.awt.Desktop

Most common way to construct:

Desktop desktop = Desktop.getDesktop();

Based on 25 examples

public class Desktop
extends Object

The {@code Desktop} class allows a Java application to launch associated applications registered on the native desktop to handle a {@link java.net.URI} or a file.

Supported operations include:

• launching the user-default browser to show a specified URI;
• launching the user-default mail client with an optional {@code mailto} URI;
• launching a registered application to open, edit or print a specified file.

This class provides methods corresponding to these operations. The methods look for the associated application registered on the current platform, and launch it to handle a URI or file. If there is no associated application or the associated application fails to be launched, an exception is thrown.

An application is registered to a URI or file type; for example, the {@code "sxi"} file extension is typically registered to StarOffice. The mechanism of registereing, accessing, and launching the associated application is platform-dependent.

Each operation is an action type represented by the {@link Desktop.Action} class.

Note: when some action is invoked and the associated application is executed, it will be executed on the same system as the one on which the Java application was launched.

browse

public void browse(URI uri)
            throws IOException

Launches the default browser to display a {@code URI}. If the default browser is not able to handle the specified {@code URI}, the application registered for handling {@code URIs} of the specified type is invoked. The application is determined from the protocol and path of the {@code URI}, as defined by the {@code URI} class.

If the calling thread does not have the necessary permissions, and this is invoked from within an applet, {@code AppletContext.showDocument()} is used. Similarly, if the calling does not have the necessary permissions, and this is invoked from within a Java Web Started application, {@code BasicService.showDocument()} is used.

Parameters:

uri - the URI to be displayed in the user default browser

Throws:

IOException - if the user default browser is not found, or it fails to be launched, or the default handler application failed to be launched

edit

public void edit(File file)
          throws IOException

Launches the associated editor application and opens a file for editing.

Parameters:

file - the file to be opened for editing

Throws:

IOException - if the specified file has no associated editor, or the associated application fails to be launched

getDesktop

public static synchronized Desktop getDesktop()

Returns the Desktop instance of the current browser context. On some platforms the Desktop API may not be supported; use the {@link #isDesktopSupported} method to determine if the current desktop is supported.

Returns:

the Desktop instance of the current browser context

isDesktopSupported

public static boolean isDesktopSupported()

Tests whether this class is supported on the current platform. If it's supported, use {@link #getDesktop()} to retrieve an instance.

Returns:

true if this class is supported on the current platform; false otherwise

isSupported

public boolean isSupported(Desktop.Action action)

Tests whether an action is supported on the current platform.

Even when the platform supports an action, a file or URI may not have a registered application for the action. For example, most of the platforms support the {@link Desktop.Action#OPEN} action. But for a specific file, there may not be an application registered to open it. In this case, {@link #isSupported} may return {@code true}, but the corresponding action method will throw an {@link IOException}.

Parameters:

action - the specified {@link Action}

Returns:

true if the specified action is supported on the current platform; false otherwise

mail

public void mail()
          throws IOException

Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client.

Throws:

IOException - if the user default mail client is not found, or it fails to be launched

mail

public void mail(URI mailtoURI)
          throws IOException

Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client, filling the message fields specified by a {@code mailto:} URI.

A mailto: URI can specify message fields including "to", "cc", "subject", "body", etc. See The mailto URL scheme (RFC 2368) for the {@code mailto:} URI specification details.

Parameters:

mailtoURI - the specified {@code mailto:} URI

Throws:

IOException - if the user default mail client is not found or fails to be launched

open

public void open(File file)
          throws IOException

Launches the associated application to open the file.

If the specified file is a directory, the file manager of the current platform is launched to open it.

Parameters:

file - the file to be opened with the associated application

Throws:

IOException - if the specified file has no associated application or the associated application fails to be launched

print

public void print(File file)
           throws IOException

Prints a file with the native desktop printing facility, using the associated application's print command.

Parameters:

file - the file to be printed

Throws:

IOException - if the specified file has no associated application that can be used to print it