misc: Use the OpenURI D-Bus portal for opening URLs

This works inside of containers, and supports passing an activation token with the request, which is needed on Wayland to transfer focus to the browser.

(cherry picked from commit 682da4ee9885c28bccf0dee832f3089b0abca547)

src/core/linux/SDL_dbus.c

@@ -471,6 +471,63 @@ static bool SDL_DBus_AppendDictWithKeyValue(DBusMessageIter *iterInit, const cha
    return SDL_DBus_AppendDictWithKeysAndValues(iterInit, keys, values, 1);
 }
 
+bool SDL_DBus_OpenURI(const char *uri, const char *window_id, const char *activation_token)
+{
+    const char *bus_name = "org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop";
+    const char *path = "/org/freedesktop/portal/desktop";
+    const char *interface = "org.freedesktop.portal.OpenURI";
+    DBusMessageIter iterInit;
+    bool ret = false;
+
+    if (!dbus.session_conn) {
+        /* We either lost connection to the session bus or were not able to
+         * load the D-Bus library at all.
+         */
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    DBusMessage *msg = dbus.message_new_method_call(bus_name, path, interface, "OpenURI");
+    if (!msg) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    if (!window_id) {
+        window_id = "";
+    }
+    if (!dbus.message_append_args(msg, DBUS_TYPE_STRING, &window_id, DBUS_TYPE_STRING, &uri, DBUS_TYPE_INVALID)) {
+        goto done;
+    }
+
+    dbus.message_iter_init_append(msg, &iterInit);
+
+    if (activation_token) {
+        if (!SDL_DBus_AppendDictWithKeyValue(&iterInit, "activation_token", activation_token)) {
+            goto done;
+        }
+    } else {
+        // The array must be in the parameter list, even if empty.
+        DBusMessageIter iterArray;
+        if (!dbus.message_iter_open_container(&iterInit, DBUS_TYPE_ARRAY, "{sv}", &iterArray)) {
+            goto done;
+        }
+        if (!dbus.message_iter_close_container(&iterInit, &iterArray)) {
+            goto done;
+        }
+    }
+
+    {
+        DBusMessage *reply = dbus.connection_send_with_reply_and_block(dbus.session_conn, msg, -1, NULL);
+        if (reply) {
+            ret = true;
+            dbus.message_unref(reply);
+        }
+    }
+
+done:
+    dbus.message_unref(msg);
+    return ret;
+}
+
 bool SDL_DBus_ScreensaverInhibit(bool inhibit)
 {
     const char *default_inhibit_reason = "Playing a game";

src/core/linux/SDL_dbus.h

@@ -119,6 +119,8 @@ extern void SDL_DBus_FreeReply(DBusMessage **saved_reply);
 extern void SDL_DBus_ScreensaverTickle(void);
 extern bool SDL_DBus_ScreensaverInhibit(bool inhibit);
 
+extern bool SDL_DBus_OpenURI(const char *uri, const char *window_id, const char *activation_token);
+
 extern void SDL_DBus_PumpEvents(void);
 extern char *SDL_DBus_GetLocalMachineId(void);
 

src/misc/unix/SDL_sysurl.c

@@ -33,8 +33,42 @@
 extern char **environ;
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_DBUS_DBUS_H
+#include "../../core/linux/SDL_dbus.h"
+#endif
+
+#ifdef SDL_VIDEO_DRIVER_WAYLAND
+#include "../../video/wayland/SDL_waylandutil.h"
+#endif
+
+// Wayland requires an activation token for the browser to take focus.
+static void GetActivationToken(char **token, char **window_id)
+{
+#ifdef SDL_VIDEO_DRIVER_WAYLAND
+    SDL_VideoDevice *vid = SDL_GetVideoDevice();
+
+    if (vid && SDL_strcmp(vid->name, "wayland") == 0) {
+        Wayland_GetActivationTokenForExport(vid, token, window_id);
+    }
+#endif
+}
+
 bool SDL_SYS_OpenURL(const char *url)
 {
+    char *activation_token = NULL;
+    char *window_id = NULL;
+
+    GetActivationToken(&activation_token, &window_id);
+
+    // Prefer the D-Bus portal, if available.
+#ifdef HAVE_DBUS_DBUS_H
+    if (SDL_DBus_OpenURI(url, window_id, activation_token)) {
+        SDL_free(activation_token);
+        SDL_free(window_id);
+        return true;
+    }
+#endif
+
     const char *args[] = { "xdg-open", url, NULL };
     SDL_Environment *env = NULL;
     SDL_Process *process = NULL;
@@ -47,6 +81,9 @@ bool SDL_SYS_OpenURL(const char *url)
 
     // Clear LD_PRELOAD so Chrome opens correctly when this application is launched by Steam
     SDL_UnsetEnvironmentVariable(env, "LD_PRELOAD");
+    if (activation_token) {
+        SDL_SetEnvironmentVariable(env, "XDG_ACTIVATION_TOKEN", activation_token, false);
+    }
 
     SDL_PropertiesID props = SDL_CreateProperties();
     if (!props) {
@@ -64,6 +101,8 @@ bool SDL_SYS_OpenURL(const char *url)
     result = true;
 
 done:
+    SDL_free(activation_token);
+    SDL_free(window_id);
     SDL_DestroyEnvironment(env);
     SDL_DestroyProcess(process);
 

src/video/wayland/SDL_waylandutil.c

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+/*
+  Simple DirectMedia Layer
+  Copyright (C) 1997-2026 Sam Lantinga <slouken@libsdl.org>
+
+  This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied
+  warranty.  In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages
+  arising from the use of this software.
+
+  Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose,
+  including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it
+  freely, subject to the following restrictions:
+
+  1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not
+     claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software
+     in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be
+     appreciated but is not required.
+  2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be
+     misrepresented as being the original software.
+  3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
+*/
+#include "SDL_internal.h"
+
+#ifdef SDL_VIDEO_DRIVER_WAYLAND
+
+#include "SDL_waylandevents_c.h"
+#include "SDL_waylandutil.h"
+#include "xdg-activation-v1-client-protocol.h"
+
+#define WAYLAND_HANDLE_PREFIX "wayland:"
+
+typedef struct Wayland_ActivationParams
+{
+    char **token;
+    bool done;
+} Wayland_ActivationParams;
+
+static void handle_xdg_activation_done(void *data, struct xdg_activation_token_v1 *xdg_activation_token_v1, const char *token)
+{
+    Wayland_ActivationParams *activation_params = (Wayland_ActivationParams *)data;
+    *activation_params->token = SDL_strdup(token);
+    activation_params->done = true;
+
+    xdg_activation_token_v1_destroy(xdg_activation_token_v1);
+}
+
+static const struct xdg_activation_token_v1_listener xdg_activation_listener = {
+    handle_xdg_activation_done
+};
+
+bool Wayland_GetActivationTokenForExport(SDL_VideoDevice *_this, char **token, char **window_id)
+{
+    if (!_this || !token) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    SDL_VideoData *viddata = _this->internal;
+
+    SDL_WaylandSeat *seat = viddata->last_implicit_grab_seat;
+    SDL_WindowData *focus = NULL;
+
+    if (seat) {
+        focus = seat->keyboard.focus;
+        if (!focus) {
+            focus = seat->pointer.focus;
+        }
+    }
+
+    const char *xdg_activation_token = SDL_getenv("XDG_ACTIVATION_TOKEN");
+    if (xdg_activation_token) {
+        *token = SDL_strdup(xdg_activation_token);
+        if (!*token) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // Unset the envvar after claiming the token.
+        SDL_unsetenv_unsafe("XDG_ACTIVATION_TOKEN");
+    } else if (viddata->activation_manager) {
+        struct wl_surface *requesting_surface = focus ? focus->surface : NULL;
+        Wayland_ActivationParams params = {
+            .token = token,
+            .done = false
+        };
+
+        struct wl_event_queue *activation_token_queue = Wayland_DisplayCreateQueue(viddata->display, "SDL Activation Token Generation Queue");
+
+        struct wl_proxy *activation_manager_wrapper = WAYLAND_wl_proxy_create_wrapper(viddata->activation_manager);
+        WAYLAND_wl_proxy_set_queue(activation_manager_wrapper, activation_token_queue);
+        struct xdg_activation_token_v1 *activation_token = xdg_activation_v1_get_activation_token((struct xdg_activation_v1 *)activation_manager_wrapper);
+        xdg_activation_token_v1_add_listener(activation_token, &xdg_activation_listener, &params);
+
+        if (requesting_surface) {
+            // This specifies the surface from which the activation request is originating, not the activation target surface.
+            xdg_activation_token_v1_set_surface(activation_token, requesting_surface);
+        }
+        if (seat && seat->wl_seat) {
+            xdg_activation_token_v1_set_serial(activation_token, seat->last_implicit_grab_serial, seat->wl_seat);
+        }
+        if (focus && focus->app_id) {
+            // Set the app ID for external use.
+            xdg_activation_token_v1_set_app_id(activation_token, focus->app_id);
+        }
+        xdg_activation_token_v1_commit(activation_token);
+
+        while (!params.done) {
+            WAYLAND_wl_display_dispatch_queue(viddata->display, activation_token_queue);
+        }
+        WAYLAND_wl_proxy_wrapper_destroy(activation_manager_wrapper);
+        WAYLAND_wl_event_queue_destroy(activation_token_queue);
+
+        if (!*token) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (focus && window_id) {
+        const char *id = SDL_GetStringProperty(focus->sdlwindow->props, SDL_PROP_WINDOW_WAYLAND_XDG_TOPLEVEL_EXPORT_HANDLE_STRING, NULL);
+        if (id) {
+            const size_t len = SDL_strlen(id) + sizeof(WAYLAND_HANDLE_PREFIX) + 1;
+            *window_id = SDL_malloc(len);
+            if (!*window_id) {
+                SDL_free(*token);
+                *token = NULL;
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            SDL_strlcpy(*window_id, WAYLAND_HANDLE_PREFIX, len);
+            SDL_strlcat(*window_id, id, len);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+#endif // SDL_VIDEO_DRIVER_WAYLAND

src/video/wayland/SDL_waylandutil.h

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+  Simple DirectMedia Layer
+  Copyright (C) 1997-2026 Sam Lantinga <slouken@libsdl.org>
+
+  This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied
+  warranty.  In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages
+  arising from the use of this software.
+
+  Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose,
+  including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it
+  freely, subject to the following restrictions:
+
+  1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not
+     claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software
+     in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be
+     appreciated but is not required.
+  2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be
+     misrepresented as being the original software.
+  3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
+*/
+#include "SDL_internal.h"
+
+#ifndef SDL_waylandutil_h_
+#define SDL_waylandutil_h_
+
+#include "../SDL_sysvideo.h"
+
+/**
+ * Generates an activation token that can be passed to external clients.
+ * The token and window_id parameters must be freed with SDL_free() when done.
+ */
+extern bool Wayland_GetActivationTokenForExport(SDL_VideoDevice *_this, char **token, char **window_id);
+
+#endif // SDL_waylandutil_h_

test/testurl.c

@@ -25,29 +25,27 @@ static void tryOpenURL(const char *url)
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-    int i;
-    SDLTest_CommonState *state;
-
-    state = SDLTest_CommonCreateState(argv, 0);
-
-    if (!SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO)) {
-        SDL_Log("SDL_Init failed: %s", SDL_GetError());
-        return 1;
-    }
+    const char *url = NULL;
+    SDLTest_CommonState *state = SDLTest_CommonCreateState(argv, 0);
+    bool use_gui = false;
 
     /* Parse commandline */
-    for (i = 1; i < argc;) {
+    for (int i = 1; i < argc;) {
         int consumed;
 
         consumed = SDLTest_CommonArg(state, i);
         if (consumed == 0) {
             if (argv[i][0] != '-') {
-                tryOpenURL(argv[i]);
+                url = argv[i];
+                consumed = 1;
+            } else if (SDL_strcasecmp(argv[i], "--gui") == 0) {
+                use_gui = true;
                 consumed = 1;
             }
         }
         if (consumed <= 0) {
             static const char *options[] = {
+                "[--gui]"
                 "[URL [...]]",
                 NULL,
             };
@@ -57,6 +55,38 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         i += consumed;
     }
 
+    state->flags = SDL_INIT_VIDEO;
+    if (!SDLTest_CommonInit(state)) {
+        return SDL_APP_FAILURE;
+    }
+
+    if (!use_gui) {
+        tryOpenURL(url);
+    } else {
+        SDL_Event event;
+        bool quit = false;
+
+        while (!quit) {
+            while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) {
+                if (event.type == SDL_EVENT_KEY_DOWN) {
+                    if (event.key.key == SDLK_SPACE) {
+                        tryOpenURL(url);
+                    } else if (event.key.key == SDLK_ESCAPE) {
+                        quit = true;
+                    }
+                } else if (event.type == SDL_EVENT_QUIT) {
+                    quit = true;
+                }
+            }
+
+            SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(state->renderers[0], 0, 0, 0, 255);
+            SDL_RenderClear(state->renderers[0]);
+            SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(state->renderers[0], 255, 255, 255, 255);
+            SDL_RenderDebugTextFormat(state->renderers[0], 8.f, 16.f, "Press space to open %s", url);
+            SDL_RenderPresent(state->renderers[0]);
+        }
+    }
+
     SDL_Quit();
     SDLTest_CommonDestroyState(state);
     return 0;