Detecting the browsers' name and version

Created by jmeile . Last modified 2004-05-13 14:44:46.

Python script to detect browsers' name and version

I took the original idea from: Determine Browser *type and improved it. The difference between the previous approach and mine is that I don't scan the HTTP_USER_AGENT string, I split it into several parts and store them in a list.

You just need the following python script:

Id: getBrowser
Title: Returns the browser name and version
Parameter List: REQUEST=None

def indexElement(pList,pElement):
  try:
    position=pList.index(pElement)
  except:
    position=-1
  return position

if REQUEST==None:
  REQUEST=context.REQUEST

identity=REQUEST.HTTP_USER_AGENT.replace('/',' ').lower()
identity=identity.replace('(','')
identity=identity.replace(')','')
identity=identity.replace(';','')
identityParts=identity.split(' ')

if ('compatible' in identityParts):
  pos=indexElement(identityParts,'opera')
  if (pos>=0):
    browser='Opera'
  else:
    pos=indexElement(identityParts,'msie')
    if (pos>=0):
      browser='Explorer'
    else:
      pos=indexElement(identityParts,'konqueror')
      if (pos>=0):
        browser='Konqueror'
else:
  posMozilla=indexElement(identityParts,'mozilla')
  if (posMozilla>=0):
    #Netscape 6 doesn't have an standard agent string
    pos=indexElement(identityParts,'netscape6')
    if (pos>=0):
      browser='Netscape'
    else:
      #From Netscape 7, the standard agent string was fixed
      pos=indexElement(identityParts,'netscape')
      if (pos>=0):
        browser='Netscape'
      else:
        pos=indexElement(identityParts,'galeon')
        if (pos>=0):
          browser = 'Galeon'
        else:
	  #K-meleon has its own agent string since version 0.7
	  pos=indexElement(identityParts,'k-meleon')
          if (pos>=0):
            browser = 'K-Meleon'
	  else:
            pos=indexElement(identityParts,'gecko')
            if (pos>=0):
              browser='Mozilla'
              pos-=2
            else:
              #Netscape 4.x identifies itself as Mozilla 4.x
              pos=posMozilla
              browser='Netscape'
  #Add not common browsers here
  else:
    pos=indexElement(identityParts,'lynx')
    if (pos>=0):
      browser='Lynx'
    else:
      pos=indexElement(identityParts,'wget')
      if (pos>=0):
        browser='Wget'
      else:
        pos=indexElement(identityParts,'elinks')
        if (pos>=0):
          browser='Links'
if pos>=0:
  version=identityParts[pos+1]
else:
  version='0'
  browser='unknown'
return [browser,version]

I know the code is ugly, but it's not my fault that agent strings aren't standard

Calling it:

From the web:
http://mysite.com/getBrowser or
http://localhost:8080/getBrowser
From a python script:
myVar=context.getBrowser()
browser=myVar[0]
version=myVar[1]
From a dtml-method:
<dtml-let myVar="getBrowser()" browser="myVar[0]" version="myVar[1]"> Do something here </dtml-let>
Tal:
<span tal:define="myVar python:here.getBrowser();
browser python:myVar[0];
version myVar[1]">
Do something here </span>

Limitations:

It will only work with Netscape >=4 (Somebody tested it with Ns 3.x and it worked), Microsoft Internet explorer, Opera, Galeon, K-Meleon >=0.7, Konqueror, lynx, links, wget and Mozilla/gecko compatible browsers. With the rest you will see browser='unknown', version='0'. If you want more browsers, you'll have to add them.

Special thanks to:

Volker Zausch for its idea of merging the two methods into one.

Changes:

* Mozilla-Geko browser returned the false version number (fixed).

If there is a bug or something is missing, please let me now:
Here you'll find more how-tos and products I've published.