public class

Desktop

extends Object
java.lang.Object
   ↳ java.awt.Desktop

Class Overview

The Desktop class allows a Java application to launch associated applications registered on the native desktop to handle a 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 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 "sxi" file extension is typically registered to StarOffice. The mechanism of registering, accessing, and launching the associated application is platform-dependent.

Each operation is an action type represented by the 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.

Summary

Nested Classes
enum Desktop.Action Represents an action type. 
Public Methods
void browse(URI uri)
Launches the default browser to display a URI.
void edit(File file)
Launches the associated editor application and opens a file for editing.
synchronized static Desktop getDesktop()
Returns the Desktop instance of the current browser context.
static boolean isDesktopSupported()
Tests whether this class is supported on the current platform.
boolean isSupported(Desktop.Action action)
Tests whether an action is supported on the current platform.
void mail(URI mailtoURI)
Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client, filling the message fields specified by a mailto: URI.
void mail()
Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client.
void open(File file)
Launches the associated application to open the file.
void print(File file)
Prints a file with the native desktop printing facility, using the associated application's print command.
[Expand]
Inherited Methods
From class java.lang.Object

Public Methods

public void browse (URI uri)

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

If the calling thread does not have the necessary permissions, and this is invoked from within an applet, 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, BasicService.showDocument() is used.

Parameters
uri the URI to be displayed in the user default browser
Throws
NullPointerException if uri is null
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the BROWSE action
IOException if the user default browser is not found, or it fails to be launched, or the default handler application failed to be launched
SecurityException if a security manager exists and it denies the AWTPermission("showWindowWithoutWarningBanner") permission, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess; and not invoked from within an applet or Java Web Started application
IllegalArgumentException if the necessary permissions are not available and the URI can not be converted to a URL
See Also

public void edit (File file)

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

Parameters
file the file to be opened for editing
Throws
NullPointerException if the specified file is null
IllegalArgumentException if the specified file doesn't exist
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the EDIT action
IOException if the specified file has no associated editor, or the associated application fails to be launched
SecurityException if a security manager exists and its checkRead(java.lang.String) method denies read access to the file, or checkWrite(java.lang.String) method denies write access to the file, or it denies the AWTPermission("showWindowWithoutWarningBanner") permission, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess
See Also

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 isDesktopSupported() method to determine if the current desktop is supported.

Returns
  • the Desktop instance of the current browser context
Throws
HeadlessException if isHeadless() returns true
UnsupportedOperationException if this class is not supported on the current platform
See Also

public static boolean isDesktopSupported ()

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

Returns
  • true if this class is supported on the current platform; false otherwise
See Also

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 OPEN action. But for a specific file, there may not be an application registered to open it. In this case, isSupported(Desktop.Action) may return true, but the corresponding action method will throw an IOException.

Parameters
action the specified Desktop.Action
Returns
  • true if the specified action is supported on the current platform; false otherwise
See Also

public void mail (URI mailtoURI)

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

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

Parameters
mailtoURI the specified mailto: URI
Throws
NullPointerException if the specified URI is null
IllegalArgumentException if the URI scheme is not "mailto"
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the MAIL action
IOException if the user default mail client is not found or fails to be launched
SecurityException if a security manager exists and it denies the AWTPermission("showWindowWithoutWarningBanner") permission, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess
See Also

public void mail ()

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

Throws
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the MAIL action
IOException if the user default mail client is not found, or it fails to be launched
SecurityException if a security manager exists and it denies the AWTPermission("showWindowWithoutWarningBanner") permission, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess
See Also

public void open (File file)

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
NullPointerException if file is null
IllegalArgumentException if the specified file doesn't exist
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the OPEN action
IOException if the specified file has no associated application or the associated application fails to be launched
SecurityException if a security manager exists and its checkRead(java.lang.String) method denies read access to the file, or it denies the AWTPermission("showWindowWithoutWarningBanner") permission, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess
See Also

public void print (File file)

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

Parameters
file the file to be printed
Throws
NullPointerException if the specified file is null
IllegalArgumentException if the specified file doesn't exist
UnsupportedOperationException if the current platform does not support the PRINT action
IOException if the specified file has no associated application that can be used to print it
SecurityException if a security manager exists and its checkRead(java.lang.String) method denies read access to the file, or its checkPrintJobAccess() method denies the permission to print the file, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess