245971 - browser.block.target_new_window also blocks targetting of existing windows

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: Preferences, defect)

Description

[Max Spicer]

From its name, I would assume that browser.block_target_new_window would only
prevent links, forms etc from targetting windows that currently don't exist. 
However, it also prevents them from targetting windows that have previously been
successfully created.

Some sites open a window using window.open in order to turn off its normal
furniture and then target it using a link, form submission etc.  Currently, if
browser.block_target_new_window is true, the window is successfully opened, but
then remains blank as the target attempt is blocked and the content is
redirected to the parent window.  This breaks some sites as they are then
expecting to be running in two windows.

When browser.block_target_new_window is true, Mozilla should really check if the
targetted window already exists and only block the attempt if it doesn't.

For a detailed discussion of this, see the linked Mozillazine forum discussion.

Comment 1

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Please point to a testcase that actually shows the problem (preferably a minimal
one).  This used to be a problem in fairly old builds, but I believe it was fixed...

Is the page in question calling window.open() and them _immediately_ trying to
open a link in that window, without any time in between?

Comment 2

[Max Spicer]

Attachment: Test case showing the described behaviour

Attached a test case.  This shows the invalid(?) behaviour in Firefox 0.9RC1 on
WinXP.	I have done a second example in this test case that demonstrates that
the problem is not linked to a window being opened and then immediately
targeted.

Comment 3

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

This is basically bug 174266 and my patch for that bug fixes this one too.

Comment 4

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Fixed by checkin for bug 174266 back when.  The pref doesn't even exist anymore...