Clicking a link, to open in browser, and FSNotes makes a request to the server in the link

[ngocphamm]

Description

When I click a link in a note, it opens in browser (as intended). However, LittleSnitch (a firewall application) reports that FSNotes is trying to make a request to the server in the link.

Something likes this

And this is the popup by LittleSnitch

I wonder why FSNotes seems to make such request? Or it's just a reporting issue from LittleSnitch? I think this happens since the last update or so. I didn't notice it before.

To Reproduce

0. Have LittleSnitch firewall installed, in Alert mode. I'm sorry I'm not sure if this can be done at all, but I think LIttleSnitch does provide free trial for 14 days.
1. Create a note with some links, or one link
2. Go to preview mode
3. Click the link
4. See that LittleSnitch now alerts about a new connection made by FSNotes to the server in the clicked link

Expected behavior

The link is handled/opened in the default browser of the system, so there shouldn't be any request to the server in the link made by FSNotes.

FSNotes version

5.3.9

macOS/iOS version

12.3.1

Additional context

No response

[glushchenko]

Hi! Very interesting. Can you provide note example?

[glushchenko]

Ah, stop, this happens when only click on link? Then is OK. At first click dispatched by WkWebView, then in browser.

[ngocphamm]

So is this an unintentional behavior or what? I'm confused. Is there anything to prevent this?

[glushchenko]

Of course not, it's seems by design in WkWebView.

You can find opening method here and track all before:

fsnotes/FSNotes/View/MPreviewView.swift

Line 136 in c982698

NSWorkspace.shared.open(url)

[ngocphamm]

I see so this is just because of the way the click event dispatched by WkWebView. I'm still not sure how I can get rid of this annoying popup by LittleSnitch without just globally allowing all connections to 443 and 80 ports for FSNotes. Thanks for your explanation!

[glushchenko]

What's going on if fully block FSNotes from internet? App completely autonomous and not need any access.

[ngocphamm]

You are right that I can just do that, and I just noticed another app having the same behavior, Mailmate. It probably uses the same WkWebView (to view the email content), and when I click a link in the email, the same happen with LittleSnitch popping up.

EDIT: Yup I found this in Mailmate's changelog. A realease back in Dec 2021. I was kinda sure this didn't happen until recently.

Uses the WKWebView class to display HTML instead of the WebView class (deprecated by Apple a long time ago).