Launching Local Applications from Visual Planning (HTTP/HTTPS Launcher)

Erstellt von Sven Trojahn, Geändert am So, 8 Feb um 5:34 NACHMITTAGS von Sven Trojahn

Overview

Visual Planning supports HTTP and HTTPS links only. For security reasons, local desktop applications cannot be started directly.

Note: This behavior is by design and not a defect in Visual Planning.

Basic Concept

Visual Planning opens an HTTP/HTTPS link
An intermediate web page processes contextual data
The page redirects in a controlled way to a local application

Technical Flow

Visual Planning
   ↓ (HTTP/HTTPS link)
Launcher web page (redirect)
   ↓ (controlled handoff)
Local application

Important: The redirect occurs only with user interaction and only if the target application is installed locally.

Launcher Web Page Implementation

Location of the Launcher Page

The launcher web page can be deployed directly as a JSP page on the Visual Planning Tomcat server.

No additional infrastructure required
Close integration with Visual Planning
Easy maintenance within the existing environment

Dynamic Link Generation

Links generated by Visual Planning can be generic and dynamically enriched with Visual Planning data, such as:

Order or process numbers
Object identifiers
Time ranges
Other contextual information

These parameters are passed via HTTP/HTTPS to the launcher web page, processed there, and forwarded to the local application.

Conceptual example: A generic link in Visual Planning is enriched at runtime with contextual data and always opens the appropriate action in the local application.

Why Is This Workaround Required?

Modern browsers prevent:

automatic startup of local programs
direct access to the local operating system
bypassing security prompts

This approach ensures that all browser and operating system security policies are respected.

Benefits

Compatible with Visual Planning
No plugins or browser extensions required
Centralized, server-side logic
Dynamic handover of contextual data
Browser- and security-compliant

Known Limitations

A browser security prompt may appear on first use
Fully automated startup without user interaction is not possible
The target application must be installed locally

Support & Implementation

Note: The implementation of this workaround (launcher web page, redirect logic, parameter handling, and integration with local applications) can be provided by our team upon request.
Please contact your designated point of contact or open a support ticket if required.

FAQ

Why is an additional web page required?

The web page acts as a controlled bridge between the web application and the local system, ensuring that all security mechanisms remain in place.

Can Visual Planning data be passed to the local application?

Yes. Links can be buil