README.md

executable-builder

Executable Builder is a component of WebAppFind which provides the functionality to build, in a more customizable manner, executables which can pass a selected desktop file to a web application for viewing and optional editing.

Executable Builder also lets websites silently advertise their support for handling certain file extensions and/or content types and the user can, at their discretion, import that info and even set the web app to open local files of that type by default (or just be available within "Open With...").

For any WebAppFind executable, one may choose the level of privilege by which the web app may act on the supplied file (e.g., "view" or "edit").

The executables built by Executable Builder are actually just simple files working with the command line which pass some additional instructions to it. In the case of WebAppFind executables, these will be passing command line instructions to the browser.

Usage

In order to provide suggested file extension and content type associations for discoverability by Executable Builder, one's HTML must include <meta name="webappfind"> elements in the head of the document. These elements must also include a content attribute with keys and values separated by equal signs and each pair separated by ampersands, as in URL query strings (minus the initial question mark). To properly escape content, one may use JavaScript's encodeURIComponent() or use the utility library provided with webappfind-demos-samples.

When when one has a tab open in the browser with such HTML containing these <meta> tags, one may click the "Exec" Executable Builder toolbar button and then choose from the "Prepopulate with settings recommended by site" pull-down and choose the settings offered by the website (listed by executable name). Upon using such a suggestion, be sure to review the settings before building an executable, as the site may be suggesting itself as a handler for files which you are not willing for it to handle.

To-dos for new Executable Builder (in WebAppFind)

1. Provide button to remove apps from "Open with..."
   1. If deleting the application:
      1. Remove the application
      2. /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain user
      3. killall Finder
   2. If modifying an application:
      1. Modify application package contents Info.plist CFBundleTypeExtensions
      2. killall Finder
2. For content-type, give option to add further meta-data to export (if exposing)/import (needed if using third party)
3. IMPORTANT: See execute.js, executableResponses.js, etc. for other todos already under-way
4. Remove/adapt to-dos from other add-ons (WebAppFind/filebrowser-enhanced/AsYouWish) as completed in process of this add-on
5. As reimplement, uncomment hidden docs above
6. Option to auto-add to dock
7. Avoid baking in arguments--let them be passed in by command line
8. UI
   1. Split form into generic and specific sections (so will allow building of executables regardless of whether used for WebAppFind or not); dynamically reveal sections based on 'Open with WebAppFind?' radio group selection, hard-coding or not, etc. (as simpler Wizard)
   2. Add copy path to clipboard
   3. File picker from Ajax and local Node.js (using Miller columns browser?); see commented out code.
   4. Have option to change toolbar icon when files are available (requires (pseudo) content-script)
      1. show current state, e.g., if already associated, if changed, etc.
9. Add our <meta name=webappfind> format to https://wiki.whatwg.org/wiki/MetaExtensions
10. Allow icon for app (using site favicon if no icon specified)
11. Other similar openers
    1. Create AppleScript to prompt for site
    2. Create desktop app/AppleScript (to communicate with native messaging app to use windows add-on privilege to open a dialog, asking which web app (that has previously advertised itself as supporting the clicked on file type) the user wishes to open in). If none yet exist, provide explanation (and link to, or even parse, a wiki to which sites can add their info for discovery?)
       1. Option to disable recording of such data discovered at various sites
12. Other command line uses
    1. Command line for ExecutableBuilder UI: Until web apps support file writing to arbitrary locations (WebActivity or new addition to WebAppFind?), one can at least treat ExecutableBuilder as itself an executable (and be able to bake it into an executable with its own icon, profile, etc.); also support other commands, so e.g., an AsYouWish application could provide an alternative interface to the built-in exec dialog (and trigger-able from WebAppFind); see Demo todos below on dog-fooding
       1. Since can't open browser action, just open within some other window
    2. Expose full API to command line for building executables
       1. Support additional command line arguments to open up the executable builder dialog from the desktop with initial values such as executable or icon path, desktop/remote file or web app URL, etc.; allow command the "Browse" dialog for desktop file to be opened via command line or immediately to the document URL autocomplete field (so that Executable Builder can easily add an add-on bar/toolbar button to go immediately to picking a file or URL)
    3. Allow executable builder to build executables to run itself
13. Profiles
    1. Profile building
    2. In place of or in addition to profiles, consider contextualIdentities
    3. Profile - Request to work offline, use the profile without asking, open if browser is not open.
    4. Implement if WebExtensions ever returns to XUL capabilities
       1. Conditional logic to check if -no-remote (preferred is open) and if not, open a specific profile or vice versa? (?)
       2. Add AsYouWish (and ExecutableBuilder and WebAppFind) optionally to profile folder (or global?) so apps can have privileges from any profile! (Ought to be desirable to have easy way to share back from one profile to another though in case people start building independent executables and then decide want to share again so as to allow independent executable)
       3. Try installing WebAppFind and ExecutableBuilder extensions globally so each profile (or multiple profiles--e.g., one profile for each WebAppFind method and/or different environments--e.g., multiple tabs but only for HTML reading) can access it? (since --install-global-extension is removed from Firefox now, should apparently use this instead (cross-browser?): https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Installing_extensions)
14. Include ability to embed configuration information if WebAppFind command line starts to support more configuration options (e.g., full screen mode algorithm to require or at which to begin).
15. Features requiring extended privileges
    1. Ability to manage previously associated items (including if added to filebrowser-enhanced) so that one knows which file types have been associated through this add-on
    2. Ability to proposed WebAppFind handle multiple files on right-click (cycling through arguments)? e.g., to open a group and then commit as a group (seems to be no "open with option when done this way); pass in additional files for access (e.g., to save to a config file, to build an icon file in a predictable location along with the other file data, etc.); if done by right-click, could do in filebrowser-enhanced at least
16. Other executable types
    1. Option to accept URL shortcut file for dropping onto and use its URL with hard-baked file params; see urlshortcut method for format of this file so as to be able to parse it for the URL; for Executable Builder, this would be HTML drag-and-drop, but could be AppleScript for direct
17. AtYourCommand
    1. Support direct integration of commands into AtYourCommand
18. Demo todos
    1. Demo dog-fooding reading/editing our special template file type once separation-of-concerns/serialize to-do is complete (so it could be handled by other apps as with any other WebAppFind file) though would need AYW for privileges (as also could do with SVG icons when done)
    2. Provide sample batch file; including ones which supply arguments based on the current directory's path; the path could determine the ultimate path of the to-be-created executable (or icon), a hard-coded desktop (or remote) file or web app URL to open

Windows to-dos

(These to-dos are for whenever Windows functionality may be reimplemented.)

1. Ask Mozilla re: -new-instance on Windows (if it is supposed to create a new separate icon) and whether can add as feature, including for the sake of this add-on
2. Deprecate executables in WebAppFind when batch approach done.
3. See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21082752/ftype-assoc-priority-and-adding-to-openwithlist-from-the-command-line re: OpenWith file association
4. Attempt, implement and document editor associations (which apparently cannot be set through the normal Windows UI as with "Open With") such as allowing a web app to read batch files: http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/how-can-i-change-editor-used-edit-batchcommand-files
5. Build a batch file which can be invoked with a document file OR URL so that if in the task bar, a file or URL might be droppable on it (if this is possible to do)
6. Add to favorites
7. Open with batch ok for "Open with" but a problem with task bar (without tricks); any other reasons for exe over batch? can add to favorites? try drag & drop onto cmd alias to batch (another advantage of executables) and describe usage with ExecutableBuilder-created batch files. Can use drag-onto-batch approach to pass in file path to browser with protocol (e.g., for creating and validating but especially the file-path-specific view and editing): see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6852833/running-a-batch-script-by-right-clicking-any-file and cf. to drag-and-drop into browser; allow drag-and-drop of files onto add-on icon for processing similar to C++-based right-click? Drag files onto batch icon as another option?
8. Save to SendTo folder (see here and here also for working with folders.
9. SED file
   1. Make SED file more configurable (and savable along with batch?)
   2. If there is any advantage to expanding SED options, or if we implement some more robust way to handle exe building, e.g., so as to be able to include an icon without creating a shortcut, we may expand the current UI to handle this.
10. Get code review of C++ file (e.g., ShellExecuteEx vs. CallProcess and -remote; other bugs?) and feedback on general approach, security concerns, etc. esp. if batch won't work for needs

Appreciation

A special thanks to Imgen Tata for fielding Windows questions (for the prior version of WebAppFind which supported Windows).