---
title: "system.net.openURL"
description: "Opens the given URL or URI scheme outside of the currently running Client in whatever application the host operating system deems appropriate."
---

# system.net.openURL

> Opens the given URL or URI scheme outside of the currently running Client in whatever application the host operating system deems appropriate.

This function is used in **Python Scripting**.

## Description
Opens the given URL or URI scheme outside of the currently running Client in whatever application the host operating system deems appropriate. For example, the URL:

"http://www.google.com"

... will open in the default web browser, whereas this one:

"file://C:/Report.pdf"

... will likely open in Adobe Acrobat. The Windows network-share style path like:

"\\Fileserver\resources\machine_manual.pdf"

... will work as well (in Windows).

 

Be careful not to use this function in a full-screen client, as launching an external program will break your full-screen exclusive mode.

## Client Permission Restrictions
This scripting function has no [Client Permission](projects\project-properties\project-properties.md#client---permissions) restrictions.

## Syntax
`system.net.openURL(url [, useApplet])`

### Parameters

|Type|Parameter|Description|
|--|--|--|
|String| `url` | The URL to open in a web browser.|
|boolean |`useApplet` | If set to true (1), and the client is running as an Applet, then the browser instance that launched the applet will be used to open the URL. [optional]|

### Returns

Nothing

### Scope

Client

## Code Examples
```python title="Code Snippet"
# This code would open a web page
system.net.openURL("http://www.google.com")
```
```python title="Code Snippet"
# This code would open a PDF document located at C: on the client computer
# Note the double backslashes are needed because backslash is the escape character
# for Python
system.net.openURL("file://C:\\myPDF.pdf")
```
```python title="Code Snippet"
# This code would open a PDF document from a Windows-based file server
# Note the double backslashes are needed because backslash is the escape character
# for Python
system.net.openURL("\\\\MyServer\\MyDocs\\document.pdf")
```