Proposing we add window.opener as postMessage target for dialogs

I propose that dialogs first check window.opener [1], then window.parent, for sending messages via postMessage. This allows clients to open dialogs in a new window rather than an iframe. This is particularly important for mobile.

On a phone, it's difficult to display a dialog in an iframe on the same page because the display is so small, and in my reference implementation [2], I open a new browser window for dialogs on small displays. window.opener allows the dialog to send results back to the client even in a new window. It is supported in mobile browsers except Windows phone.

This could make sense even in desktop browsers. As a client, I might prefer to open a new browser window than to style a floating <iframe> to look like a dialog.

This should have a minimal impact on n-1 compatibility as well.

[1] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/opener

[2] http://oslc3.mybluemix.net

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Samuel Padgett | IBM Rational | 

Eclipse Lyo: Enabling tool integration with OSLC