Bug 14234 – REGRESSION: Opening links from other applications ~ in window instead of new tab

• Component: New Bugs
• Status: RESOLVED INVALID

[Gibbons Burke]

I reported this first in <rdar://problem/5272121> since it was an issue in the new Safari 3.0 application and not in WebKit, but it may in fact be a WebKit issue.

I have the Safari Preference "Open links from applications: in a new tab in the current window" set, however, when I click on URL links in plain text or html messages in Mail, Safari will often open the URL in a new window rather than in a new tab in the front-most window of Safari. It doesn't happen every time, but often enough to be annoying.

Steps to Reproduce: 
1) Open a window in Safari with multiple tabs
2) Switch to Mail. Read mail messages. Click on URL link in mail message.
3) Safari application is activated; sometimes new window is created with URL loaded, sometimes as a new tab in the current window. I have found no way to make it behave one way or the other in a consistent manner.

Expected Results: 
I expect that Safari will always open the URL in a new tab in the front-most window.

Actual Results: 
Safari appears; sometimes new window is created with URL loaded, sometimes a new tab in the current window.

Regression: 
Safari 2, or Nightly Build works as expected.

Notes: 

I often have multiple windows open in Safari with multiple tabs. In some cases those windows are minimized to the Dock when this occurs. But it also happens with just a single Safari window open with just one tab going.

I have not yet been able to reduce it to a set of steps to make this happen consistently but will continue to try and do so.

[Mark Rowe (bdash)]

Tabs are definitely a Safari feature and are not something WebKit knows about.  It is very unlikely that this is a WebKit issue.