opener

What is opener?

The opener npm package is a utility that allows you to open files, URLs, executables, and directories with their default application from Node.js. It is a cross-platform package that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What are opener's main functionalities?

Open URLs in the default web browser

This feature allows you to open a URL in the user's default web browser. It is useful for redirecting users to web pages from a Node.js application.

const opener = require('opener');
opener('http://www.google.com');

Open files in the default application

This feature enables you to open a file with its associated default application. For example, a PDF would be opened in a PDF viewer.

const opener = require('opener');
opener('path/to/file.pdf');

Open directories in the default file explorer

With this feature, you can open a directory in the system's default file explorer, which can be handy for showing users where certain files are located.

const opener = require('opener');
opener('path/to/directory/');

Other packages similar to opener

open

The 'open' package is similar to 'opener' and is used to open files, URLs, and executables across different platforms. It provides more options and greater control over how the resources are opened, such as specifying the application to use.

execa

While 'execa' is not a direct alternative to 'opener', it is a process execution tool that can be used to open applications and resources by running system commands. It provides a more programmatic approach to handling system processes.

child_process

The 'child_process' module is built into Node.js and can be used to achieve similar results as 'opener' by spawning system processes. It requires more setup and understanding of system commands but is very powerful and flexible.

README

It Opens Stuff

That is, in your desktop environment. This will make actual windows pop up, with stuff in them:

npm install opener -g

opener http://google.com
opener ./my-file.txt
opener firefox
opener npm run lint

Also if you want to use it programmatically you can do that too:

var opener = require("opener");

opener("http://google.com");
opener("./my-file.txt");
opener("firefox");
opener("npm run lint");

Plus, it returns the child process created, so you can do things like let your script exit while the window stays open:

var editor = opener("documentation.odt");
editor.unref();
// These other unrefs may be necessary if your OS's opener process
// exits before the process it started is complete.
editor.stdin.unref();
editor.stdout.unref();
editor.stderr.unref();

Use It for Good

Like opening the user's browser with a test harness in your package's test script:

{
    "scripts": {
        "test": "opener ./test/runner.html"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "opener": "*"
    }
}

Why

Because Windows has start, Macs have open, and *nix has xdg-open. At least according to some person on StackOverflow. And I like things that work on all three. Like Node.js. And Opener.