chrome.windows

Description: Use the chrome.windows API to interact with browser windows. You can use this API to create, modify, and rearrange windows in the browser.
Availability: Stable since Chrome 5.
Permissions: The chrome.windows API can be used without declaring any permission. However, the "tabs" permission is required in order to populate the url, title, and favIconUrl properties of Tab objects.

Manifest

When requested, a windows.Window will contain an array of tabs.Tab objects. You must declare the "tabs" permission in your manifest if you require access to the url, title, or favIconUrl properties of tabs.Tab. For example: 

      {
        "name": "My extension",
        ...
        "permissions": ["tabs"],
        ...
      }

The current window

Many functions in the extension system take an optional windowId parameter, which defaults to the current window.

The current window is the window that contains the code that is currently executing. It's important to realize that this can be different from the topmost or focused window.

For example, say an extension creates a few tabs or windows from a single HTML file, and that the HTML file contains a call to tabs.query. The current window is the window that contains the page that made the call, no matter what the topmost window is.

In the case of the event page, the value of the current window falls back to the last active window. Under some circumstances, there may be no current window for background pages.

Examples

Two windows, each with one tab
You can find simple examples of using the windows module in the examples/api/windows directory. Another example is in the tabs_api.html file of the inspector example. For other examples and for help in viewing the source code, see Samples.

Summary

Types
Window
Properties
WINDOW_ID_NONE
WINDOW_ID_CURRENT
Methods
get − chrome.windows.get(integer windowId, object getInfo, function callback)
getCurrent − chrome.windows.getCurrent(object getInfo, function callback)
getLastFocused − chrome.windows.getLastFocused(object getInfo, function callback)
getAll − chrome.windows.getAll(object getInfo, function callback)
create − chrome.windows.create(object createData, function callback)
update − chrome.windows.update(integer windowId, object updateInfo, function callback)
remove − chrome.windows.remove(integer windowId, function callback)
Events
onCreated
onRemoved
onFocusChanged

Types

Window

properties
integer (optional) id The ID of the window. Window IDs are unique within a browser session. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned an ID, for example when querying windows using the sessions API, in which case a session ID may be present.
boolean focused Whether the window is currently the focused window.
integer (optional) top The offset of the window from the top edge of the screen in pixels. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned top property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
integer (optional) left The offset of the window from the left edge of the screen in pixels. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned left property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
integer (optional) width The width of the window, including the frame, in pixels. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned width property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
integer (optional) height The height of the window, including the frame, in pixels. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned height property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
array of tabs.Tab (optional) tabs Array of tabs.Tab objects representing the current tabs in the window.
boolean incognito Whether the window is incognito.
enum of "normal", "popup", "panel", or "app" (optional) type The type of browser window this is. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned type property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
enum of "normal", "minimized", "maximized", or "fullscreen" (optional) state The state of this browser window. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned state property, for example when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
boolean alwaysOnTop Whether the window is set to be always on top.
string (optional) sessionId The session ID used to uniquely identify a Window obtained from the sessions API.

Properties

-1 chrome.windows.WINDOW_ID_NONE The windowId value that represents the absence of a chrome browser window.
-2 chrome.windows.WINDOW_ID_CURRENT The windowId value that represents the current window.

Methods

get

chrome.windows.get(integer windowId, object getInfo, function callback)

Gets details about a window.

Parameters
integer windowId
object (optional) getInfo
boolean (optional) populate If true, the windows.Window object will have a tabs property that contains a list of the tabs.Tab objects. The Tab objects only contain the url, title and favIconUrl properties if the extension's manifest file includes the "tabs" permission.
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window window

getCurrent

chrome.windows.getCurrent(object getInfo, function callback)

Gets the current window.

Parameters
object (optional) getInfo
boolean (optional) populate If true, the windows.Window object will have a tabs property that contains a list of the tabs.Tab objects. The Tab objects only contain the url, title and favIconUrl properties if the extension's manifest file includes the "tabs" permission.
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window window

getLastFocused

chrome.windows.getLastFocused(object getInfo, function callback)

Gets the window that was most recently focused — typically the window 'on top'.

Parameters
object (optional) getInfo
boolean (optional) populate If true, the windows.Window object will have a tabs property that contains a list of the tabs.Tab objects. The Tab objects only contain the url, title and favIconUrl properties if the extension's manifest file includes the "tabs" permission.
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window window

getAll

chrome.windows.getAll(object getInfo, function callback)

Gets all windows.

Parameters
object (optional) getInfo
boolean (optional) populate If true, each windows.Window object will have a tabs property that contains a list of the tabs.Tab objects for that window. The Tab objects only contain the url, title and favIconUrl properties if the extension's manifest file includes the "tabs" permission.
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function(array of Window windows) {...};
array of Window windows

create

chrome.windows.create(object createData, function callback)

Creates (opens) a new browser with any optional sizing, position or default URL provided.

Parameters
object (optional) createData
string or array of string (optional) url A URL or array of URLs to open as tabs in the window. Fully-qualified URLs must include a scheme (i.e. 'http://www.google.com', not 'www.google.com'). Relative URLs will be relative to the current page within the extension. Defaults to the New Tab Page.
integer (optional) tabId The id of the tab for which you want to adopt to the new window.
integer (optional) left The number of pixels to position the new window from the left edge of the screen. If not specified, the new window is offset naturally from the last focused window. This value is ignored for panels.
integer (optional) top The number of pixels to position the new window from the top edge of the screen. If not specified, the new window is offset naturally from the last focused window. This value is ignored for panels.
integer (optional) width The width in pixels of the new window, including the frame. If not specified defaults to a natural width.
integer (optional) height The height in pixels of the new window, including the frame. If not specified defaults to a natural height.
boolean (optional) focused If true, opens an active window. If false, opens an inactive window.
boolean (optional) incognito Whether the new window should be an incognito window.
enum of "normal", "popup", "panel", or "detached_panel" (optional) type Specifies what type of browser window to create. The 'panel' and 'detached_panel' types create a popup unless the '--enable-panels' flag is set.
function (optional) callback

If you specify the callback parameter, it should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window (optional) window Contains details about the created window.

update

chrome.windows.update(integer windowId, object updateInfo, function callback)

Updates the properties of a window. Specify only the properties that you want to change; unspecified properties will be left unchanged.

Parameters
integer windowId
object updateInfo
integer (optional) left The offset from the left edge of the screen to move the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
integer (optional) top The offset from the top edge of the screen to move the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
integer (optional) width The width to resize the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
integer (optional) height The height to resize the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
boolean (optional) focused If true, brings the window to the front. If false, brings the next window in the z-order to the front.
boolean (optional) drawAttention If true, causes the window to be displayed in a manner that draws the user's attention to the window, without changing the focused window. The effect lasts until the user changes focus to the window. This option has no effect if the window already has focus. Set to false to cancel a previous draw attention request.
enum of "normal", "minimized", "maximized", or "fullscreen" (optional) state The new state of the window. The 'minimized', 'maximized' and 'fullscreen' states cannot be combined with 'left', 'top', 'width' or 'height'.
function (optional) callback

If you specify the callback parameter, it should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window window

remove

chrome.windows.remove(integer windowId, function callback)

Removes (closes) a window, and all the tabs inside it.

Parameters
integer windowId
function (optional) callback

If you specify the callback parameter, it should be a function that looks like this:

function() {...};

Events

onCreated

Fired when a window is created.

addListener

chrome.windows.onCreated.addListener(function callback)
Parameters
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Window window) {...};
Window window Details of the window that was created.

onRemoved

Fired when a window is removed (closed).

addListener

chrome.windows.onRemoved.addListener(function callback)
Parameters
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function(integer windowId) {...};
integer windowId ID of the removed window.

onFocusChanged

Fired when the currently focused window changes. Will be chrome.windows.WINDOW_ID_NONE if all chrome windows have lost focus. Note: On some Linux window managers, WINDOW_ID_NONE will always be sent immediately preceding a switch from one chrome window to another.

addListener

chrome.windows.onFocusChanged.addListener(function callback)
Parameters
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function(integer windowId) {...};
integer windowId ID of the newly focused window.