CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptgoogle-chrome
st-boost
st-boost

Reputation: 1907

Open a new tab in the background?

Using javascript, I want to open a new page in a different tab, but remain focused on the current tab. I know I can do it like this:

open('http://example.com/');
focus();

However, when I do this in chrome, it flashes the new tab for a moment before switching back to the current tab. I want to avoid this.

The application is a personal bookmarklet, so it only has to work in the latest Chrome.

Upvotes: 93

Views: 144194

Answers (6)

DCjanus
DCjanus

Reputation: 474

UPDATE in 20240226, this answer is not working on Chrome, but FireFox

Here is an example in MountEvent 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Example</title>
</head>
<script>
  function newTab() {
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = 'https://example.com/';
    a.target = '_blank';
    const e = new MouseEvent('click', {
      ctrlKey: true, // for Windows or Linux
      metaKey: true, // for MacOS
    });
    a.dispatchEvent(e);
  }
</script>

<body>

  <button onclick="newTab()">new tab</button>
</body>

</html>

Upvotes: 7

user2837849
user2837849

Reputation: 337

This works well for me on all popular browsers:

function openNewBackgroundTab(){
    var a = document.createElement("a");
    a.href = window.location.pathname;
    var evt = document.createEvent("MouseEvents");
    //the tenth parameter of initMouseEvent sets ctrl key
    evt.initMouseEvent("click", true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                                true, false, false, false, 0, null);
    a.dispatchEvent(evt);
}

var is_chrome = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf('chrome') > -1;
if(!is_chrome)
{
    var url = window.location.pathname;
    var win = window.open(url, '_blank');
} else {
    openNewBackgroundTab();
}

Upvotes: 7

Amr Al-Amir
Amr Al-Amir

Reputation: 1991

UPDATE: By version 41 of Google Chrome, initMouseEvent seemed to have a changed behavior, and so this answer no longer works. Thanks to @Daniel Andersson for his comment.

this can be done by simulating ctrl + click (or any other key/event combinations that open a background tab) on a dynamically generated a element with its href attribute set to the desired url

In action: fiddle

function openNewBackgroundTab(){
    var a = document.createElement("a");
    a.href = "http://www.google.com/";
    var evt = document.createEvent("MouseEvents");
    //the tenth parameter of initMouseEvent sets ctrl key
    evt.initMouseEvent("click", true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                                true, false, false, false, 0, null);
    a.dispatchEvent(evt);
}

tested only on chrome

Upvotes: 113

Alexandre Khoury
Alexandre Khoury

Reputation: 4022

I did exactly what you're looking for in a very simple way. It is perfectly smooth in Google Chrome and Opera, and almost perfect in Firefox and Safari. Not tested in IE.

function newTab(url)
{
    var tab=window.open("");
    tab.document.write("<!DOCTYPE html><html>"+document.getElementsByTagName("html")[0].innerHTML+"</html>");
    tab.document.close();
    window.location.href=url;
}

Fiddle : http://jsfiddle.net/tFCnA/show/

Explanations:
Let's say there is windows A1 and B1 and websites A2 and B2.
Instead of opening B2 in B1 and then return to A1, I open B2 in A1 and re-open A2 in B1.
(Another thing that makes it work is that I don't make the user re-download A2, see line 4)

The only thing you may doesn't like is that the new tab opens before the main page.

Upvotes: 1

demee
demee

Reputation: 582

As far as I remember, this is controlled by browser settings. In other words: user can chose whether they would like to open new tab in the background or foreground. Also they can chose whether new popup should open in new tab or just... popup.

For example in firefox preferences:

Firefox setup example

Notice the last option.

Upvotes: 0

gaurang171
gaurang171

Reputation: 9080

Here is a complete example for navigating valid URL on a new tab with focused.

HTML:

<div class="panel">
  <p>
    Enter Url: 
    <input type="text" id="txturl" name="txturl" size="30" class="weburl" />
    &nbsp;&nbsp;    
    <input type="button" id="btnopen"  value="Open Url in New Tab" onclick="openURL();"/>
  </p>
</div>

CSS:

.panel{
  font-size:14px;
}
.panel input{
  border:1px solid #333;
}

JAVASCRIPT:

function isValidURL(url) {
    var RegExp = /(ftp|http|https):\/\/(\w+:{0,1}\w*@)?(\S+)(:[0-9]+)?(\/|\/([\w#!:.?+=&%@!\-\/]))?/;

    if (RegExp.test(url)) {
        return true;
    } else {
        return false;
    }
}

function openURL() {
    var url = document.getElementById("txturl").value.trim();
    if (isValidURL(url)) {
        var myWindow = window.open(url, '_blank');
        myWindow.focus();
        document.getElementById("txturl").value = '';
    } else {
        alert("Please enter valid URL..!");
        return false;
    }
}

I have also created a bin with the solution on http://codebins.com/codes/home/4ldqpbw

Upvotes: -3

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