November 2, 1999 - Is the Window Still Open?
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November 2, 1999 Is the Window Still Open?  Tips: November 1999
Yehuda Shiran, Ph.D.
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window object has a closed property that contains a Boolean value specifying if the window was closed. Before referring to a browser window, you should make sure it is still open. You can either test the existence of the corresponding window object, or simply use the closed property. Here's an example:
function reloadWin() {
if (!win.closed) win.location.reload();
}
var win = open("test.html");
setTimeout("reloadWin()", 60000); // reload after one minute
When a window closes, the window object that represents it continues to exist, and its closed property is set to true. Use closed to determine whether a window that you opened, and to which you still hold a reference (from the return value of the window.open() method), is still open. Once a window is closed, you should not attempt to manipulate it, or you will receive a nasty JavaScript error.
For more information, refer to the official documentation from Microsoft and Netscape.
