MacOSX or AppleScript: get current URL from Firefox

Question

How can I get the current URL from Firefox (3 or 4)? All solutions I have found so far either don't work (e.g. those with "class curl") or are ugly hacks which are no solution for me (sending key presses to copy the URL to clipboard).

@Powertieke: I am using Chrome. But this should go into an application which I want to sell to other users and I doubt that I could just tell them "please use Chrome or Safari instead of Firefox". — Albert
– Albert, Commented Mar 15, 2011 at 11:56
Maybe you can get the python webbrowser module to fire off an inline javascript which could talk back to the script using google gears or something? — Powertieke
– Powertieke, Commented Mar 15, 2011 at 12:55

Chris May · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-28 20:48:18Z

8

Well, I have one solution now: I am reading it out of the current session store of Firefox. This works but it is always up to 10 seconds out-of-date.

Here is the code: https://github.com/albertz/foreground_app_info/blob/master/mac/app-scripts/url%20of%20Firefox.py

edited Jul 28, 2015 at 20:48

Chris May

82211 silver badges14 bronze badges

answered Mar 14, 2011 at 14:53

Albert

69k69 gold badges257 silver badges411 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Comments

user3439894 · Accepted Answer · 2021-07-22 17:54:52Z

5

Since Firefox 87 you can use native AppleScript GUI scripting to get the current URL. That's because Firefox now has support for VoiceOver.

First enable Firefox support for VoiceOver by going to about:config and setting the accessibility.force_disabled property to -1. Note that VoiceOver doesn't have to be enabled, only the support in Firefox. (Extra info at [2].)

After that, you can use:

tell application "System Events" to get value of UI element 1 of combo box 1 of toolbar "Navigation" of first group of front window of application process "Firefox"

[1]: Enabling VoiceOver support makes Firefox expose the internal structure of its window for GUI scripting.
[2]: For extra info and a non-permanent option (toggling AXEnhancedUserInterface via AppleScript) look at this bug report.

edited Jul 22, 2021 at 17:54

user3439894

7,6053 gold badges19 silver badges30 bronze badges

answered Jul 21, 2021 at 14:29

0xZ3RR0

6447 silver badges14 bronze badges

2 Comments

Mockman Over a year ago

This is a weird one. Under normal circumstances, I get the same error and result with Firefox v90 under Sierra. However, when VoiceOver is enabled the url is returned. I can't support the answer though as this prerequisite is a non-standard condition for most users. As it stands this isn't a good workaround.

0xZ3RR0 Over a year ago

Sorry, only now realized that I had an app which enabled VoiceOver support in FF. Added a section about how to enable it manually, without having VoiceOver enabled globally. Hope it helps!

sra · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-05 14:12:11Z

3

tell application "Firefox" to activate

tell application "System Events"

keystroke "l" using {command down}

keystroke "c" using {command down}

end tell

edited Jan 5, 2012 at 14:12

sra

24k8 gold badges59 silver badges89 bronze badges

answered Aug 9, 2011 at 19:37

JAC

311 bronze badge

2 Comments

Albert Over a year ago

"... ugly hacks which are no solution for me (sending key presses to copy the URL to clipboard)"

John Whitley Over a year ago

This solution has been repeated all over the 'net, and at least on current fast Apple hardware suffers from a nearly 100% repeatable "race condition" where FF won't have activated before System Events does its thing. It works to stick a big fat delay (2 sec or more, in my informal trials) in between the two tells, but that piles hack upon hack. Note: the delay statement needed is literally "delay 2", for those unfamiliar with AppleScript.

clt60 · Accepted Answer · 2014-10-02 19:01:15Z

2

Easy, if you install two components:

the mozrepl firefox extension (github)
and WWW::Mechanize::Firefox perl module

If you have installed both, the following command

perl -MWWW::Mechanize::Firefox -E 'say WWW::Mechanize::Firefox->new(tab=>'current')->base()'

will print the topmost active firefox url, in like:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5296995/macosx-or-applescript-get-current-url-from-firefox

answered Oct 2, 2014 at 19:01

clt60

64.3k17 gold badges114 silver badges206 bronze badges

Comments

Philip Regan · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-14 13:11:04Z

1

A window's URL is not exposed via the Applescript API; not even a window's tabs. The only way you'll be able to get it is through GUI scripting.

Firefox's Applescript implementation is simply awful, and I don't know why they even bother.

answered Mar 14, 2011 at 13:11

Philip Regan

5,0652 gold badges28 silver badges39 bronze badges

6 Comments

Albert Over a year ago

What do you mean by GUI scripting? I thought that AppleScript is also mostly made for GUI scripting.

Philip Regan Over a year ago

GUI Scripting is an aspect of Applescript which allows for the direct maninpulation of controls, like buttons, checkboxes, and the like.

Albert Over a year ago

How can this be done for Firefox? And doesn't it require that the application uses Cocoa GUI elements? Because I think FF doesn't use those.

Philip Regan Over a year ago

I don't do GUI scripting myself as I find it problematic and too easily prone to error, but there is an intro here: macosxautomation.com/applescript/uiscripting/index.html Firefox should support this by way of Mac OS X, but I can't tell you definitively either way.

Albert Over a year ago

I tried a bit like that to find the text box. For other applications, I was able to get a list of all GUI elements (buttons, text boxes, etc.). But for Firefox I was not. So I guess this is not possible.

|

kindall · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-14 15:34:11Z

1

Firefox 3's AppleScript implementation is lame enough that you have to resort to copying the URL out of the Location field, as shown in the last post is this thread.

answered Mar 14, 2011 at 15:34

kindall

185k36 gold badges291 silver badges321 bronze badges

2 Comments

Powertieke Over a year ago

This seems to be the only viable option. System events does not see any ui elements below the main window space... I can honestly say that this is the worst applescript support ever.

Albert Over a year ago

Well, this is absolutely no option for me. I don't want to invalidate users clipboard. And I want to check for the current URL about every 10 seconds.

BelKed · Accepted Answer · 2025-03-07 02:59:25Z

1

After some experimentation, I found a solution that works on modern macOS:

tell application "System Events" to get value of combo box 1 of group 1 of toolbar "Navigation" of group 1 of front window of application process "Firefox"

^{Based on an answer by @0xZ3RR0}

answered Mar 7 at 2:59

BelKed

1177 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

MacOSX or AppleScript: get current URL from Firefox

7 Answers 7

Comments

2 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

6 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

7 Answers 7

Comments

2 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

6 Comments

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related