Redirect parent window from an iframe action

Safely diving into the details

Understanding same-origin policy restrictions

In handling iframes, it's important to understand the same-origin policy. This policy restricts scripts in a frame to interact only with data from the same domain, to protect against potential security risks.

Frame targeting using HTML attributes

To streamline the redirection process, you can leverage HTML's built-in attributes such as target="_top" or target="_parent" to achieve the desired effect:

<!-- "Here upon the _top, where the air is clear..." -->
<a href="https://www.example.com" target="_top">Go to Example.com</a>

<!-- "My _parent always says..." -->
<a href="https://www.example.com" target="_parent">Visit Example.com</a>


These attributes are incredibly useful for ensuring cross-browser compatibility and also simplifying the overall implementation process.

Controlling redirection using JavaScript

For situations where you need more programmatic control over the redirection, JavaScript comes handy. You can set the href property of the location object in either window.top or window.parent:

// You know what's on top? Clouds. And www.example.com.
document.getElementById('myButton').onclick = function() {
  window.top.location.href = 'https://www.example.com';  // I can see my house from here!
};  


Doing so allows you to trigger a redirection when the user interacts with the DOM in the iframe, thus creating a cohesive UX.

Handling redirection hurdles

What if the usual strategies don't work? Fear not! There are alternative methods you can rely on such as using postMessage(), setting the target attribute or even server side redirections. These tactics can be especially useful if the iframe and parent aren't from the same domain.

Debugging the frame goblins

Don't let "something went wrong" be the end of your debugging. Here's a couple of suggestions to help you identify what's gone wrong and how to fix it:

• Error hunting: Open the console in browser developer tools to look for errors or warnings that popped up.
• Cross-origin check: Make sure both iframe and parent abide by the same-origin policy.
• Event bubbling: Make sure the event handlers are executing correctly within the iframe.

Redirection: Testing 1, 2, 3...

It's always good to test before letting your code loose on the world. Here are some scenarios to consider:

• Browsers galore: Check the functionality across multiple browsers for consistent behavior.
• Nested iframes: Investigate when there are multiple layers of iframes, because the party gets wild down there.
• Dynamic URLs: Assess how the redirection behaves with dynamically created URLs.