How to start site in window with no menu or task bar

[HanwellChris]

I would like my web site to launch in a browser window, which has no scroll bars, file menu or task bar.

I can open a window like this by using window.open() from my staring index.html page, but I cannot then remove the original index.html page with window.close() without getting a confirmation message stating that the window is trying to close itself.

I would like to automatically remove the original page so that it appears that the site launches directly into the reduced functionality window.

Can anyone offer any solution?.

Thanks

 

[BabyJeffy]

Can anyone offer any solution?

As you have found, you will get an alert if you attempt to close the original page. There is nothing you (as the developer of the site) can do about this (it's a local browser setting).

I totally disagree with the solution you are looking for, however. Is your site so important that you are prepared to alienate a large group of people by "taking over their browsing experience"?

I use a 640 x 480 screen - if you remove my scroll bars how will I navigate (or is your design able to cope with that)?

I use a screen reader and magnifier - for this I turn Javascript off - so how will your site handle opening the new window and setting the screen size etc? Will it still work without Javascript?

If you want to include that kind of "functionality" then why not offer several links (with explainations of what they do) and let the "Do you want to close the parent window" message be shown to the user.

Apologies for the rant - maybe you could clarify your requirements as a means of justifying the solution you want.

Cheers,
Jeff

[tt]Jeff's Page [/tt][tt]@[/tt][tt] Code Couch

http://www.codecouch.com/jeff/

[/tt]

 

[HanwellChris]

BabyJeffy,

Your rant is OK, I see where you are coming from.

I am trying to provide a Web front end to a data monitoring application, which displays the state of various remote sensors.

The skill level of some of the users is very low, and so I want to hide as much complexity from them as possible. Even the confirmation dialog that I am trying to avoid will probably cause me support calls!

The users are used to a current windows application, and I want to control the Web window so that it looks as much like the current application as possible. Thus this is not a 'normal' web site, but a close visual representation of a windows application. The remainder of my site works very well simulating this windows application.

Access is to a very restricted set of users, some of which will be using WIFI enabled PDAs with screen res of 640 x 480, others normal desktops.

All the Best

 

[BabyJeffy]

Yeah, given the diversity of users (640x480, pda, desktop) I see you are going to have some fun in the layout

One solution might be to just use javascript to change the screen size (if the screen size is over a certain threshold). Then make a link available (unobtrusively at the top or something) that allows them to "break out of the window" (effectively window.open with no menus etc)... but with the proviso that there would be a security warning thrown when you attempt to close the parent window (or you could redirect the parent window to display a generic logo and a link to re-open the app again - rather than closing it).

That's me fresh out of ideas now!

Cheers,
Jeff

[tt]Jeff's Page [/tt][tt]@[/tt][tt] Code Couch

http://www.codecouch.com/jeff/

[/tt]

 

[vvlad]

You can avoid the security warning, at least in IE:

window.opener = this;
window.close();

vlad

 

[HanwellChris]

Marvellous,

Thanks vlad, that was just what I was looking for. Works fine in IE as you say, I will check it out for Opera (for PDAs) later - hope that works too !

All the best