HTML::Display help needed

gw1500se has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I am trying to write a script that will use a browser to interact with the user (I figure this is the best way to make it platform independent). Unfortunately I cannot even get up to bat. All that happens is that my HTML is written to the command line.

I am guessing that for whatever reason, HTML::Display cannot determine the default browser for the system. I am using Cygwin at the moment.

Here is my "Hello world!" code:

#! /usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use HTML::Display;

my $browser=HTML::Display->new();
if (defined($browser)) {
        my $mypage="<html><body><h1>Hello world!</h1></body></html>";
        $browser->display(html=>$mypage);
}
else {
        print("Unable to open browser: $@\n");
}
[download]

Can someone help me get started? TIA.

Comment on HTML::Display help needed Download Code

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Re: HTML::Display help needed by jethro (Monsignor) on Aug 21, 2008 at 00:07 UTC
What does the following line output? I got this code from the example in the HTLM::Display documentation btw. `warn "# Displaying HTML using " . ref $browser;` [download] If that shows that HTML::Display doesn't find a browser (which seems probable), the doc also gives examples how you can specify the browser with environment variables	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: HTML::Display help needed by gw1500se (Beadle) on Aug 21, 2008 at 09:20 UTC
Thanks for the reply. It shows: # Displaying HTML using HTML::Display::Dump at ... I guess that means it did not find a browser. I saw the environment variables but it was not clear what to set them to (a path?). Also, how do I determine the OS so I know what to set the path to?	[reply]
Re^3: HTML::Display help needed by Corion (Patriarch) on Aug 21, 2008 at 10:24 UTC
I'm always trying to improve my documentation. Currently, it says: If HTML::Display already provides a class for the browser you want to use, setting `PERL_HTML_DISPLAY_CLASS` to the name of the class will make HTML::Display use that class instead of what it detects. Maybe you can help me improve the documentation so it becomes clearer what to put in there.	[reply] [d/l]
Re^4: HTML::Display help needed by gw1500se (Beadle) on Aug 21, 2008 at 13:39 UTC
Re^5: HTML::Display help needed by Corion (Patriarch) on Aug 21, 2008 at 13:45 UTC
Some notes below your chosen depth have not been shown here
Re^4: HTML::Display help needed by jethro (Monsignor) on Aug 21, 2008 at 14:15 UTC
Re: HTML::Display help needed by Anonymous Monk on Aug 21, 2008 at 05:53 UTC
I am trying to write a script that will use a browser to interact with the user (I figure this is the best way to make it platform independent)... You're barking up the wrong tree. HTML::Display is not a web server. It doesn't speak HTTP or CGI	[reply]