Getting webpage opened in another tab from hyperlink of current webpage in webview of javafx browser - javafx

Question

I have developed a very simplified but fully functional JavaFX web browser for illustrating what I want to ask. Here follows the source code.
public class OpenInNewTab extends Application {
#Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage)
{
TabPane tabPane = new TabPane();
WebView webView = new WebView();
Tab tab = new Tab("Home Tab");
tab.setContent(webView);
tabPane.getTabs().add(tab);
webView.getEngine().load("https://www.google.co.in/?gws_rd=ssl#q=javafx");
BorderPane root = new BorderPane();
root.setTop(tabPane);
Scene scene = new Scene(root, 600, 339);
primaryStage.setTitle("Basic browser");
primaryStage.setScene(scene);
primaryStage.show();
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
launch(args);
} }
This browser loads a web page from this link. I want that when I click on any of the search results, the clicked hyperlink should open in new tab adjacent to the existing "Home tab".
After searching on the internet extensively, I reached nowhere.
Please help me with relevant code. Thanks.

Answer 1

First of all, you need to find a way to handle all outgoing click events on the displayed page. I've made a helper method to achieve that. It creates an event listener for each link, clicking on which will open a new tab.
private void handleUrls(Document doc) {
NodeList links = doc.getElementsByTagName("a");
for (int i = 0; i < links.getLength(); i++) {
EventTarget eventTarget = (EventTarget) links.item(i);
String link = links.item(i).toString();
eventTarget.addEventListener("click", e -> {
WebView webView = new WebView();
alterWebView(webView);
Tab tab = new Tab(link);
tab.setContent(webView);
tab.setClosable(true);
webView.getEngine().load(link);
tabPane.getTabs().add(tab);
e.preventDefault();
}, false);
}
}
You may want to set a better name for your tab... I've used a link as a makeshift solution, but it's long and messy.
webView.getEngine().load(link);
The alterWebView referenced above is another helper function. It's responsible for tracking the loading progress. Once the Worker does nothing, it will add listeners to all urls.
private void alterWebView(WebView webView) {
WebEngine engine = webView.getEngine();
Worker worker = engine.getLoadWorker();
worker.stateProperty().addListener((oldVal, newVal, o) -> {
if (newVal.equals(State.RUNNING)) {
handleUrls(engine.getDocument());
}
});
}
So basically, the logic behind the code above is as follows:
We track our WebEngine's State until the page is fully loaded and then we add event listeners to every url.
These listeners, when invoked, will create a new WebView, handle it accordingly, and add it to the TabPane inside a new Tab.
And here's the complete, working example based on your code:
public class JavaFXTest extends Application {
private TabPane tabPane;
#Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage) {
tabPane = new TabPane();
WebView webView = new WebView();
alterWebView(webView);
Tab tab = new Tab("Home Tab");
tab.setContent(webView);
tab.setClosable(true);
tabPane.getTabs().add(tab);
webView.getEngine().load("https://www.google.co.in/?gws_rd=ssl#q=javafx");
BorderPane root = new BorderPane();
root.setTop(tabPane);
Scene scene = new Scene(root, 600, 339);
primaryStage.setTitle("Basic browser");
primaryStage.setScene(scene);
primaryStage.show();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
launch(args);
}
private void alterWebView(WebView webView) {
WebEngine engine = webView.getEngine();
Worker worker = engine.getLoadWorker();
worker.stateProperty().addListener((oldVal, newVal, o) -> {
if (newVal.equals(State.RUNNING)) {
handleUrls(engine.getDocument());
}
});
}
private void handleUrls(Document doc) {
NodeList links = doc.getElementsByTagName("a");
for (int i = 0; i < links.getLength(); i++) {
EventTarget eventTarget = (EventTarget) links.item(i);
String link = links.item(i).toString();
eventTarget.addEventListener("click", e -> {
WebView webView = new WebView();
alterWebView(webView);
Tab tab = new Tab(link);
tab.setContent(webView);
tab.setClosable(true);
webView.getEngine().load(link);
tabPane.getTabs().add(tab);
e.preventDefault();
}, false);
}
}
}