def start_file(filename):
    """Generalized os.startfile for all platforms supported by Qt
    (this function is simply wrapping QDesktopServices.openUrl)
    Returns True if successfull, otherwise returns False."""
    from spyderlib.qt.QtGui import QDesktopServices
    from spyderlib.qt.QtCore import QUrl
    url = QUrl()
    url.setUrl(filename)
    return QDesktopServices.openUrl(url)

    def show_intro_message(self):
        intro_message = _("Here you can get help of any object by pressing "
                          "%s in front of it, either on the Editor or the "
                          "Console.%s"
                          "Help can also be shown automatically after writing "
                          "a left parenthesis next to an object. You can "
                          "activate this behavior in %s.")
        prefs = _("Preferences > Help")
        if sys.platform == 'darwin':
            shortcut = "Cmd+I"
        else:
            shortcut = "Ctrl+I"

        if self.is_rich_text_mode():
            title = _("Usage")
            tutorial_message = _("New to Spyder? Read our")
            tutorial = _("tutorial")
            intro_message = intro_message % ("<b>"+shortcut+"</b>", "<br><br>",
                                             "<i>"+prefs+"</i>")
            self.set_rich_text_html(usage(title, intro_message,
                                          tutorial_message, tutorial),
                                    QUrl.fromLocalFile(CSS_PATH))
        else:
            install_sphinx = "\n\n%s" % _("Please consider installing Sphinx "
                                          "to get documentation rendered in "
                                          "rich text.")
            intro_message = intro_message % (shortcut, "\n\n", prefs)
            intro_message += install_sphinx
            self.set_plain_text(intro_message, is_code=False)

 def _show_rich_help(self, text):
     """Use our Object Inspector to show IPython help texts in rich mode"""
     from spyderlib.utils.inspector import sphinxify as spx
     
     context = spx.generate_context(name='', argspec='', note='',
                                    math=False)
     html_text = spx.sphinxify(text, context)
     inspector = self.inspector
     inspector.visibility_changed(True)
     inspector.raise_()
     inspector.switch_to_rich_text()
     inspector.set_rich_text_html(html_text,
                                  QUrl.fromLocalFile(spx.CSS_PATH))

 def _on_sphinx_thread_html_ready(self, html_text):
     """Set our sphinx documentation based on thread result"""
     self._sphinx_thread.wait()
     self.set_rich_text_html(html_text, QUrl.fromLocalFile(CSS_PATH))

             html_text = sphinxify(text)
         except Exception, error:
             import sphinx
             QMessageBox.critical(self,
                         _('Object inspector'),
                         _("The following error occured when calling "
                           "<b>Sphinx %s</b>. <br>Please check if this "
                           "version of Sphinx is supported by Spyder."
                           "<br><br>Error message:<br>%s"
                           ) % (sphinx.__version__, str(error)))
             self.plain_text_action.setChecked(True)
             return
     else:
         html_text = '<div id=\"warning\">'+self.no_doc_string+'</div>'
     html_text = HTML_HEAD + html_text + HTML_TAIL
     self.set_rich_text_html(html_text, QUrl.fromLocalFile(CSS_PATH))
     
 def show_help(self, obj_text, ignore_unknown=False):
     """Show help"""
     if self.shell is None:
         return
     self._check_if_shell_is_running()
     if self.shell is None:
         return
     obj_text = unicode(obj_text)
     
     if self.shell.is_defined(obj_text):
         shell = self.shell
     elif self.get_option('automatic_import') and \
          self.internal_shell.is_defined(obj_text, force_import=True):
         shell = self.internal_shell