Open Google Earth and load specific KML file when user clicks link on web page

Question

I'm currently working on a site which displays map data in Google Maps, but also has a link to display it in Google Earth.

To get view this data in Google Earth, a user clicks the link, downloads the file, then opens the file with Google Earth. Is there a method to automate this, so that a user can click the link and the file is automatically opened in Google Earth, similar to the iTunes web store?

I've searched through the documentation to little avail.

Answer 1

No, you can't force the users machine to launch an application like that. However, a user can set this up themselves if they wish in certain operating systems with certain browsers.

For example, in Windows I have Google Earth associated with the kml and kmz file extensions. I browse using Google Chrome. When I click a link to a kml/kmz file it is downloaded as per normal. In the download bar I can then choose to "Always open files of this type". Thus, when ever I click a link to a kml/kmz file it is automatically opened in Google Earth.

If a site could 'force' this behaviour not only would it be immensely annoying it would also be a massive security risk.

Also, why not just use the web based version of Google Earth? It is pretty simple to intergate it directly using the Google Maps Api.

i.e:

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/demos/mapsapi/index.html

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/demos/mapsapi/beefy.html