hvmonteiro/browserpicker

Choose which internet browser you prefer to use for opening your URLs.

About

BrowserPicker is a small application that allows you to choose which internet browser you prefer to use for opening your URLs on Windows operating system.

The Problem

I use multiple desktop browsers daily to separate my interests and avoid mixing subjects. I might use Edge for work related stuff, Chrome for personal stuff and Firefox for development projects. However, a recurring issue arises when clicking on URLs, as they automatically launch the Windows default browser, disrupting my carefully curated browsing setup. To avoid this, I usually need to remember to manually copy the URL, select the appropriate browser, open a new tab or window, and then paste the link.

The Solution

To avoid this inconvenience, I come up with this little desktop tool that lets you choose which browser you want to use to open URLs.

How it works

To use it, you first need to configure it as the Windows default browser. After completing this setup, whenever a URL is clicked or opened by default, BrowserPicker will retrieve all registered Windows browsers from the registry, it then presents a list allowing you to choose the browser you wish to use for opening the link.

Development environment setup

Since this is a Windows desktop tool, you can only setup the development build environment on Windows. You need to follow the instructions below to setup the development environment.

For troubleshooting check the ...\assets\images\ directory for screenshots.

Install development dependencies

Install Git for Windows

• Install any Git Windows client from here.

Install NodeJS

• install NodeJS (x64) for Windows from here
• setup Windows environment following Microsoft's Node.js Guidelines for Windows

Install Python

• install the current version of Python from the Microsoft Store (also check the next step below)

Install Windows Build Tools

• install the latest Visual Studio Community 2022, modify your installation (check ...\assets\images\ directory for screenshots):
  1. in Individual Components type C++ in the search input
  • select Desktop development with C++
  2. in Individual Components type c++ core features in the search input
  • select C++ core features (Latest)
  3. in Individual Components type sdk in the search input
  • select MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (Latest)

Install node-gyp

• Install node-gyp from here (https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-gyp), follow install and setup instructions in On Windows section

Setup the environment by executing the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/hvmonteiro/browserpicker.git
cd browserpicker

# check if you are running the x64 version of node
node -p "process.arch"

# configure NPM msvs_version to have the value of 2022
npm config set msvs_version=2022
# -or- add `msvs_version=2022` manually using
npm config edit

# install node-gyp globally
npm install -g node-gyp

# configure node-gyp msvs_version to have the value of 2022
node-gyp configure --msvs_version=2022

# install dependencies
npm install

# start the application in DEV mode
npm test

# or start the application in PROD mode
npm start