[calixtus]

Refs #764

Browse and mail no longer use AWT java.awt.Desktop. The remaining AWT usages (trash, Linux/default file open, clipboard) are not part of this PR, so the issue stays open.

The base branch hostservices-browse-mail-base is the upstream commit this branch was created from (721cb13316), so the diff only shows the changes of this PR.

Opening links and mail

• Web links open via JavaFX HostServices.showDocument instead of AWT Desktop.browse.
  • A custom browser configured for HTML still takes priority.
  • URLs that cannot be parsed, or relative URLs, go to the OS URL handler (explorer.exe, open, xdg-open).
• Mail (SendAsEMailAction) goes through the OS URL handler instead of AWT Desktop.mail.
  • Not via HostServices: on Windows, it starts the web browser instead of the mail client.
  • Failures are reported to the user again; the isDesktopSupported check is gone.
• Known gap: when opening a normal web link fails, the "Could not open browser" popup no longer appears, because HostServices never reports failures. Custom browsers and the OS URL handler path still show it.

NativeDesktop design

• No singleton: NativeDesktop.create(HostServices, GuiPreferences) builds the class for the current OS. It is created in JabRefGUI.start and registered in the injector; HostServices and the preferences arrive through the constructor.
• The open methods (openBrowser, openFolderAndSelectFile, openConsole, openExternalViewer, ...) are instance methods without preference parameters.
• Template methods in the base class: the preference logic (custom browser, file browser, terminal) lives once in NativeDesktop; each OS implements only protected hooks (open with default/configured application, open folder with default file browser, open default terminal).
  • Fixes a Windows bug: with no application configured, it tried to start an empty program name.
  • macOS uses ProcessBuilder instead of Runtime.exec.
  • Duplicated process output handling in Linux is merged into one helper.
• DefaultDesktop (unknown OS) falls back to HostServices for URLs instead of throwing.
• The static helpers (NativeDesktop.openBrowser(...) etc.) are kept for the about 45 callers, delegate to the injected instance and are @Deprecated, pointing to the instance method. Their preference arguments are ignored; all callers pass parts of the same GuiPreferences.
• SendAsEMailAction uses the instance directly.
• EditExternalFileTypeEntryDialog gets NativeDesktop injected; LinkedFilesTab, DetectOpenOfficeInstallation and DeleteFileAction look it up. MultiSelectionMenuBuilder now uses the static helper and thus respects the custom file browser.

Trash support

• Whether the platform supports the trash is no longer part of the preferences: the moveToTrashSupported() hooks in JabRefCliPreferences and JabRefGuiPreferences are removed.
• FilePreferences defaults "move to trash" to true; DeleteFileAction checks platform support and deletes if there is no trash.
  • Fixes an UnsupportedOperationException when the preference was on but the platform had no trash.

Default directories

• The preference classes no longer need NativeDesktop or the getDefaultPath() hook. Defaults come from FilePreferences.getDefault() only, for fresh installs and reset alike.
• The documents folder lookup (getDefaultFileChooserDirectory, JNA on Windows, xdg-user-dir on Linux) is removed. Its only remaining use would have been the lastUsedDirectory default, which is read only by the attach file dialog when "open file explorer in last used directory" is enabled. Native calls in jablib are not worth that.
• Behaviour changes:
  • lastUsedDirectory defaults to the home directory, like workingDirectory (was /; reset gave Documents).
  • mainFileDirectory stays unset, as on a fresh install on main; reset now also gives unset (on main, it gave Documents).

Null safety

• @NullMarked on NativeDesktop, Windows, OSX, Linux, DefaultDesktop, SendAsEMailAction and Directories.
• Dead null checks in openFolderAndSelectFile and openConsole removed.
• Fixes an NPE: BackupResolverDialog passed null as DialogService, which crashed with a custom file browser configured. BackupUIManager now passes its DialogService.

Tests

• NativeDesktopTest uses Mockito mocks instead of a hand-written fake (runs on Linux only).
• PreferencesSearchCoverageTest, BackupResolverDialogTest and BackupUIManagerTest adapted.
• Local results (Windows):
  • Everything compiles, no NullAway warnings in changed files.
  • Full jablib and jabgui test runs: four failures (BackupManagerTest ×2, SourceTabTest, KeyBindingViewModelTest) also fail on the base commit; RemoteCommunicationTest failed once under load and passes on its own.

Still to do

• CHANGELOG entries (backup dialog NPE, mail opening the mail client).
• Formatter, checkstyle, OpenRewrite, modernizer, checkAllModuleInfo, javadoc, localization checks.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[koppor]

Maybe, we can easily keep the Files-based existance check of "Documents".

If we want to support linux, we could do

String xdgDocumentsDir = System.getenv("XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR");

the process builder with xdg-user-dir is optional.

---

I am unsure if the initial impression of JabRef should be nerdy or more user-centric. I think, "Documents" is more user-centric and "Home" more nerdy, but I might be wrong.

Claude:

• The Documents-folder lookup (JNA on Windows, xdg-user-dir on Linux). Consequence: "Reset preferences" leaves the main file directory unset instead of Documents, and the last-used directory starts at the home directory. Fresh installs already behaved like this on main, so the loss is small. The JNA platform module is no longer required by jabgui, which is a nice side effect.

I was not aware of this.

---

Behaviour shifts to be aware of

• Trash default is now a hard true in FilePreferences instead of "whatever the platform supports". In the GUI the effective default
  was already true on all three desktop platforms, so users will not notice. On a platform without trash, the preferences checkbox
  now shows checked but disabled, which is slightly odd but harmless since DeleteFileAction checks support before calling
  moveToTrash. In jabkit the value is never used.
• URL opening moved onto the calling thread. The old Desktop.browse was deliberately run on a background executor because it can
  block on some Linux desktops. JavaFX's Linux showDocument probes browser candidates with which synchronously. Short, but it now
  happens on the FX thread. Low risk.

Good:

DefaultDesktop now actually honours a custom application (ProcessBuilder(application, file)) instead of silently ignoring it.
That is a fix, not a loss.

[calixtus]

Moved to JabRef#17752