248629 - Clicking a link targeting a named window should bring it back above, in front of its opener

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Firefox :: General, enhancement)

Description

[Gérard Talbot]

Assume the user has these 2 links in the parent/opener window:

<a href="document1.html" target="WindowName">1st document</a>
(...)
<a href="document2.html" target="WindowName">2nd document</a>

Actual results:
if the secondary window named WindowName already exists, the other document or
the same document (depends on which link was clicked) is loaded or reloaded but
the window is not brought back above/in front of its parent/opener.

Expected results:
if the secondary window named WindowName already exists, the other document or
the same document (depends on which link was clicked) is loaded or reloaded and
the secondary window is brought back above/in front of its parent/opener.
If
Tools/Options.../Web features/Advanced... button/Allow scripts to:/Raise or
lower windows
checkbox is UNchecked, then the expected results in such case would not bring
back above the targeted secondary window.

--------

There is currently no non-javascript alternative to compensate such inherent
windowing flaw with links.
Re-using and recycling an already opened secondary window makes sense from the
user's sytem resources perspective: this is where named windows can be a better
alternative to target="_blank" ones.

Some related references:

CSS3 Hyperlink module: target-position
http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-css3-hyperlinks-20040224/#target-position

"The biggest fault with pop-ups is that it takes the focus away from the main
browser window, and this can be disconcerting. It presents general usability
issues aside from accessibility. How often have you seen someone launch a pop-up
and then inadvertently click back on the launcher window and thinking that
nothing's happened, click the link again with nothing happening? Of course the
window has opened but is now under the launcher window, and only moving down to
the task-bar and selecting the window from there will solve this.(...)"
Ian Lloyd, "The Perfect Pop-up" tutorial at
http://www.accessify.com/tutorials/the-perfect-pop-up.asp
November 20th 2002

Comment 1

[Dan M]

I don't get it. What part of this bug is not identical to bug 239120?

Comment 2

[Gérard Talbot]

I thought bug 239120 was exclusively referring to links with window.open(); this
bug was aiming at <a href="filename.html" target="WindowName"> links only, with
no js code in attributes like onclick or javascript: pseudo-protocol links. I
now realize that internally, there might be no difference code-wise for developers.

Resolving as INVALID

No problem.