window.opener.focus() doesn't work

Question

I can\'t seem to get this to work.

In response to a click, window A opens window B (which then has focus). Then, in response to a click on B, the window calls

Answer 1

I can see why a browser/OS will not allow a child windows to take over the focus (abuse of power). Here is a workaround:

1. In the parent window, declare a function in "window.external" that will trigger Javascript "alert()" or "confirm()".
2. Invoke that function from the child window.
3. The browser might ignore a request from a child window that wants to control the focus (e.g. window.opener.focus()), but the browser should honor a request from a parent window that triggers an alert() or a confirm() action, which requires to focus on the parent window.

JS Parent:

    var child = window.open('child.html', 'child');
    window.external.comeback = function() {
        var back = confirm('Are you sure you want to comback?');
        if(back) {
            child.close();
        } else {
            child.focus();
        }
    }

JS Child:

    // assuming you have jQuery
    $('.btn').click() {
        window.opener.external.comeback();  
    };

--I am using this code in a real world application to handle a checkout request that runs in child window, and I need to gracefully return to the parent window.

See: SimplifySites.com