The Shell API provides methods to interact with the operating system’s shell, allowing you to show files in the file manager, open files with default applications, move files to trash, and open external URLs.
Usage
use Native\Desktop\Facades\Shell;
// Show a file in the system file manager
Shell::showInFolder('/path/to/file.txt');
// Open a file with the default application
Shell::openFile('/path/to/document.pdf');
// Move a file to trash
Shell::trashFile('/path/to/old-file.txt');
// Open a URL in the default browser
Shell::openExternal('https://example.com');
Methods
showInFolder()
Show a file or folder in the system’s file manager (Explorer on Windows, Finder on macOS, file manager on Linux).
Shell::showInFolder(string $path): void
The absolute path to the file or folder to show.
Shell::showInFolder(storage_path('logs/laravel.log'));
openFile()
Open a file using the system’s default application for that file type.
Shell::openFile(string $path): string
The absolute path to the file to open.
Returns an empty string if successful, or an error message if the file couldn’t be opened.
$result = Shell::openFile(storage_path('reports/monthly.pdf'));
if ($result !== '') {
// Handle error
logger()->error('Failed to open file: ' . $result);
}
trashFile()
Move a file to the system’s trash/recycle bin instead of permanently deleting it.
Shell::trashFile(string $path): void
The absolute path to the file to move to trash.
Shell::trashFile(storage_path('temp/cache.tmp'));
openExternal()
Open a URL in the system’s default web browser or appropriate external application.
Shell::openExternal(string $url): void
The URL to open. Can be a web URL (http/https) or other protocol URLs like mailto: or file:.
// Open a website
Shell::openExternal('https://nativephp.com');
// Open an email client
Shell::openExternal('mailto:[email protected]');
// Open a file URL
Shell::openExternal('file:///path/to/file.html');
Complete Examples
Export and Show Report
use Native\Desktop\Facades\Shell;
class ReportController
{
public function export()
{
$path = storage_path('exports/report.pdf');
// Generate report
PDF::generateReport($path);
// Show the file in the file manager
Shell::showInFolder($path);
return response()->json(['message' => 'Report exported']);
}
}
Safe File Deletion
use Native\Desktop\Facades\Shell;
class FileManager
{
public function delete(string $filePath)
{
try {
// Move to trash instead of permanent deletion
Shell::trashFile($filePath);
return ['success' => true, 'message' => 'File moved to trash'];
} catch (\Exception $e) {
return ['success' => false, 'message' => 'Failed to delete file'];
}
}
}
Open Documentation
use Native\Desktop\Facades\Shell;
class HelpController
{
public function openDocs()
{
Shell::openExternal('https://docs.example.com');
}
public function openLocalHelp()
{
$helpFile = resource_path('help/index.html');
Shell::openFile($helpFile);
}
}
Notes
- All file paths should be absolute paths
- The
openFile() method uses the system’s file associations to determine which application to use
trashFile() is safer than permanent deletion as files can be recovered from the trashopenExternal() will open URLs in the default browser, not within your application- These methods respect the operating system’s security settings and file permissions