xdg-open
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About
«xdg-open is a command-line utility for opening files and URLs using the default applications as specified by the user's desktop environment.»[1] Its current implementation (as of Ubuntu-MATE 23.10) is as a bash script which determines which desktop environment (DE) is running, and then delegates to the appropriate command for that DE. In other words, it's a slightly klugey bit of glue that deals with the lack of a standard URL-opening function across different DEs.
Delegation
Some of the commands to which xdg-open will delegate:
- enlightenment_open (e)
- exo-open (XFCE)
- gio open (Gnome3, MATE, XFCE)
- gvfs-open (Gnome3, MATE, XFCE)
- kde-open (KDE)
- kfmclient (KDE)
- gnome-open (Gnome)
- open_generic (e, Gnome, Gnome3, MATE, XFCE)
Footnotes
- ↑ 2024-01-01 ChatGPT 3.5, in response to "How can I add a custom protocol to xdg-open?"