Clicking links with the middle mouse button in Python3/Qt6

Question

I used a Python3 script under GTK, where I clicked on a link with the left mouse button to open it in the same window and on a middle mouse button to open it in a separate window.

I am now in the process of migrating this script from GTK to Qt6.

The problem is that I cannot intercept the middle mouse button in conjunction with a clicked link:

My browser window is based on QWebEngineView, I can intercept mouse button clicks with an event filter (eventFilter()), and I can intercept clicked links within the acceptNavigationRequest() function of a QWebEnginePage.

The URL of the clicked link is only available in acceptNavigationRequest(), but this function is only called by Qt6 when I use the left mouse button, not, as desired, the middle mouse button (neither does control + left mouse button work).

How can I let a middle mouse button click be recognized in a navigation request?

---

Debian 11.6 Bullseye, Python 3.9.2, PyQt6-Qt6 6.4.1

Answer 1

With the help of @musicamante (note the comments in the original post), I solved my problem this way:

g_mouse_button = '--'

class MyWebEngineView(QWebEngineView):

  def __init__(self):
    ...

class MyEventFilter(QObject):

  def eventFilter(self, obj, event):
    global g_mouse_button
    ...
    if event.button() == Qt.MouseButton.MiddleButton:
      g_mouse_button = 'middle'
     ...
    ...

class MyWebEnginePage(QWebEnginePage):

  def acceptNavigationRequest(self, url, ttype, isMainFrame):
    global g_mouse_button

    if  ttype           == QWebEnginePage.NavigationType.NavigationTypeLinkClicked and \
        g_mouse_button  == 'middle':
      <open link in new window>
      g_mouse_button = '--'
      return False # ignore

    return True # process

  def createWindow(self, window_type):

    return self

if __name__ == "__main__":
  ...
  event_filter = MyEventFilter()
  g_app.installEventFilter(event_filter)
  ...