browsera

browsera is a macOS menu bar application that allows users to quickly view and change their default web browser. It provides a simple interface to select from installed browsers and set one as the system default.

Features

• Displays a list of installed web browsers in the menu bar
• Allows setting any listed browser as the system default with a single click
• Uses monochrome icons for a clean, consistent look
• Includes an About dialog with developer information

How It Works

browsera is built using Swift and AppKit, with a SwiftUI wrapper for the app structure. Here's a high-level overview of its components and functionality:

1. App Structure: The app uses the @NSApplicationDelegateAdaptor property wrapper to bridge SwiftUI with the traditional AppKit-based menu bar app structure.

2. Menu Bar Integration: The app creates a status item in the menu bar using NSStatusBar, displaying a monochrome browser icon.

3. Browser Detection: On launch and each time the menu is opened, the app checks for installed browsers using a predefined list of bundle identifiers.

4. Menu Creation: For each detected browser, a menu item is created with the browser's name and a monochrome version of its icon.

5. Default Browser Setting: When a browser is selected from the menu, the app uses the LSSetDefaultHandlerForURLScheme function to set it as the default for HTTP and HTTPS protocols.

6. Monochrome Icons: The app converts all browser icons to monochrome using Core Image filters for a consistent appearance.

7. About Dialog: An "About" menu item opens a dialog with the developer's information and a clickable website link.

Key Components

• AppDelegate: Manages the app's lifecycle, creates the menu, and handles user interactions.
• convertToMonochrome(_:): A function that converts color images to monochrome using Core Image filters.
• setBrowserAsDefault(_:): Sets the selected browser as the system default.
• showAbout(): Displays the About dialog with developer information.

Installation

1. Clone the repository
2. Open the project in Xcode
3. Build and run the application

Note: Ensure that your app's target settings include the "Application is agent (UIElement)" key set to "YES" in the Info.plist to make it a true menu bar app without a dock icon.

Requirements

• macOS 11.0 or later
• Xcode 12.0 or later

Author

Marat Galiev https://maratgaliev.com