Additional Windowing Controls

Category: Capabilities (Fugu)
Type: New or changed feature
Status: In developer trial (Behind a flag) (Chrome 155)
Intent stage: Start incubating

Summary

Enables web applications with the window-management permission to maximize(), minimize(), and restore() their windows, and to prevent resizing through setResizable(). Additionally, new CSS media features display-state and resizable enable scripts and content to adapt to the respective window states and resizability. These features improve the usability of VDI remote application windows in Web clients, especially when it comes to titlebar window controls. The new functionality enhances existing Window Management API features: https://chromestatus.com/feature/5252960583942144

Motivation

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) web clients have limited abilities to integrate remote application windows with the local desktop environment, which creates suboptimal experiences for their users. Currently, they can only present full disjoint remote desktop environments (e.g. in a local fullscreen window), or present individual remote applications in separate local windows with titlebar window controls that are inoperative, redundant, and confusing for users.

Standards & signals

Specification: https://www.w3.org/TR/window-management/#api-window-minimize-method
Firefox: No signal
Safari: No signal
Web developers: Positive — From VDI web client partners (Citrix & VMware) - the feature is needed by them for single application streaming using web technologies. https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops/seamless.html https://github.com/w3c/window-management/issues/158
Tracking bug: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/40192345

Samples: https://awc-demo-4a08a808.web.app

Explainers: https://github.com/w3c/window-management/blob/main/EXPLAINER_additional_windowing_controls.md

View on chromestatus.com