Multi tool use

OSX Swift open URL in default browser

How to open a url in system default browser by using Swift as programming language and OSX as plattform.

I found a lot with UIApplication like

UIApplication.sharedApplication().openURL(NSURL(string: object.url))


but this works just on iOS and not on OSX

And the Launch Services, I found has no examples for swift and there is a lot deprecated for OSX 10.10

Any help welcome - thanks.

6 Answers
6

Swift 3 or later

import Cocoa

if let url = URL(string: "https://www.google.com"),
NSWorkspace.shared().open(url) {
print("default browser was successfully opened")
}


For iOS, you can use the following:

let url = NSURL(string: "https://google.com")!
UIApplication.sharedApplication().openURL(url)


You have to unwrap NSURL.

When using Swift 3, you can open a webpage in the default browser using the following:

NSWorkspace.shared().open(NSURL(string: "https://google.com")! as URL)


In the accepted answer above, you can also check a URL using Swift 3 by inputting the following:

if let checkURL = NSURL(string: "https://google.com") {
if NSWorkspace.shared().open(checkURL as URL) {
print("URL Successfully Opened")
}
} else {
print("Invalid URL")
}


I hope that this information helps whomever it applies to.

Just a bonus. If you want to open a URL in a specific browser(even other client who can handle that URL), here is the Swift 3 code tested on Xcode 8.2.1 and macOS 10.12.2.

/// appId: `nil` use the default HTTP client, or set what you want, e.g. Safari `com.apple.Safari`
func open(url: URL, appId: String? = nil) -> Bool {
return NSWorkspace.shared().open(
[url],
withAppBundleIdentifier: appId,
options: NSWorkspaceLaunchOptions.default,
additionalEventParamDescriptor: nil,
launchIdentifiers: nil
)
}


macOS:

NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace().openURL(NSURL(string: "https://google.com")!)


iOS:

UIApplication.sharedApplication().openURL(NSURL(string: "https://google.com")!)


xCode 9 update

let url = URL(string: "https://www.google.com")!

UIApplication.shared.open(url, options: [:], completionHandler: nil)


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