How do I open a new normal (full sized) browser window form a small "pop-up" window?

[Shiperton Henethe]

Hi

Can anyone tell me how to open up a new normal, full-sized
browser window from a small popup window?


I'm using something like this.

<script language="javascript">
<!--
function OpenWin(theURL,winName,features) {
theURL = theURL + "?URL="+window.parent.location;
window.open(theURL,winName,features);
}
//-->
</script>


<a href="javascript:
OpenWin('http://www.auction-air.com/bidding_advice_no_menu.html','advice_win
','scrollbars=yes,width=600,height=550,resizable=yes,left=20,top=20')">click
text<a>

....And it creates a nice small 600x550 "pop-up" browser window.

But how do I creat a link within that pop-up window
that will fire up a normal *full-sized* browser window.

==> Any ideas?

With thanks


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Andrew Urquhart]

Can anyone tell me how to open up a new normal, full-sized
browser window from a small popup window?

Depending on the markup sheme you're using the anchor attribute:
target="advice_win"

I'm using something like this.

<script language="javascript">
<!--
function OpenWin(theURL,winName,features) {
theURL = theURL + "?URL="+window.parent.location;
window.open(theURL,winName,features);
}
//-->
</script>

<a href="javascript:
OpenWin('http://www.auction-air.com/bidding_advice_no_menu.html','advice
_win
','scrollbars=yes,width=600,height=550,resizable=yes,left=20,top=20')">c
lick
text<a>

Note: jibbering.com/faq/#FAQ4_24. Also, you might already know this, but
as well as not working for users without javascript (including Google),
that will also not work for users with certain pop-up blockers. The
generally recommended slightly more accessible approach of (in your
case):

<a href="http://www.auction-air.com/bidding_advice_no_menu.html"
onclick="OpenWin(this.href,'advice_win','scrollbars=yes,width=600,height
=550,resizable=yes'); return false;">descriptive link text<a>

....will still fail for certain pop-up blockers (that redefine the
window.open method) and neither the popup nor traditional link will
activate and there won't be any reported errors!

 

[Whitecrest]

Can anyone tell me how to open up a new normal, full-sized
browser window from a small popup window?

What do you mean full size? You mean kiosk mode?

 

[Andy Dingley]

Can anyone tell me how to open up a new normal, full-sized
browser window from a small popup window?

You don't.

There are few reasons for opening a pop-up (and many reasons no to).

If you compare these situations; a windowed pop-up and a full-screen
pop-up, then all the bad things become far worse for the full-screen
and the good things become less good.

Suppose my screen is huge, so huge that it's only useful as a way of
having many windows open at once. Text readability is best for lines
about 60 characters, so a 2000 pixel screen width isn't much use as a
full-width text reader. Now imagine how irritating it is for your
window to insist on going full-screen.

Suppose the pop-up is a neatly sized image viewer in a photo gallery
(a valid reason fof pop-ups). Now imagine how bad that looks as a 2000
pixel window with a 480 wide postage stamp in one corner.


One of the few things more irritating than opening a window
full-screen would be to open a new window windowed, but sized to be
the same size as the full screen.

 

[OJ]

Hi

Can anyone tell me how to open up a new normal, full-sized
browser window from a small popup window?


I'm using something like this.

<script language="javascript">
<!--
function OpenWin(theURL,winName,features) {
theURL = theURL + "?URL="+window.parent.location;
window.open(theURL,winName,features);
}
//-->
</script>


<a href="javascript:
OpenWin('http://www.auction-air.com/bidding_advice_no_menu.html','advice_win
','scrollbars=yes,width=600,height=550,resizable=yes,left=20,top=20')">click
text<a>

...And it creates a nice small 600x550 "pop-up" browser window.

But how do I creat a link within that pop-up window
that will fire up a normal *full-sized* browser window.

Hi,

As I sure some will come back with here, what is *full-sized* ?

oj

 

[Sid Ismail]

: But how do I creat a link within that pop-up window
: that will fire up a normal *full-sized* browser window.


Please don't mess with my browser...

Sid

 

[Shiperton Henethe]

Depending on the markup sheme you're using the anchor attribute:
target="advice_win"

Mysteriously the first time I tried this it seemed to work.
But now it doesnt!
Nope. No good.

Note: jibbering.com/faq/#FAQ4_24. Also, you might already know this, but
as well as not working for users without javascript (including Google),
that will also not work for users with certain pop-up blockers. The
generally recommended slightly more accessible approach of (in your
case):

<a href="http://www.auction-air.com/bidding_advice_no_menu.html"
onclick="OpenWin(this.href,'advice_win','scrollbars=yes,width=600,height
=550,resizable=yes'); return false;">descriptive link text<a>

...will still fail for certain pop-up blockers (that redefine the
window.open method) and neither the popup nor traditional link will
activate and there won't be any reported errors!

Does this mean that opening a new browser
window is not recommended *AT ALL* except is using
straight HTML such as:

<a href="whatever.html" target="advice_win">

The trouble with the above is that there are certain times when
you dont want to take so much screen space because the
user would actually benefit from seeing two browsers
open at the same time.

(e.g. a small window containing the a "key" to some
graphics... or a maybe a photograph of the product
they are trying to buy...)


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Shiperton Henethe]

You don't.

There are few reasons for opening a pop-up (and many reasons no to).

If you compare these situations; a windowed pop-up and a full-screen
pop-up, then all the bad things become far worse for the full-screen
and the good things become less good.

Suppose my screen is huge, so huge that it's only useful as a way of
having many windows open at once. Text readability is best for lines
about 60 characters, so a 2000 pixel screen width isn't much use as a
full-width text reader. Now imagine how irritating it is for your
window to insist on going full-screen.

Suppose the pop-up is a neatly sized image viewer in a photo gallery
(a valid reason fof pop-ups). Now imagine how bad that looks as a 2000
pixel window with a 480 wide postage stamp in one corner.


One of the few things more irritating than opening a window
full-screen would be to open a new window windowed, but sized to be
the same size as the full screen.

Sorry what I meant was to open a "normal/default" sized
browser window (full or whatever dimensions the user
had got set up as a default)... from a popup window.

The reason we want a new "popup" window in the first place
is so that the user can see two windows at once. For example
on our Indecision Dashboard (e.g. at the bottom of this page
http://www.auction-air.com/auction_2004_may/lot344.html )
we have things like "how high should I bid" and "Tell-a-Friend"
which we feel need to feel like a bit of a side show to the
main event when the user opens them up.

On reflection, even better would be to open a small
browser window (i.e. a "popup") from a browser and
from that popup to be able to go back to
the ORGINAL / REFERRING browser window and straight
to a new page.

How do I do that?!

with thanks


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Mark Parnell]

Does this mean that opening a new browser
window is not recommended *AT ALL*

Yes.

 

[Toby A Inkster]

The reason we want a new "popup" window in the first place
is so that the user can see two windows at once.

A popup window is unlikely to give the user any extra visible space. Every
square inch of screen space the popup takes up will probably result in a
square inch of the underlying window getting obscured.

Just put the popup content in the main window.

 

[Whitecrest]

A popup window is unlikely to give the user any extra visible space. Every
square inch of screen space the popup takes up will probably result in a
square inch of the underlying window getting obscured.

He didn't say he wanted to give the user "extra visible space" He said
he wanted both windows up at once.

Visitors (other than some of the anal people here) are not against
popups, they are against popup ads. Huge difference, and
distinguishable by the visitor if done properly.

For example. The little calendar to choose my flight date for (used by
virtually all web ticket agents) I am on a page making reservations. I
don't know the date so I click on their "calendar" button. Up pops a
window with a little calendar. I choose the date the window goes away
and the data is filled in.

How much easier (and more logical) is that, then I press the button my
entire screen changes to a calendar.

 

[Deirdre Saoirse Moen]

Visitors (other than some of the anal people here) are not against
popups, they are against popup ads. Huge difference, and
distinguishable by the visitor if done properly.

I agree. I have small pics on one of my sites for people to look at
items they might want to buy. If they click the pic, or a named link, a
larger version of the pic appears in a popup.

To me, this kind of thing (along with things like a pop-up shopping
cart) make sense and isn't confusing.

For example. The little calendar to choose my flight date for (used
by virtually all web ticket agents) I am on a page making
reservations. I don't know the date so I click on their "calendar"
button. Up pops a window with a little calendar. I choose the date
the window goes away and the data is filled in.

How much easier (and more logical) is that, then I press the button my
entire screen changes to a calendar.

That would annoy the hell out of me.

Me, I'm trying to find a way to re-do the site with the pics in a more
compatible way. I loathe Javascript, but it seems that using Javascript
is the only way to offer strict compliance.

Therefore, I probably won't bother.

 

[Toby A Inkster]

That would annoy the hell out of me.

And me too, but that doesn't make a popup the ideal solution.

A far better solution would be to display the little calendar on screen in
the first place, as part of the main page and then maybe hide it using
javascript ( document.getElementById('cal').style.display='none' ) and
show it as required.

 

[Deirdre Saoirse Moen]

And me too, but that doesn't make a popup the ideal solution.

A far better solution would be to display the little calendar on screen in
the first place, as part of the main page and then maybe hide it using
javascript ( document.getElementById('cal').style.display='none' ) and
show it as required.

Except that then you get to the "requires javascript" problem. And what
happens if that user has javascript disabled?

Personally, until, oh two days ago, I'd never put it on the client side
(simply and only because I really hate the idea of *requiring* it). I'd
done sites that required it (and some that were server-side js), but it
was just my thing.

Oh, sure, you could redraw the entire page (if the calendar popup was
a link), but that's probably the worst of the three options.

The target option allows for a window opening that *doesn't* require
javascript, even though one doesn't have control over the parameters.

Unfortunately, there are times when it's the best choice. Of several bad
choices, granted, but still...

 

[Whitecrest]

And me too, but that doesn't make a popup the ideal solution.
A far better solution would be to display the little calendar on screen in
the first place, as part of the main page and then maybe hide it using
javascript ( document.getElementById('cal').style.display='none' ) and
show it as required.

That is another good solution, and British Air does something like that
(actually you choose dates from a dropdown which is another solution but
without a calendar at all), but page real estate may not permit it, or
the corporation may want to do it the popup way way because it is the
"norm" for the industry. (again "norm" may not mean the ideal solution).

I doubt for cases like these that people complain too much about a popup
calendar (or as with the OP larger picture). It is what they are use to
seeing at all (all = majority) the other sites like this. (hotel.com,
nwa.com, expedia.com delta.com bla bla bla....)

 

[Karl Groves]

I agree. I have small pics on one of my sites for people to look at
items they might want to buy. If they click the pic, or a named link, a
larger version of the pic appears in a popup.

To me, this kind of thing (along with things like a pop-up shopping
cart) make sense and isn't confusing.

You said "to me..."
The question is, does it make sense to the user or is it confusing/ annoying
to them.
Unless you actually do a usability test in your specific implementation,
anything you say on the subject is pure conjecture on your part.

 

[Toby A Inkster]

Except that then you get to the "requires javascript" problem. And what
happens if that user has javascript disabled?

If the user doesn't have Javascript then they can still see the calendar.
Did you not read/understand my post?

 

[Deirdre Saoirse Moen]

If the user doesn't have Javascript then they can still see the calendar.
Did you not read/understand my post?

Read, yes. Had a conceptual failure in visualizing it at the time of my
first reading. That'd work.