GWA environment variables
Use the BROWSER and GWA_TARGET environment variables to control how and where GWA applications are launched.
BROWSER
To specify a different browser to the default one, use the BROWSER environment
variable and set it to either chrome, firefox,
safari, edge, or none. Setting
BROWSER to none does not invoke a particular browser; instead, a
message appears on the command line like this:
Copy the following URL into your browser: http://localhost:9101/d/r/index.htmlGWA_TARGET
The GWA_TARGET environment variable defines the target platform or environment
for the GWA app. It is used to specify where and how the GWA app should be launched.
| Value | Description | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
simulator |
Starts the GWA app in Safari Mobile in an open iOS Simulator (macOS only). | Xcode must be installed. |
emulator |
Starts the GWA app in the default browser of an open Android Emulator. You can specify the browser using the BROWSER variable (for example, BROWSER=chrome or BROWSER=firefox). |
Android SDK must be installed and commands like adb and emulator must be in the path. |
android |
Starts the GWA app in the default browser of a USB-connected Android device. | Same as for emulator, plus the phone must be in developer mode and all interactive USB connection dialogs about allowing debugging must be accepted. |
Using GWA_TARGET and BROWSER together
| GWA_TARGET | BROWSER | Result |
|---|---|---|
| (not set) | chrome | Launches Chrome on your local workstation. |
| android | (not set) | Launches the default browser on the connected Android device. |
| android | chrome | Launches Chrome on the connected Android device (if installed). |
| emulator | (not set) | Launches the default browser on the Android Emulator. |
| emulator | firefox | Launches Firefox (if installed) on the Android Emulator. |
| simulator | (any) | Always launches Safari Mobile on the iOS Simulator. The BROWSER setting is ignored. |
If BROWSER is not set, the default browser for the target platform is used. When GWA_TARGET is not set, the application runs on your local workstation.