How to handle files opened from the file explorer

Palances Liao

The modern way

Using the File Handling API

First, declare the file_handlers attribute in your web app manifest. The File Handling API requires you to specify the action property (a handling URL) and the accept property, which is an object with MIME types as keys and arrays of the particularly corresponding file extensions.

{
  "file_handlers": [
    {
      "action": "./",
      "accept": {
        "image/*": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".webp", ".svg"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Next, you need to use the File Handling API to imperatively deal with opened files via the launchQueue.

if ('launchQueue' in window && 'files' in LaunchParams.prototype) {
  launchQueue.setConsumer((launchParams) => {
    if (!launchParams.files.length) {
      return;
    }
    for (const fileHandle of launchParams.files) {
      // Handle the file.
    }
  });
}

Browser Support

Source

The classic way

Using the classic `DataTransferItem.getAsFile()` method

If the File Handling API is not supported, you can still drag and drop files from the file explorer into the app. The DataTransferItem.getAsFile() method returns the drag data item's File object. If the item is not a file, this method returns null. While you can read the file, there is no way to write back to it. This method has the disadvantage that it does not support directories.

Browser Support

Source

Progressive enhancement

The snippet below uses the File Handling API when it's available, and additionally registers drag and drop handlers so dragged files can be handled.

Declare the file types that can be handled in the web app manifest. Browsers that don't support the File Handling API will just ignore this.

{
  "file_handlers": [
    {
      "action": "./",
      "accept": {
        "image/*": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".webp", ".svg"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

// File Handling API
const handleLaunchFiles = () => {
  window.launchQueue.setConsumer((launchParams) => {
    if (!launchParams.files.length) {
      return;
    }
    launchParams.files.forEach(async (handle) => {
      const file = await handle.getFile();
      console.log(`File: ${file.name}`);
      // Do something with the file.
    });
  });
};

if ('launchQueue' in window && 'files' in LaunchParams.prototype) {
  handleLaunchFiles();
}

// This is the drag and drop zone.
const elem = document.querySelector('main');
// Prevent navigation.
elem.addEventListener('dragover', (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
});
// Visually highlight the drop zone.
elem.addEventListener('dragenter', (e) => {
  elem.style.outline = 'solid red 1px';
});
// Visually unhighlight the drop zone.
elem.addEventListener('dragleave', (e) => {
  elem.style.outline = '';
});
// This is where the drop is handled.
elem.addEventListener('drop', async (e) => {
  // Prevent navigation.
  e.preventDefault();
  // Unhighlight the drop zone.
  elem.style.outline = '';
  // Prepare an array of promises…
  const fileHandlesPromises = [...e.dataTransfer.items]
    // …by including only files (where file misleadingly means actual file _or_
    // directory)…
    .filter((item) => item.kind === 'file')
    // …and, depending on previous feature detection…
    .map((item) => item.getAsFile());
  // Loop over the array of promises.
  for await (const handle of fileHandlesPromises) {
    // This is where we can actually exclusively act on the files.
    if (handle.isFile) {
      console.log(`File: ${handle.name}`);
      // Do something with the file.
    }
  }
});

Demo

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
    <link rel="manifest" href="manifest.json" />
    <title>How to handle files opened from the file explorer</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
    <!-- TODO: Devsite - Removed inline handlers -->
    <!-- <script>
      if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
        window.addEventListener('load', async () => {
          const registration = await navigator.serviceWorker.register(
            'sw.js',
          );
          console.log(
            'Service worker registered for scope',
            registration.scope,
          );
        });
      }
    </script>
    <script src="script.js" type="module"></script> -->
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>How to handle files opened from the file explorer</h1>
    <p>Install the app. After the installation, try opening an image file from the file explorer with the app.
  </body>
</html>

CSS


        html {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
  color-scheme: dark light;
}

*, *:before, *:after {
  box-sizing: inherit;
}

body {
  margin: 1rem;
}

img {
  height: auto;
  max-width: 100%;
  display: block;
}

JS


        if ('launchQueue' in window && 'files' in LaunchParams.prototype) {
  launchQueue.setConsumer((launchParams) => {
    if (!launchParams.files.length) {
      return;
    }
    for (const fileHandle of launchParams.files) {
      document.body.innerHTML += `${fileHandle.name}
`;
    }
  });
}