Open link in new window or focus to it if already open

Question

I have a link which should open in a new tab, but if the tab is already open, just switch to it. I've tried with javascript, wnd = window.open() and than wnd.focus(), that works in Chrome 19, but not in FF 13 or IE 9. Here's the code I've written :

<script type="text/javascript">
var loadingTableWnd;
function openOrSwitchToWindow(url){
if(loadingTableWnd == undefined)
loadingTableWnd = window.open(url,'myFrame');
else
loadingTableWnd.focus();
}
</script> 
<a href='javascript:openOrSwitchToWindow("/");' >Loading Table</a>

Any idea how can I open or switch to from every browser?

EDIT: I need to open the link in a new tab, not a stand-alone window.

There is a bug that has been filed a while ago, hasn't been fixed yet - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=416771 — Yogesh Mangaj, Dec 24 '15 at 10:11
That bug was submitted in 2008. Here it is in 2016 with Firefox 47 and it still has not been resolved. Can anyone (with some pull) please escalate? — Lonnie Best, Jul 27 '16 at 19:44
If the url opens in a new window or tab depends on browser settings. To open in a new window instead of a tab I use window [specs](https://www.w3schools.com/jsref/met_win_open.asp): `let windowFeatures = 'resizable=yes'; window.open('url', 'whatever', windowFeatures);`. Works in Chrome. — Felix, Sep 09 '22 at 06:33

jaraics · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-15T11:32:44.723

46

Different browsers behave differently for window.open() and focus(). For this code window.open('www.sample.com','mywindow').focus()

Chrome 20 opens a new tab, and focuses on subsequent open() calls regardless if focus() is called or not.
Firefox 13 opens a new tab, focuses on first open(), does not focus on subsequent open() calls/disregards focus().
IE 8 opens a new window, honors focus().
Safari 5 opens a new window, and focuses on subsequent open() calls regardless if focus() is called or not.

Fiddle to test with: http://jsfiddle.net/jaraics/pEG3j/

edited Jun 15 '15 at 11:32

answered Jul 05 '12 at 12:27

jaraics

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If possible, please update your answer for iOs 9.3.2 - iphone6 (does not matter Chrome or Safari) : opens a new tab, focuses on first open(), does not focus on subsequent open() calls/disregards focus(). – Phung D. An Jul 24 '16 at 23:26
@PhungD.An see [here](https://stackoverflow.com/a/73690887/4420532) – Felix Sep 12 '22 at 14:31
How do I write a unit test for this in jest framework? Anyone any idea? – Naga Apr 26 '23 at 21:03

Ian · Answer 2 · 2016-02-05T14:44:29.497

21

You shouldn't need any logic for something like this. By default, specifying the second parameter for window.open() gives the window a "name", that the browser remembers. If you try to call window.open() with the same name (after it's already been opened), it doesn't open a new window...but you might still need to call .focus() on it. Try this:

var a = window.open(url, "name");
a.focus();

Those should be the only lines of code in your function, and you don't need the loadingTableWnd variable...

edited Feb 05 '16 at 14:44

answered Jun 11 '12 at 17:39

Ian

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Giving a name indeed prevents opening a new window. But my problem is, that the user can navigate away(some functionality is controlled with hash(#) in the url) and I don't wish to reset that. I need the variable, because i must access the window from subsequent clicks on the link. Hence the need of a global variable. – jaraics Jun 13 '12 at 06:35
@Ian Not true with latest version of windows OS like windows server 2012 R2 – Gandhi Oct 11 '17 at 07:47

score 10 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 10 '15 at 14:11

10

If the window is already opened and if you want to focus on that window you can use

window.open('', 'NameOfTheOpenedWindow').focus();

answered Jun 10 '15 at 14:11

dileepar

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2
5

score 3 · Answer 4 · edited Jul 01 '19 at 16:01

3

window.focus() is widely supported and seems to be working fine in both Internet Explorer and Firefox for me, the problem should be in your code. I've created a simple jsFiddle for you to test.

edited Jul 01 '19 at 16:01

Dennis Vash

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answered Jun 11 '12 at 15:12

Sergey Rybalkin

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Thanks for the jsfiddle, but I can't get it to work with tabs(see my edit). Also I need to open a page on the current domain. (btw, your fiddle got removed for some reason) – jaraics Jun 13 '12 at 06:30

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 06 '18 at 07:44

2

If you are not interested in retaining the state of a previously opened tab, you can do this:

var loadingTableWnd;
function openOrSwitchToWindow(url) {
    if (loadingTableWnd != undefined) {
        loadingTableWnd.close();
    }
    loadingTableWnd = window.open(url,'myFrame');
}

answered Sep 06 '18 at 07:44

MarkZ

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1

1

one line: wnd = wnd && wnd.close() || window.open(url, "wnd"); – Yogi May 04 '19 at 08:57

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 12 '23 at 22:45

1

It will always redirect to new tab with focus:

const redirectBlank = function(url) {
  return window.open(url, Date.now()).focus();
};

answered Mar 12 '23 at 22:45

Gigoland

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Open link in new window or focus to it if already open

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