Launching an application from a web page

gigawiregigawire
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Is there any way to link an image to launch an application on a web page?



What i want to do is create a local only web interface that links to and opens applications like iTunes, DVD Player, iCal, etc. so when you click on the image and description of the program, it opens the application from Safari.



thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gigawire

    Is there any way to link an image to launch an application on a web page?



    What i want to do is create a local only web interface that links to and opens applications like iTunes, DVD Player, iCal, etc. so when you click on the image and description of the program, it opens the application from Safari.



    thanks



    You could link to an iTMS song to get iTunes up...



    I guess you could use an Applescript as a CGI program or something... but you'd have to be running a local webserver.



    Dunno if a file:/// link would do the trick - try and see?





    Amorya
  • Reply 2 of 7
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,438member
    Good lordy noooooooo.





    I can imagine every damn rogue programmer popping up my applications without my consent. If this becomes possible I hope Apple makes it easy to switch off.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    jambojambo Posts: 3,036member
    Moving to Genius Bar...
  • Reply 4 of 7
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    There are ways to do this. I can't remember the protocols, but the real question is: why would you want to?
  • Reply 5 of 7
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    If it's local and the web pages are on your own computer, yes, I'm quite sure you can write some scripts to do this. I'll try to find some information. Like torifile said, though, why would it be worth the trouble?
  • Reply 6 of 7
    gigawiregigawire Posts: 196member
    I want to control applications from a spanned monitor that is in another room. For example, while I work on my computer, another person can watch a DVD, or listen to music, etc. on the TV that it is hooked up to. The control of which is done using a bluetooth mouse that stays with that TV, while I use a USB mouse with the computer. The HTML interface would be "always on" as it would run in a browser that i do not use. The links within the page would go to Applescripts that I have written for the programs to launch them on the TV, open certain files, etc. For instance, say someone wanted to watch "Belle du Jour". They would Turn the TV on, tune to VIDEO 2, and there is the browser with its main page. Click on DVD. Now there is a searchable DVD database, as well as Posters form new DVDs. Click on the poster and (ideally) it will launch an Applescript that launches the VIDEO_TS folder associated with that movie, resizes the play window, adjusts the controller, etc. If I can get this to work with my computer now, then later, I will get a second computer to run this show. where I am stuck right now is figuring out how to launch applications from this interface. At the very least, launch Applescripts. The HTML format was chosen because it keeps everything orderly and pretty to users that are unfamiliar with navigating around a Mac, etc.



    The options I am guessing will either be a Java script, or an Applescript plug-in for the browser. I just wanted to see if anyone here had an experience with this, or had some possible solutions before I pursued those unfamiliar paths.



    Make sense?
  • Reply 7 of 7
    formerlurkerformerlurker Posts: 2,686member
    Hmm, why not a shareware app launcher? Seems like way more trouble than it's worth to try to do it in the browser.



    lots of possibilities here



    I don't know if hardcoded file:// links would work, but I suppose it's worth a try...
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