feat: load shared desktop settings from URL

apps/geolibre-desktop/src/hooks/useDesktopSettings.ts

@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ interface DesktopSettingsState {
   setDesktopSettings: (settings: DesktopSettings) => void;
 }
 
+let desktopSettingsAreTemporary = false;
+
 export const DEFAULT_DESKTOP_LAYOUT_SETTINGS: DesktopLayoutSettings = {
   browserPanelVisible: true,
   commentsPanelVisible: true,
@@ -481,8 +483,18 @@ export const useDesktopSettingsStore = create<DesktopSettingsState>((set) => ({
   setDesktopSettings: (settings) => set({ desktopSettings: normalizeDesktopSettings(settings) }),
 }));
 
+/** Apply settings supplied by an embed URL without replacing this browser's saved preferences. */
+export function applyTemporaryDesktopSettings(settings: unknown): void {
+  desktopSettingsAreTemporary = true;
+  useDesktopSettingsStore.getState().setDesktopSettings(normalizeDesktopSettings(settings));
+}
+
 export function useDesktopSettingsPersistence() {
   useEffect(() => {
+    // Keep the entire shared-settings session ephemeral. Persisting a later
+    // user edit would serialize the remote baseline along with that edit and
+    // silently replace unrelated local preferences.
+    if (desktopSettingsAreTemporary) return;
     saveDesktopSettings(useDesktopSettingsStore.getState().desktopSettings);
 
     return useDesktopSettingsStore.subscribe((state, previous) => {

apps/geolibre-desktop/src/lib/desktop-settings-url.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import { normalizeDesktopSettings, type DesktopSettings } from "../hooks/useDesktopSettings";
+import { resolveLanguage } from "../i18n/languages";
+
+export const DESKTOP_SETTINGS_URL_PARAMS = ["settingsUrl", "settingUrl"] as const;
+const LANGUAGE_URL_PARAMS = ["locale", "lang"] as const;
+const DEFAULT_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
+
+/**
+ * Keep URL-controlled settings limited to presentation. In particular, a
+ * shared link must never supply credentials, plugin sources, or local paths.
+ */
+export function normalizeSharedDesktopSettings(settings: Record<string, unknown>): DesktopSettings {
+  return normalizeDesktopSettings({
+    language: settings.language,
+    layout: settings.layout,
+    theme: settings.theme,
+    uiProfile: settings.uiProfile,
+  });
+}
+
+export function desktopSettingsUrl(search: string): string | null {
+  const params = new URLSearchParams(search);
+  for (const name of DESKTOP_SETTINGS_URL_PARAMS) {
+    const value = params.get(name)?.trim();
+    if (value) return value;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+export async function fetchDesktopSettings(
+  url: string,
+  options: { fetchImpl?: typeof fetch; timeoutMs?: number } = {},
+): Promise<DesktopSettings> {
+  const { fetchImpl = fetch, timeoutMs = DEFAULT_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS } = options;
+  const response = await fetchImpl(url, {
+    cache: "no-cache",
+    credentials: "same-origin",
+    signal: AbortSignal.timeout(timeoutMs),
+  });
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    const status = response.statusText
+      ? `${response.status} ${response.statusText}`
+      : String(response.status);
+    throw new Error(`Could not load desktop settings from ${url} (HTTP ${status}).`);
+  }
+
+  let parsed: unknown;
+  try {
+    parsed = JSON.parse(await response.text()) as unknown;
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new Error(`Desktop settings at ${url} are not valid JSON.`, {
+      cause: error,
+    });
+  }
+  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== "object" || Array.isArray(parsed)) {
+    throw new Error(`Desktop settings at ${url} must be a JSON object.`);
+  }
+  return normalizeSharedDesktopSettings(parsed as Record<string, unknown>);
+}
+
+/** Resolve a shared language only when a valid locale/lang URL override is absent. */
+export function sharedSettingsLanguage(
+  search: string,
+  language: string,
+  availableLanguages: readonly string[],
+): string | null {
+  const params = new URLSearchParams(search);
+  for (const name of LANGUAGE_URL_PARAMS) {
+    if (resolveLanguage(params.get(name), availableLanguages)) return null;
+  }
+  return resolveLanguage(language, availableLanguages);
+}

apps/geolibre-desktop/src/main.tsx

@@ -61,12 +61,18 @@ import "./lib/auth-return-url-boot";
 // paint is already in the right language. English is bundled; other locales are
 // lazily imported, so `i18nReady` resolves once the initial locale's catalog has
 // loaded and init has run — the render below awaits it.
-import i18n, { i18nReady } from "./i18n";
+import i18n, { AVAILABLE_LANGUAGES, i18nReady, setActiveLanguage } from "./i18n";
 import { installDiagnosticsCapture } from "./lib/diagnostics";
 import { isTauri } from "./lib/is-tauri";
 import { installStaleChunkReload } from "./lib/stale-chunk-reload";
 import { resolveAuthGate, type AuthGateConfig } from "./lib/auth-gate";
 import { getInitialThemeMode } from "./hooks/useThemeMode";
+import { applyTemporaryDesktopSettings } from "./hooks/useDesktopSettings";
+import {
+  desktopSettingsUrl,
+  fetchDesktopSettings,
+  sharedSettingsLanguage,
+} from "./lib/desktop-settings-url";
 
 installDiagnosticsCapture();
 // In the desktop build, route geocoding (place search / reverse geocode)
@@ -191,13 +197,41 @@ registerSW({
 // Fetch both chunks in parallel rather than waterfalling the boundary import
 // after App resolves — a free win, and it matters over the network in the web
 // build where these are separate fetches.
+const sharedSettingsUrl = desktopSettingsUrl(window.location.search);
+const sharedSettingsReady = sharedSettingsUrl
+  ? fetchDesktopSettings(sharedSettingsUrl)
+      .then((settings) => {
+        applyTemporaryDesktopSettings(settings);
+        return settings;
+      })
+      .catch((error: unknown) => {
+        // A shared settings file is optional configuration. Keep the app usable
+        // with the visitor's local settings, but make a bad URL visible in the
+        // diagnostics capture and developer console.
+        console.error("[GeoLibre] Failed to load shared desktop settings", error);
+        return null;
+      })
+  : Promise.resolve(null);
+
+const startupLanguageReady = Promise.all([i18nReady, sharedSettingsReady]).then(
+  async ([, settings]) => {
+    if (!settings) return;
+    const language = sharedSettingsLanguage(
+      window.location.search,
+      settings.language,
+      AVAILABLE_LANGUAGES,
+    );
+    if (language) await setActiveLanguage(language);
+  },
+);
+
 void Promise.all([
   import("./App"),
   import("./components/common/error-boundaries"),
   loadAuthGate(authGate),
   // Gate the first render on i18next being initialized with the active locale's
   // (lazily loaded) catalog, so the UI never paints raw translation keys.
-  i18nReady,
+  startupLanguageReady,
 ])
   .then(([{ default: App }, { AppErrorBoundary }, withAuthGate]) => {
     const app = <App />;

docs/user-guide/embedding.md

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ A chrome-free `maponly` embed shows only the map, as in this shared 3D Tiles pro
 | `maponly`    | `maponly`                                                  | Hides all chrome (toolbar, panels, and status bar), leaving only the map. The bare flag or `true`, `1`, `yes`, `on` enable it.        |
 | `welcome`    | `welcome=0`                                                | Hides the first-launch welcome wizard. Accepts `0`, `false`, `off`, or `no`. A `url=` or `data=` deep link already suppresses it automatically. |
 | `theme`      | `theme=dark`                                               | Sets the initial color theme, overriding the OS preference. Accepts `dark` or `light`; the in-app toggle still works afterward.       |
+| `settingsUrl` | `settingsUrl=https://example.com/desktop-settings.json`   | Loads shared presentation settings before the first render. Supports `language`, `layout`, accent `theme`, and `uiProfile`. The override lasts for this page only and does not replace locally saved settings. `settingUrl` is accepted as an alias. |
 | `tool`       | `tool=adaptive_filter`                                     | Opens the Processing (Whitebox toolbox) dialog on a specific tool by its id. Unknown ids open the dialog without preselecting a tool. |
 
 !!! note "Private projects and data"
@@ -48,6 +49,20 @@ Parameters combine. For a narrow, chrome-free, dark embed of a shared project:
 https://web.geolibre.app/?url=https://share.geolibre.app/you/project.geolibre.json&maponly&theme=dark
 ```
 
+The settings document must be public or same-origin, return valid JSON, and
+allow cross-origin browser requests when hosted elsewhere. Its supported fields
+use the same shape as their counterparts in the `geolibre.desktopSettings`
+local-storage value. Credential-bearing fields, plugin sources, local startup
+paths, and update settings are ignored. Missing or invalid fields are replaced
+with GeoLibre defaults. If the document fails to load within ten seconds,
+GeoLibre starts with the visitor's local settings. The `locale` and `lang` URL
+parameters take precedence over a shared `language`. Other embed parameters,
+including `theme`, `layout`, and `maponly`, independently control the initial
+light/dark mode and chrome rather than the desktop accent and panel preferences.
+
+Encode the settings URL with `encodeURIComponent` when it contains `&`, `+`,
+`%`, or `#`, just as for a nested `data` URL.
+
 ### Deep-linking a Processing tool
 
 `tool=<id>` opens the Processing (Whitebox toolbox) dialog preselected to a tool.

tests/desktop-settings-url.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import {
+  desktopSettingsUrl,
+  fetchDesktopSettings,
+  sharedSettingsLanguage,
+} from "../apps/geolibre-desktop/src/lib/desktop-settings-url";
+
+describe("desktop settings URL", () => {
+  it("prefers settingsUrl and accepts the discussion's settingUrl spelling", () => {
+    assert.equal(
+      desktopSettingsUrl("?settingsUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fa.json"),
+      "https://example.com/a.json",
+    );
+    assert.equal(
+      desktopSettingsUrl("?settingUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fb.json"),
+      "https://example.com/b.json",
+    );
+    assert.equal(
+      desktopSettingsUrl("?settingsUrl=&settingUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fb.json"),
+      "https://example.com/b.json",
+    );
+    assert.equal(desktopSettingsUrl("?url=project.json"), null);
+  });
+
+  it("fetches without trusting a stale cached settings file and normalizes it", async () => {
+    let init: RequestInit | undefined;
+    const fetchImpl = (async (_url: string, requestInit?: RequestInit) => {
+      init = requestInit;
+      return new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          layout: { toolbarLabels: false },
+          uiProfile: { enabled: true, hiddenMenus: ["help", "help"] },
+          shareToken: "remote-token-must-not-load",
+          cesiumIonToken: "remote-cesium-token-must-not-load",
+          aiProfiles: [{ id: "remote", fieldValues: { API_KEY: "secret" } }],
+          pluginManifestUrls: ["https://evil.example/plugin.json"],
+          startup: { mode: "specific", projectPath: "/remote/path" },
+        }),
+      );
+    }) as typeof fetch;
+
+    const settings = await fetchDesktopSettings("https://example.com/settings.json", {
+      fetchImpl,
+      timeoutMs: 500,
+    });
+    assert.equal(init?.cache, "no-cache");
+    assert.equal(init?.credentials, "same-origin");
+    assert.ok(init?.signal);
+    assert.equal(settings.layout.toolbarLabels, false);
+    assert.deepEqual(settings.uiProfile.hiddenMenus, ["help"]);
+    assert.equal(settings.shareToken, "");
+    assert.equal(settings.cesiumIonToken, "");
+    assert.deepEqual(settings.aiProfiles, []);
+    assert.deepEqual(settings.pluginManifestUrls, []);
+    assert.equal(settings.startup.mode, "default");
+  });
+
+  it("reports HTTP, malformed JSON, and non-object documents", async () => {
+    await assert.rejects(
+      fetchDesktopSettings("https://example.com/missing.json", {
+        fetchImpl: async () => new Response("", { status: 404 }),
+      }),
+      /HTTP 404/,
+    );
+    await assert.rejects(
+      fetchDesktopSettings("https://example.com/bad.json", {
+        fetchImpl: async () => new Response("{"),
+      }),
+      /not valid JSON/,
+    );
+    await assert.rejects(
+      fetchDesktopSettings("https://example.com/list.json", {
+        fetchImpl: async () => new Response("[]"),
+      }),
+      /must be a JSON object/,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("lets a remote language replace the saved language before render", () => {
+    const available = ["en", "de", "fr"];
+    // The app may have initialized from a saved `de`; main.tsx switches to the
+    // resolved remote `fr` before mounting React.
+    assert.equal(sharedSettingsLanguage("?settingsUrl=settings.json", "fr", available), "fr");
+    assert.equal(sharedSettingsLanguage("?settingsUrl=settings.json", "unknown", available), null);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps locale and lang URL parameters above a remote language", () => {
+    const available = ["en", "de", "fr"];
+    assert.equal(sharedSettingsLanguage("?locale=de", "fr", available), null);
+    assert.equal(sharedSettingsLanguage("?lang=de", "fr", available), null);
+    // An unsupported explicit locale follows the existing fallback behavior.
+    assert.equal(sharedSettingsLanguage("?locale=unknown", "fr", available), "fr");
+  });
+});