Question

I’m planning an application and I’m wondering if it would be possible to use actual windows (window.open) for pop-out style panels as an alternative to using the “virtual” sort of windows made using absolutely positioned elements. This would have the advantage of being detachable from the browser window so that users could take advantage of the additional screen space provided by multiple monitors.

But I’m unsure how well it would work. Some points:

• Would it be possible to keep the opened windows on top of the main application window, so that the detached panels wouldn’t disappear behind the application itself
• Would it even be possible to open multiple windows from the same application, or would automatic browser security perhaps limit you to one?
• What about compatibility with the myriad of browser alternatives?

To summarize, would the advantage of additional screen space outweigh the disadvantages of using browser windows?

Answer 1

Do not use popup windows. They will usually be blocked. It is far easier to give the user a link and ask them (as if giving instructions) to right-click and open-in-new-window, than it is to do a popup and ask the user to manually unblock it. (Even that is bad practice.)

Would it be possible to keep the opened windows on top of the main application window, so that the detached panels wouldn’t disappear behind the application itself
Probably not

Probably not.

Would it even be possible to open multiple windows from the same application, or would automatic browser security perhaps limit you to one?

window.open('http://www.google.com', 'win1'), window.open('http://www.google.com', 'win2')

What about compatibility with the myriad of browser alternatives?

Terrible, especially with popup-blockers, though it might work if your users only use one browser.

To summarize, would the advantage of additional screen space outweigh the disadvantages of using browser windows?

I do not think this is a summary of the previous question. Multiple monitors seems to be a useful but rare use-case. I do not know of a website which requires multiple monitors. If you are making some sort of “monitor” (like the security monitor kind) or information-display kind of software, it might be worthwhile, but other websites make do with just 1 window which can be as large or small as the user wants.

That said, it is possible to use popup windows. Gmail for example uses them to create chat windows, which you can later “pop back in”. It is not a required feature however, and more than one can quickly get unwieldy.