python: open unfocused tab with webbrowser

Question

I would like to open a new tab in my web browser using python's webbrowser. However, now my browser is brought to the top and I am directly moved to the opened tab. I haven't found any information about this in documentation, but maybe there is some hidden api. Can I open this tab in the possible most unobtrusive way, which means:

• not bringing browser to the top if it's minimzed,
• not moving me the opened tab (especially if I am at the moment working in other tab - my process is working in the background and it would be very annoying to have suddenly my work interrupted by a new tab)?

Answer 1

On WinXP, at least, it appears that this is not possible (from my tests with IE).

From what I can see, webbrowser is a fairly simple convenience module that creates (probably ) a subprocess-style call to the browser executable.

If you want that sort of granularity you'll have to see if your browser accepts command line arguments to that effect, or exposes that control in some other way.