WebDrop Bridge

Professional Qt-based desktop application for intelligent drag-and-drop file handling between web applications and desktop clients (InDesign, Word, Notepad++, etc.)

Overview

WebDrop Bridge is a sophisticated desktop bridge application that intercepts text-based drag-and-drop operations from embedded web applications and converts them into native file-drag operations recognized by professional desktop applications.

The Problem

Modern web applications can transmit file paths via drag-and-drop, but desktop applications expect native file handles. Traditional solutions fail because:

• Browsers sandbox cross-origin drag-and-drop
• Web apps can't access the file system directly
• Native apps need OS-level file handles (CF_HDROP on Windows, NSFilenamesPboardType on macOS)

The Solution

WebDrop Bridge embeds a web application in a Qt container with full filesystem access, intelligently intercepting and converting drag operations at the OS boundary.

Features

• ✅ Qt-based Architecture - Native Windows & macOS support via PySide6
• ✅ Embedded Web App - QtWebEngine provides Chromium without browser limitations
• ✅ Drag Interception - Converts text paths to native file operations
• ✅ Path Whitelist - Security-conscious file system access control
• ✅ Configuration Management - Profile-based settings with validation
• ✅ Settings Dialog - Professional UI for path, URL, logging, and window configuration
• ✅ Auto-Update System - Automatic release detection via Forgejo API
• ✅ Professional Build Pipeline - MSI for Windows, DMG for macOS
• ✅ Comprehensive Testing - Unit, integration, and end-to-end tests (80%+ coverage)
• ✅ CI/CD Ready - GitHub Actions workflows included
• ✅ Structured Logging - File-based logging with configurable levels

Quick Start

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Windows 10/11 or macOS 12+
• 200 MB disk space (includes Chromium from PyInstaller)

Installation from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/webdrop-bridge.git
cd webdrop-bridge

# Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate          # macOS/Linux
# venv\Scripts\activate.ps1       # Windows (PowerShell)
# venv\Scripts\activate.bat       # Windows (cmd.exe)

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run application
python -m webdrop_bridge.main

Development Setup

# Install development dependencies
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

# Run tests
pytest tests -v

# Run all quality checks (lint, type, format)
tox

# Build installers
python build/scripts/build_windows.py          # Windows MSI
bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh              # macOS DMG

Project Structure

webdrop-bridge/
├── src/webdrop_bridge/          # Main application package
│   ├── core/                    # Core logic (drag interception, config)
│   ├── ui/                      # UI components (main window, widgets)
│   ├── utils/                   # Utilities (logging, validation)
│   ├── main.py                  # Entry point
│   └── config.py                # Configuration management
├── tests/
│   ├── unit/                    # Unit tests
│   ├── integration/             # Integration tests
│   ├── fixtures/                # Test data and fixtures
│   └── conftest.py              # Pytest configuration
├── build/
│   ├── windows/                 # Windows-specific build configs
│   ├── macos/                   # macOS-specific build configs
│   └── scripts/                 # Build automation scripts
├── webapp/                      # Embedded web application
├── resources/
│   ├── icons/                   # Application icons
│   └── stylesheets/            # Qt stylesheets
├── docs/                        # Documentation
├── pyproject.toml               # Modern Python packaging
├── pytest.ini                   # Test configuration
├── tox.ini                      # Test automation
└── README.md                    # This file

Architecture

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Qt Main Window (PySide6)              │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  QtWebEngineView                 │  │
│  │  ┌────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │  Web Application (HTML/JS) │  │  │
│  │  │  • Drag with file paths    │  │  │
│  │  │  • Native drag operations  │  │  │
│  │  └────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────┘  │
│         ↓ Drag Leave Event              │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  DragInterceptor                 │  │
│  │  • Validates path (whitelist)    │  │
│  │  • Creates QUrl + QMimeData      │  │
│  │  • Starts native file drag       │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓ Native File Drag
   ┌─────────────────┐
   │ InDesign/Word   │
   │ (receives file) │
   └─────────────────┘

Configuration

WebDrop Bridge supports two configuration methods:

1. Settings Dialog (Recommended)

Launch the application and access the Settings menu to configure:

• Paths Tab - Add/remove allowed root directories
• URLs Tab - Configure allowed web URLs (whitelist mode)
• Logging Tab - Set log level and file location
• Window Tab - Configure window dimensions
• Profiles Tab - Save/load/export-import configuration profiles

Profiles are saved in ~/.webdrop-bridge/profiles/

2. Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root. Available settings:

# Application
APP_NAME=WebDrop Bridge
APP_VERSION=1.0.0

# Paths (comma-separated)
ALLOWED_ROOTS=Z:/,C:/Users/Public

# Web URLs (empty = no restriction, items = kiosk mode)
ALLOWED_URLS=

# Interface
WEBAPP_URL=file:///./webapp/index.html
WINDOW_WIDTH=1024
WINDOW_HEIGHT=768

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=INFO
ENABLE_LOGGING=true

Testing

WebDrop Bridge includes comprehensive test coverage with unit, integration, and end-to-end tests.

# Run all tests
pytest tests -v

# Run with coverage report
pytest tests --cov=src/webdrop_bridge --cov-report=html

# Run specific test categories
pytest tests/unit -v                    # Unit tests only
pytest tests/integration -v             # Integration tests only

# Run specific test
pytest tests/unit/test_validator.py -v

# Run tests matching a pattern
pytest tests -k "config" -v

Test Coverage:

• Current target: 80%+
• Coverage report: htmlcov/index.html

Integration tests cover:

• Drag-and-drop workflow
• Update flow and release detection
• End-to-end application scenarios

Auto-Update System

WebDrop Bridge includes an intelligent auto-update system that:

• Automatic Detection: Periodically checks Forgejo/GitHub releases API
• Smart Caching: Avoids redundant network calls with smart caching
• User Notification: Alerts users of available updates via UI
• Release Notes: Displays release notes and changes
• Safe Deployment: Only triggers on newer versions

The update system is fully integrated with the application and runs in the background without blocking the UI.

For technical details, see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.

Building Installers

Windows MSI Installer

# Simple build (creates standalone .exe)
python build/scripts/build_windows.py

# Build with MSI installer
python build/scripts/build_windows.py --msi

# Build and sign executable
python build/scripts/build_windows.py --sign

Output:

• Standalone executable: build/dist/windows/WebDropBridge.exe (~195 MB)
• Optional MSI installer: build/dist/windows/WebDropBridge.msi
• SHA256 checksum: build/dist/windows/WebDropBridge.exe.sha256

macOS DMG Installer

# Build DMG (requires macOS)
bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh

# Build with code signing
SIGN_APP=true bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh

# Build with notarization
NOTARIZE_APP=true bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh

Output:

• DMG installer: build/dist/macos/WebDropBridge.dmg
• App bundle: build/dist/macos/WebDropBridge.app

Creating Releases

For Forgejo/GitHub releases:

# Windows - Create release with executable
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File build/scripts/create_release.ps1

# macOS - Create release with DMG
bash build/scripts/create_release.sh

Development Workflow

1. Create feature branch

   git checkout -b feature/my-feature
   

2. Write tests first

   pytest tests/unit/test_my_feature.py
   

3. Implement feature

   # Edit src/webdrop_bridge/...
   

4. Run quality checks

   tox -e lint,type  # Run linting and type checking
   

5. Submit pull request

Troubleshooting

Application won't start

• Ensure Python 3.10+ is installed
• Check logs/webdrop_bridge.log for errors
• Verify all dependencies: pip list

Drag-and-drop not working

• Verify paths in .env are valid
• Check ALLOWED_ROOTS whitelist includes your test directory
• On macOS, check System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Accessibility

Build errors

• Clean build directory: rm -rf build/temp build/dist
• Reinstall dependencies: pip install --force-reinstall -r requirements.txt
• Check platform-specific requirements (Windows SDK, Xcode for macOS)

Platform Support

Platform	Version	Status	Notes
Windows	10, 11	✅ Full	Tested on x64
macOS	12, 13, 14	✅ Full	Intel & Apple Silicon
Linux	Ubuntu 22.04+	⚠️ Partial	Limited testing

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Write/update tests
4. Submit a pull request
5. Ensure CI passes

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Credits

• Built with PySide6
• Inspired by professional desktop integration practices
• Special thanks to the Qt community

Development Status

Current Phase: Phase 4.3 - Advanced Configuration & Testing

Completed:

• ✅ Phase 1: Core Components (Validator, Config, Drag Interceptor, Main Window)
• ✅ Phase 2: UI Implementation (Settings Dialog, Main Window UI Components)
• ✅ Phase 3: Build & Distribution (Windows MSI, macOS DMG, Release Scripts)
• ✅ Phase 4.1: Update System (Auto-update, Forgejo API integration)
• ✅ Phase 4.2: Web App Improvements (Modern UI, Drag-drop testing)
• ✅ Phase 4.3: Advanced Configuration (Profiles, Validation, Settings UI)

In Progress/Planned:

• Phase 4.4: Performance optimization & security hardening
• Phase 5: Release candidates & final testing
• v1.0: Stable Windows & macOS release

Roadmap

• Core drag-drop functionality
• Configuration management with profiles
• Auto-update system
• Professional build pipeline
• Comprehensive test suite
• Performance benchmarking & optimization
• Security audit & hardening
• v1.1 - Advanced filtering and extended logging
• v1.2 - API for custom handlers
• v2.0 - Plugin architecture

Support

• 📖 Documentation
• 🐛 Issue Tracker
• 💬 Discussions

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Development Phase: Pre-Release Phase 4.3 | Last Updated: February 2026 | Python: 3.10+ | Qt: PySide6 (Qt 6)