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Open URLs in system browser via shell.openExternal #15

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Merged
mberrishdev merged 4 commits into from
Dec 9, 2025
Merged

Open URLs in system browser via shell.openExternal #15

mberrishdev merged 4 commits into from
Dec 9, 2025

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Copilot AI commented Dec 9, 2025 •
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URLs displayed in clipboard history were not opening in the system's default browser when clicked.

Changes

Main Process (src/main/main.ts)

  • Added IPC handler open-external-url using shell.openExternal()

Preload Bridge (src/main/preload.ts)

  • Exposed openExternalURL method via contextBridge

Renderer (src/renderer/components/ClipboardItem.tsx)

  • Added click handler to intercept URL navigation and invoke IPC
  • Introduced trimmedText memoization to avoid redundant operations

Types (src/renderer/types.d.ts)

  • Extended ElectronAPI interface with openExternalURL method

Example

// Before: <a> with target="_blank" opens in Electron window
<a href={url} target="_blank">...</a>

// After: Click intercepted and routed through IPC
<a href={url} onClick={(e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
  window.electronAPI.openExternalURL(url);
}}>...</a>

The href attribute is retained for accessibility (keyboard navigation, hover preview, right-click context menu).

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

  • https://api.github.com/repos/electron/node-gyp/tarball/06b29aa
    • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.bun/bin/bun bun install (http block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>URLs should open in default browser when clicked</issue_title>
<issue_description>## Description
When clicking on a URL in the clipboard history, it should open in the user's default browser instead of opening within the Electron app window.

Current Behavior

URLs are displayed as clickable links, but clicking them may open within the Electron window or not work as expected.

Expected Behavior

Clicking a URL should open it in the user's default system browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)

Technical Details

Need to add shell.openExternal() handling for URL clicks in src/renderer/components/ClipboardItem.tsx

Affected Code

src/renderer/components/ClipboardItem.tsx lines 172-179

Priority

Medium - URLs are detected and displayed, but clicking behavior needs improvement</issue_description>

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Copilot AI and others added 3 commits December 9, 2025 19:08
@mberrishdev
Add shell.openExternal for URL clicks in clipboard history
33e2701 
Co-authored-by: mberrishdev <84536014+mberrishdev@users.noreply.github.com>
@mberrishdev
Add proper TypeScript types for window.electronAPI
9dfe831 
Co-authored-by: mberrishdev <84536014+mberrishdev@users.noreply.github.com>
@mberrishdev
Refactor to use trimmedText variable and remove non-null assertion
1bba3a7 
Co-authored-by: mberrishdev <84536014+mberrishdev@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Fix URLs to open in default browser when clicked Open URLs in system browser via shell.openExternal Dec 9, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from mberrishdev December 9, 2025 19:15
@mberrishdev mberrishdev marked this pull request as ready for review December 9, 2025 19:23
@mberrishdev
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mberrishdev commented Dec 9, 2025

hmm, i tested it, it worked well :)

@mberrishdev mberrishdev merged commit 619dedc into master Dec 9, 2025
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@mberrishdev mberrishdev Awaiting requested review from mberrishdev

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URLs should open in default browser when clicked

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@mberrishdev