Open URL in Default Browser

[taylormia]

I'm using Kubuntu 19.10 and running mqtt-launcher.py as a systemd service on boot. I'm trying to get a URL to open in my default browser Chrome using xdg-open but I get the error "returned non-zero exit status 3". Here is my launcher.conf:

https://pastebin.com/raw/Wngw89fT

I have verified that xdg-open opens the URL fine as the user but errors as root with 'no method available for opening'. I have also tried running the systemd service as the user but get the same error.

I have also tried running mqtt-launcher.py in the user crontab to run on reboot but it does not launch.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[jpmens]

Why are you running the launcher as root? I'm not familiar with the utilities you're using, but I'd think it unlikely that xdg-open would function when run out of the context of systemd, because it knows nothing about your display. Similarly, for the crontab experiment: this utility doesn't know about your graphical display.

If it's X11, you might get around by setting the DISPLAY environment variable and xset + on the display itself, but it's probably some new-fangled technology I'm not aware of.

That's about all I can do for you, unfortunately.

[taylormia]

Thanks for the feedback.
I realized I was making this too complicated. I got the launcher to start on user login by adding a shell script with the following:
#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/python /home/user/mqtt-launcher.py & &>/dev/null

to Autostart in the KDE Plasma 5 System Settings - and now I can get the URL to be opened when the topic/payload is received - since the xdg-open utility runs as the user and not root.

Thanks for the launcher script. It does exactly what I need !!