Closing Parent window without prompt cross browser

[t3projects]

What I wanted to do is have it so the parent window will pop up a child and then the parent will close without a prompt.

onClick="window.open('2.htm','newWindow','width=1024,height=768,toolbar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,location=no,directories=no,menubar=no'); window.open('','_parent',''); windowClose();">close parent window</a>

and I had a function:

function windowClose() {
window.open('','_parent','');
window.close();
}

and that didn't work for firefox.

Am I missing something?

[felgall]

If you didn't open the window uusing Javascript that runs on your domain then you can't close the window without asking permission. Depending on the security settings in the browser such requests will either be discarded or will prompt for permission.

The only way to close browser windows without a prompt is to open them first using window.open() and then since you opened it you are allowed to close it.

[Mittineague]

What I wanted to do is have it so the parent window will pop up a child and then the parent will close without a prompt.

Why not simply redirect from the parent page to the popup page?

[7stud]

and that didn't work for firefox.

...as if it works in IE.

[t3projects]

Actually 7stud I got it to work in IE.

felgall you can close the window without the prompt in IE.

So if you can do it in IE there's gotta be a way to do this in Firefox.

[7stud]

So if you can do it in IE there's gotta be a way to do this in Firefox.

So if a script works in a broken browser that's ridden with security flaws, it should work in all browsers. Other browser vendors aim for something higher than IE.

[t3projects]

I'm sorry 7dud I'm not seeing how that is a bad thing.

I have a pop up window for an eLearning course that launches a chromeless window. There are links within that window that launch other pop ups and what's happening is that I need to get variables from the course page (not the original page) but it's trying to get variables from the orginal page.

When I close that original page then it works. So I need to close that original page without alerting the user and confusing them.

The web isn't always used by developers it's used by people that freak out about every little alert or message. So there's no need to add confusion to the user for something this simple.

[Mittineague]

Again, why not use location.href instead of window.open ?
As to dialog boxes freaking out users, this may be more true with security type dialogs, but I think if you clearly and noticeably state that the parent window must be closed (maybe near the link that is clicked to open the spawn) I think most users will take it in stride.