electron url scheme "open-url" event

Question

I did the following in my index.js;

electron.remote.app.on("open-url", function(event, url) {
  console.log("Open URL: " + url);
});

This gets triggered in Mac OS, but not in Windows. Is there another event or a different way to do it in windows?

Forespent

Answer 1

This is a mac-only feature. The closest alternative is app.makeSingleInstance(callback).

You can arrange for your app to be launched with the url as argument: myApp my-scheme://stuff

Then callback is called with the url in whichever app process was launched first.

Talesman

Answer 2

From mine similar Q/A at SO: It's about opening app and pass parameters with deep linking using Electron for both platforms (macOS/win32).

---

Minimal electron project with deep linking capabilities in macOS/win32 platforms (Single Instance Application) 'electron-deep-linking-mac-win' on GitHub.

---

package.json:

{
  "name": "electron-deeplinking-macos-win32",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "description": "Minimal Electron application with deep inking (macOS/win32)",
  "main": "main.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "electron .",
    "pack": "build --dir",
    "dist": "build"
  },
  "repository": "https://github.com/oikonomopo/electron-deep-linking-osx",
  "author": "oikonomopo",
  "license": "CC0-1.0",
  "devDependencies": {
    "electron": "1.6.6",
    "electron-builder": "17.1.2"
  },
  "build": {
    "appId": "oikonomopo.electron-deeplinking-macos-win32",
    "protocols": {
      "name": "electron-deep-linking",
      "schemes": ["myapp"]
    },
    "mac": {
      "category": "public.app-category.Reference"
    },
    "win": {
    }
  }
}

---

main.js:

const {app, BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
// Module with utilities for working with file and directory paths.
const path = require('path')
// Module with utilities for URL resolution and parsing.
const url = require('url')

// Keep a global reference of the window object, if you don't, the window will
// be closed automatically when the JavaScript object is garbage collected.
let mainWindow

// Deep linked url
let deeplinkingUrl

// Force Single Instance Application
const shouldQuit = app.makeSingleInstance((argv, workingDirectory) => {
  // Someone tried to run a second instance, we should focus our window.

  // Protocol handler for win32
  // argv: An array of the second instance’s (command line / deep linked) arguments
  if (process.platform == 'win32') {
    // Keep only command line / deep linked arguments
    deeplinkingUrl = argv.slice(1)
  }
  logEverywhere("app.makeSingleInstance# " + deeplinkingUrl)

  if (mainWindow) {
    if (mainWindow.isMinimized()) mainWindow.restore()
        mainWindow.focus()
  }
})
if (shouldQuit) {
    app.quit()
    return
}

function createWindow () {
  // Create the browser window.
  mainWindow = new BrowserWindow({width: 800, height: 600})

  // and load the index.html of the app.
  mainWindow.loadURL(url.format({
    pathname: path.join(__dirname, 'index.html'),
    protocol: 'file:',
    slashes: true
  }))

  // Open the DevTools.
  mainWindow.webContents.openDevTools()

  // Protocol handler for win32
  if (process.platform == 'win32') {
    // Keep only command line / deep linked arguments
    deeplinkingUrl = process.argv.slice(1)
  }
  logEverywhere("createWindow# " + deeplinkingUrl)

  // Emitted when the window is closed.
  mainWindow.on('closed', function () {
    // Dereference the window object, usually you would store windows
    // in an array if your app supports multi windows, this is the time
    // when you should delete the corresponding element.
    mainWindow = null
  })
}

// This method will be called when Electron has finished
// initialization and is ready to create browser windows.
// Some APIs can only be used after this event occurs.
app.on('ready', createWindow)

// Quit when all windows are closed.
app.on('window-all-closed', function () {
  // On OS X it is common for applications and their menu bar
  // to stay active until the user quits explicitly with Cmd + Q
  if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
    app.quit()
  }
})

app.on('activate', function () {
  // On OS X it's common to re-create a window in the app when the
  // dock icon is clicked and there are no other windows open.
  if (mainWindow === null) {
    createWindow()
  }
})

// Define custom protocol handler. Deep linking works on packaged versions of the application!
app.setAsDefaultProtocolClient('myapp')

// Protocol handler for osx
app.on('open-url', function (event, url) {
  event.preventDefault()
  deeplinkingUrl = url
  logEverywhere("open-url# " + deeplinkingUrl)
})

// Log both at dev console and at running node console instance
function logEverywhere(s) {
    console.log(s)
    if (mainWindow && mainWindow.webContents) {
        mainWindow.webContents.executeJavaScript(`console.log("${s}")`)
    }
}

main.js code description:

• At let deeplinkingUrl we keep the provided url.

• At macOS platform this is captured at 'open-url' event, we set it with deeplinkingUrl = url! (See // Protocol handler for osx)

• At win32 platform this is saved at process.argv together with other arguments. To get only the provided url, deeplinkingUrl = argv.slice(1). (See // Protocol handler for win32)

• As @Aurélien Nicolas mentions, at app.makeSingleInstance method we check in which platform we are and we set deeplinkingUrl accordingly! If we are at win32 platform, the url is located at argv variable from callback, else at macOS should have already been set at 'open-url' event! (See // Force Single Instance Application)

Solitaire

It is not working in windows for me. Does this only work if we install app on the platform ? OR I can test it in dev mode somehow ? – Vitascope

@MuhammadYawarAli, if i remember correctly, in order to register a protocol handler for your app, you need to make the installer that will register it. (using electron-builder project to package our app) So yes you should first install the app. – Solitaire

ok i’ll try building an installer, but it did work for mac os even in dev mode. – Vitascope

I tested deep link in mac production build, when app is closed I am not getting anything in open-url event but app opens up on deep link though. If app is minimised OR unfocused everything works fine. – Vitascope