Desktop (Java Platform SE 7 )

java.lang.Object
- java.awt.Desktop

```
public class Desktop
extends Object
```
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.
Since:

1.6

Nested Class Summary

Nested Classes
Modifier and Type Class and Description

static class Desktop.Action
Represents an action type.

Nested Classes
Modifier and Type	Class and Description
`static class`	`Desktop.Action` Represents an action type.

Method Summary

Methods
Modifier and Type	Method and Description
`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.
`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()` Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client.
`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`	`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.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

- Method Detail
  - getDesktop
```
public static 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 GraphicsEnvironment.isHeadless() returns true
    
    UnsupportedOperationException - if this class is not supported on the current platform
    See Also:
    isDesktopSupported(), GraphicsEnvironment.isHeadless()
  - isDesktopSupported
```
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:
    getDesktop()
  - 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 Desktop.Action.OPEN action. But for a specific file, there may not be an application registered to open it. In this case, isSupported(java.awt.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:
    Desktop.Action
  - 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:
    
    NullPointerException - if file is null
    
    IllegalArgumentException - if the specified file doesn't exist
    
    UnsupportedOperationException - if the current platform does not support the Desktop.Action.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 SecurityManager.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:
    AWTPermission
  - 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:
    
    NullPointerException - if the specified file is null
    
    IllegalArgumentException - if the specified file doesn't exist
    
    UnsupportedOperationException - if the current platform does not support the Desktop.Action.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 SecurityManager.checkRead(java.lang.String) method denies read access to the file, or SecurityManager.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:
    AWTPermission
  - 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:
    
    NullPointerException - if the specified file is null
    
    IllegalArgumentException - if the specified file doesn't exist
    
    UnsupportedOperationException - if the current platform does not support the Desktop.Action.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 SecurityManager.checkRead(java.lang.String) method denies read access to the file, or its SecurityManager.checkPrintJobAccess() method denies the permission to print the file, or the calling thread is not allowed to create a subprocess
  - browse
```
public void browse(URI uri)
            throws IOException
```
    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 Desktop.Action.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:
    URI, AWTPermission, AppletContext
  - mail
```
public void mail()
          throws IOException
```
    Launches the mail composing window of the user default mail client.
    
    Throws:
    
    UnsupportedOperationException - if the current platform does not support the Desktop.Action.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:
    AWTPermission
  - 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 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 Desktop.Action.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:
    URI, AWTPermission

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For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java SE Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.
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Class Desktop

Nested Class Summary

Method Summary

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

Method Detail

getDesktop

isDesktopSupported

isSupported

open

edit

print

browse

mail

mail