1320045 - New content process not created when clicking a link that opens a new tab/window

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Core :: DOM: Content Processes, defect)

Description

[avada]

There's this weird discrepancy:

Some links open a new tab/window when clicked normally with left click. If you do so, the new tab will be added to the parent's content process, even though the dom.ipc.processCount is not reached.

However if you middle click that link, a new content process is created for that tab.

Comment 1

[Bill McCloskey [inactive unless it's an emergency] (:billm)]

When we open a target="_blank" link (the kind where you left click and it opens a new tab), we need to set window.opener of the new window to the old window. That allows these windows to communicate a little bit through JavaScript. Therefore they have to run in the same process.

When the link is opened through middle click, we don't set window.opener and we can use a separate process.

If the link is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener"> (or the related noreferrer), then we're able to use a separate content process, but at this time I think we don't.

Comment 2

[avada]

(In reply to Bill McCloskey (:billm) from comment #1)
> When we open a target="_blank" link (the kind where you left click and it
> opens a new tab), we need to set window.opener of the new window to the old
> window. That allows these windows to communicate a little bit through
> JavaScript. Therefore they have to run in the same process.

And the JS communication can't be between processes?

> When the link is opened through middle click, we don't set window.opener and
> we can use a separate process.
> 
> If the link is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener"> (or the related
> noreferrer), then we're able to use a separate content process, but at this
> time I think we don't.

I see. Is there a bug for this?

Comment 3

[Ben Kelly [:bkelly, not reviewing]]

rel=noopener is in FF52.  See bug 1222516.

Comment 4

[Blake Kaplan (:mrbkap) (inactive)]

It looks like this is working as designed. We'll fix rel=noopener another time.