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Won't reopen the same tab by clicking a link with target=uniqueIdentifier

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On my page, I have code that looks similar to this: <a href='https://www.mozilla.org/' target='mozillaPage'></a>. This should open a new tab once the link was clicked. Clicking the same link again should open the existing tab. Compare to other browsers, firefox won't reopen the existing tab when the link was clicked again.

On my page, I have code that looks similar to this: <a href='https://www.mozilla.org/' target='mozillaPage'></a>. This should open a new tab once the link was clicked. Clicking the same link again should open the existing tab. Compare to other browsers, firefox won't reopen the existing tab when the link was clicked again.

All Replies (8)

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That should work. Are you using private browsing or any other features or add-ons that might isolate windows or tabs from one another?

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Or is the problem that you want the named tab to be activated? In my test, Firefox loads the URL in that already open named tab but does not activate it. I'm not sure whether this is the default or whether I've changed a setting to cause that.

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I'm using default firefox without any plugins or extentions. If you're going to test this on other browser the tab would be 'activated' (as you say). I don't think this should ever be the default behavior.

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Try the version from the official Mozilla server if you currently use a version from the repositories of your Linux distribution.

You can find the full version of the current current Firefox release (39.0) in all languages and all operating systems here:

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Try to open a new window in case there is a problem with the current window.


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.

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This was filed in the bug tracking system as a request for enhancement in *cough* 2002, even before the birth of Firefox. But it doesn't seem that anyone has really been motivated to work on it because as of that time, most browsers behaved the same as Firefox's predecessor, the Mozilla suite.

Maybe it is time to reconsider, at least if the user has turned on the option "When I open a link in a new tab, switch to it immediately"?

Bug 159946 – Targeted HREFs do not focus target window