Qt WebAssembly: prompt on exit

 I sometimes get asked if there is a way to let a Qt app ask the user if they really want to close the app when the browser tab or window gets closed by the user.

The answer is yes and no. Yes, in that there is, and no in that it won't be your own Qt dialog/prompt.

We can use javascript in Qt webassembly apps, so the prompt will be opened by the browsers javascript. 

How?

There are two ways to run javascript. By using emscripten macro EM_ASM, or including emscripten/val.h and using straight c++.

EM_ASM:

The is the easiest way but uses a macro.

#include <emscripten.h>

Just add something like this, in your app constructor function:

    EM_ASM(

           window.onbeforeunload = function (e) {

                e = e || window.event;

                return 'Sure';

            };

    );

C++:

This is a bit more complicated, and involves a global static function.

#include <emscripten/bind.h>

#include <emscripten/val.h>

#include <emscripten.h>

static emscripten::val mybrowserBeforeUnload(emscripten::val e)
{
   return emscripten::val("Sure");
}


EMSCRIPTEN_BINDINGS(app) // must be unique name!
{
    function("myBrowserBeforeUnload", &mybrowserBeforeUnload);
}

and in the c'tor:

 emscripten::val::global("window").set("onbeforeunload", emscripten::val::module_property("myBrowserBeforeUnload"));


The key is to return a string. Any string will do.
and it looks something like this: