Manage files and URLs using their default applications.
Process: Main, Renderer (non-sandboxed only)
The shell
module provides functions related to desktop integration.
An example of opening a URL in the user's default browser:
const { shell } = require('electron')
shell.openExternal('https://github.com')
Note: While the shell
module can be used in the renderer process, it will not function in a sandboxed renderer.
The shell
module has the following methods:
fullPath
string
Show the given file in a file manager. If possible, select the file.
path
string
Returns Promise<string>
- Resolves with a string containing the error message corresponding to the failure if a failure occurred, otherwise "".
Open the given file in the desktop's default manner.
url
string - Max 2081 characters on windows.options
Object (optional)activate
boolean (optional) macOS -true
to bring the opened application to the foreground. The default istrue
.workingDirectory
string (optional) Windows - The working directory.
Returns Promise<void>
Open the given external protocol URL in the desktop's default manner. (For example, mailto: URLs in the user's default mail agent).
path
string - path to the item to be moved to the trash.
Returns Promise<void>
- Resolves when the operation has been completed.
Rejects if there was an error while deleting the requested item.
This moves a path to the OS-specific trash location (Trash on macOS, Recycle Bin on Windows, and a desktop-environment-specific location on Linux).
Play the beep sound.
shortcutPath
stringoperation
string (optional) - Default iscreate
, can be one of following:create
- Creates a new shortcut, overwriting if necessary.update
- Updates specified properties only on an existing shortcut.replace
- Overwrites an existing shortcut, fails if the shortcut doesn't exist.
options
ShortcutDetails
Returns boolean
- Whether the shortcut was created successfully.
Creates or updates a shortcut link at shortcutPath
.
shortcutPath
string
Returns ShortcutDetails
Resolves the shortcut link at shortcutPath
.
An exception will be thrown when any error happens.