How to start default browser with a URL(with spaces and #) for a local file? Delphi

Question

I want to open a local HTML file in the default browser.

For example: Default Browser is Mozilla Firefox.

The file to be opened: C:\\My Custom Path\\New Folde

Answer 1

I ended up doing this. I get the default browser, and used the CreateProcess API to launch the browser with my custom URL. Notice, I add the 'file:///' in the beginning and also surround the string with double quotes.

function GetDefaultBrowser(): String;
var
    ExecName: array[0..MAX_PATH] of Char;
    FHandle: THandle;
    MyPath: String;
begin
    Result := '';
    MyPath := small.GetTempPath;
    FHandle := System.SysUtils.FileCreate(MyPath + 'AFile.htm');

    if FHandle <> INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE then
    begin
        FillChar(ExecName, Length(ExecName), #0);
        if FindExecutable('AFile.htm', PChar(MyPath), ExecName) > 32 then
            Result := ExecName;
        System.SysUtils.FileClose(FHandle);
        System.SysUtils.DeleteFile(MyPath + 'AFile.htm');
    end;
end;


procedure LaunchHTMLPage(NumberToAppend : string);
var
    Start: TStartupInfo;
    Process: TProcessInformation;
    FileNameString, AppPathAndName, AppPathOnly: string;
begin
    AppPathAndName := GetDefaultBrowser ;

    //Break the AppPathAndName and get the path name to use later

    //I am adding double quotes in the path name to escape the spaces and the '#'
    FileNameString := AnsiQuotedStr('file:///' + Application.HelpFile + '#' + NumberToAppend, '"');
    AppPathAndName := AppPathAndName + ' ' + FileNameString;
    FillChar(Start, SizeOf(StartUpInfo), #0);
    FillChar(Process, SizeOf(TProcessInformation), #0);

    CreateProcess(nil, PChar(AppPathAndName), nil, nil, false, CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUP + NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, nil, PChar(AppPathOnly), StartUpInfo, ProcessInfo);

end;