OpenNav

OpenNav is a lightweight, keyboard-centric browser selector/launcher written in Rust using GTK4.

• Launch any browser that's installed in your system
• Open links in browser of your choice (just set OpenNav as your default browser)
• Launch searches with search engines of your choice in the browser of your choice
• (yes, you can add/manage search engines in OpenNav and configure keywords)
• Launch in a specific profile (just create a .desktop file for it)

It automatically detects your installed browsers and lets you quickly select which one to launch, search something or open a link with. It learns your preferences over time, sorting your most-used or most recently used browsers to the top (or just set it to list alphabetically).

Features

• 🚀 Fast Startup: Optimized for instant launch.
• ⌨️ Keyboard Driven: Navigate, filter, and launch without touching the mouse.
• 🔍 Smart Filtering: Type to filter browsers instantly.
• 📌 Pinning: Keep your favorite browsers pinned to the top (Ctrl+P).
• 📊 Usage Sorting: Automatically sorts browsers by usage frequency.
• 🛠️ Customizable: Supports custom icons (including absolute paths) and recognizes Flatpaks.
• 🌑 Modern UI: Dark theme support with readable styling.

Installation

AppImage (Portable)

Download the .AppImage from the Releases page.

chmod +x OpenNav-x86_64.AppImage
./OpenNav-x86_64.AppImage

From Source (Rust)

1. Dependencies:

   • Fedora: sudo dnf install gtk4-devel gcc
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install libgtk-4-dev build-essential

2. Build & Run:

   git clone https://github.com/jasiralavi/opennav.git
   cd opennav
   cargo run --release -- https://cyfersolutions.com

3. Install Desktop Entry (Required for icons/integration):

   # Update paths in opennav.desktop if needed, then:
   cp opennav.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/com.opennav.app.desktop
   update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

Flatpak (Local Build)

See distribution.md or flatpak/ folder for instructions on building a local Flatpak.

How to Use

OpenNav serves two main purposes:

1. Browser Picker: When you click a link in another app (like Discord or Slack), OpenNav pops up, letting you choose which browser to open that specific link in.
2. Quick Launcher: You can launch OpenNav directly to quickly open any of your installed browsers, optionally typing a URL to go straight there.
3. Direct Web Search: Type a search query (e.g., "rust lang") in the URL bar and select a browser. OpenNav will automatically detect it's a search term and perform a web search using the browser's default search engine (or Google).

Configuration

Set as Default Browser

To make OpenNav your browser picker, you must set it as your system's Default Web Browser:

• GNOME: Settings -> Default Applications -> Web. Select "OpenNav".
• KDE Plasma: System Settings -> Applications -> Default Applications -> Web Browser. Select "OpenNav".

Quick Launch Shortcut

To open OpenNav instantly with a keyboard shortcut (e.g., Super+B or Ctrl+Alt+B):

1. Open your desktop environment's Keyboard Shortcuts settings.
2. Add a new custom shortcut.
3. Set the command to: opennav (or the path to your AppImage if using that).
4. Assign your preferred key combination.

Shortcuts

Key	Action
Type	Filter list
Ctrl + L / Left Arrow from list	Focus URL Bar, preserving the selected browser
cc (configurable)	Open Chrome profile picker
Browser shortcut	Select its browser; configure in Settings
.keyword	Enter a bookmark to open
Up / Down	Navigation
Enter / Click	Launch Selected
Ctrl + Enter	Launch & Keep Open
Ctrl + Click	Launch & Keep Open
Ctrl + P	Pin/Unpin Browser
Ctrl + S	Open Settings
Ctrl + ?	Show Shortcuts
Esc	Close / Clear Search

Browser Shortcuts and Bookmarks

Settings includes Browser Shortcuts and Bookmarks. Shortcuts use exactly two letters, are saved in lowercase, and take effect immediately. Chrome profiles default to cc (replacing the old hardcoded cp). Each detected browser receives a unique shortcut, normally fx for Firefox, me for Microsoft Edge, gc for Chrome, and bv for Brave. Existing search aliases and saved shortcuts are reserved; if a preferred shortcut is taken, OpenNav assigns an unused one. Check Settings for your mappings.

Type a browser shortcut while the browser list is focused to select it. Press Left Arrow to enter a URL or search without losing that selection, then Enter to launch. You can also append a browser selector in the URL/search field:

Input	Result
g rust gtk -fx	Google search for “rust gtk” in Firefox
br rust gtk -me	Existing Brave Search alias in Microsoft Edge
example.com -fx	Open the site in Firefox
.dp	Open the bookmark with keyword dp in the selected browser
.dp -fx	Open that bookmark in Firefox

Add a bookmark's name, keyword (e.g. dp), and complete HTTP(S) URL in Settings. Bookmark keywords are unique and use a dot prefix when launching, so .g and the search alias g can coexist. Unknown bookmarks offer an optional add dialog with the keyword prefilled. Fill in Name and Link, then choose Add or press Ctrl+Enter to save. Cancel or Esc closes the dialog. Saving keeps your original request ready to launch. Unknown browser selectors show an error. Search URLs accept both {} and %s placeholders.

Validation

cargo test --release
./tests/run-ui.sh       # Requires a running graphical session
cargo build --release
./build_appimage.sh

The UI test uses temporary settings and fake browser launchers. It verifies keyboard navigation, settings changes, bookmarks, markup rendering, and launch arguments without changing your OpenNav data or opening real browser pages.

Adding Custom Profiles (Firefox & Chrome)

OpenNav detects browsers by scanning your system's .desktop files. To add a specific browser profile (like "Work" or "Personal"), you need to create a custom desktop entry for it.

Firefox Profile

1. Create Profile: Run firefox -P in your terminal to create a new profile (e.g., named "Work").
2. Create Desktop File: Create ~/.local/share/applications/firefox-work.desktop.
3. Add Content:

   [Desktop Entry]
   Name=Firefox Work
   Exec=firefox -P "Work" %u
   Icon=firefox
   Type=Application
   MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;

   Note: The -P "ProfileName" flag is the key part.

Chrome Profile

1. Find Profile Path: Chrome uses internal names like "Profile 1". Run ls ~/.config/google-chrome/ | grep Profile to list them.
2. Verify: Test with google-chrome --profile-directory="Profile 1".
3. Create Desktop File: Create ~/.local/share/applications/chrome-work.desktop.
4. Add Content:

   [Desktop Entry]
   Name=Chrome Work
   Exec=/usr/bin/google-chrome --profile-directory="Profile 1" %U
   Icon=google-chrome
   Type=Application
   MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;

Important: Update Database

After creating any .desktop file, you must run this command for OpenNav to detect the new entry:

update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications

License

GNU General Public License v3.0