Add Back to Opener Explainer #1057
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@aluhrs13 and @erik-anderson could you help take a look at the explainer? |
BackToOpener/explainer.md
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| Developers can signal their intent via `window.open()` and `<a>` elements. The browser will then handle the navigation logic, ensuring that when the user navigates back in the new tab, it automatically returns focus to the originating tab and closes the new tab if the opener is still active. | ||
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| - For `window.open()`, we propose introducing a new `windowFeatures` parameter called `addOpenerToHistory`. When this feature is specified, the browser will add the opener to the new tab's history. |
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We should think more about the name here-- e.g. should it actually be a history entry or not?
Is there some other name that conveys more about the behavior? I can't immediately think of a better name, however.
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+1 on the naming comment. I don't necessarily think we need to bikeshed/block on that though.
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I chose addOpenerToHistory to describe the implementation. But I am open to something along the lines of "linkedHistory"
| This document is intended as a starting point for engaging the community and standards bodies in developing collaborative solutions fit for standardization. As the solutions to problems described in this document progress along the standards-track, we will retain this document as an archive and use this section to keep the community up-to-date with the most current standards venue and content location of future work and discussions. | ||
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| This document status: Active | ||
| Expected venue: [WHAT WG](https://whatwg.org/) |
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Do we intend for discussion to happen in whatwg? Via issues on the EdgeExplainers site? We should pick one and provide a link to that location.
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I think WHATWG is where we will eventually bring this explainer to discuss. Should I just directly open an issue there then? Or should I begin within EdgeExplainers? Any best practices here
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I think the likely path is explainer in this repo -> WICG if there is sufficient interest from other parties -> WHATWG once there's consensus. But there may be some other W3C group that would be interested; others can probably help with identifying that if there is interest.
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sounds good - I will update that accordingly.
BackToOpener/explainer.md
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| ## User-Facing Problem | ||
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| The new-tab default of chat interfaces and search engines can frustrate users by causing tab proliferation and making it difficult to return to the original conversation or context. Traditional [guidance](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/new-browser-windows-and-tabs/) warns against breaking the user's flow by opening new tabs. At the same time, modern chat interfaces prioritize multitasking and context preservation, which thus prefers opening in new tab. |
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Do we have any external signals that we can link that show this is a real user problem?
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@sfortiner there is internal customer feedback - but here's what I have externally. I'm wondering if you think they are considered appropriate to include in an explainer.
- The following two resources is more directly about the tab clutter and back button not working (which thus causes people to be unhappy with Bing opening in new tab)
https://www.howtogeek.com/734902/how-to-stop-microsoft-edge-from-opening-links-in-new-tabs/
Here's the problem: You do a search on Bing, click a link from the results, and you're taken to a new tab. This means you can't click the back button to return to the results. Instead, you have to switch back to the original tab. If you then click a different result, you're taken to yet another new tab.
You quickly end up with a bunch of Bing Search result tabs open and it's very frustrating. The reason this happens is because of a setting enabled by default in Bing.
relevant to the above - is when Google experimented with the opening in new tab, they also got similar feedback about the dislike. Although the user doesn't provide a detailed reason for the dislike, my suspicion is that it's similar https://support.google.com/websearch/thread/211441693/how-to-stop-search-results-opening-in-a-new-tab?hl=en
- The following resource is more about opening in new tab making back button not work, so it breaks navigation flow for accessibility
https://accessibilityguidelines.com/articles/links-in-new-tabs.html
Providing this information will help users decide whether they want to leave the current window or not, which can be particularly helpful for screen reader users. Users will also understand that the “back” button will not work, and they’ll need to return to the previous window to get to this location again.
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Additionally, there are feature requests on Mozilla and Vivaldi for all new tabs (not the same implementation direction, but similar user desire)
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| - Inconsistency Risks: This behavior might vary across browsers and UA versions, leading to unpredictable user experiences. | ||
| - In quickly evolving markets like chat interfaces, a manual override is important—developers should be able to opt into the behavior when needed rather than rely solely on UA heuristics. | ||
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Is there any prior art, previous discussions, or people that should be mentioned in a ''References and Acknowledgements' section?
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Would browser extensions / add-ons be considered prior art?
Chromium extensions:
- Tab Origin https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/detail/tab-origin/pjokhhddbfamccemjneocheekkoognbo?hl=en-US
- Last Tab Back https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/last-tab-back/oijipkokfkhgojikimbbcafnbppebnhe?pli=1
Firefox Add-on (old)
- BackTrack Tab History https://www.ghacks.net/2017/03/01/backtrack-tab-history-add-on-for-firefox/
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| - Inconsistency Risks: This behavior might vary across browsers and UA versions, leading to unpredictable user experiences. | ||
| - In quickly evolving markets like chat interfaces, a manual override is important—developers should be able to opt into the behavior when needed rather than rely solely on UA heuristics. | ||
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Any Stakeholder Feedback / Opposition content that should be added? Something that would list early feedback or known concerns?
victorhuangwq
requested review from
erik-anderson,
sfortiner,
aluhrs13 and
liminzhu
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Thank you all for the help reviewing - I have addressed most of the comments and would appreciate a second look. Thank you! |
This PR introduces an explainer for Back to the Opener, a proposed feature to improve navigation when links open in new tabs.
It allows developers to opt-in (via
window.open()or<a>tag attributes) to have the opener tab added to the new tab's history. This enables a seamless "back" navigation to the opener, closing the new tab and reducing tab clutter, especially useful for search and chat interfaces.