tabs API
The tabs API supports creating, modifying and interacting with tabs in Thunderbird windows.
Permissions
Access browser tabs
Hide and show browser tabs
Functions
connect(tabId, [connectInfo])
– [Added in TB 82, backported to TB 78.4.0]
Connects to the content script(s) in the specified tab. The runtime.onConnect event is fired in each content script running in the specified tab for the current extension. For more details, see Content Script Messaging.
Parameters
tabId
(integer)
[connectInfo]
(object, optional)
[frameId]
(integer, optional)
Open a port to a specific frame identified by frameId instead of all frames in the tab.
[name]
(string, optional)
Will be passed into onConnect for content scripts that are listening for the connection event.
create(createProperties)
Creates a new content tab. Use the messageDisplay API to open messages. Only supported in normal windows. Same-site links in the loaded page are opened within Thunderbird, all other links are opened in the user’s default browser. To override this behavior, add-ons have to register a content script , capture click events and handle them manually.
Parameters
createProperties
(object)
Properties for the new tab. Defaults to an empty tab, if no url is provided.
[active]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tab should become the active tab in the window. Does not affect whether the window is focused (see update(windowId, updateInfo)). Defaults to true.
[cookieStoreId]
(string, optional)
The CookieStore id the new tab should use. Either a custom id created using the contextualIdentities API, or a built-in one: firefox-default, firefox-container-1, firefox-container-2, firefox-container-3, firefox-container-4, firefox-container-5. Note: The naming pattern was deliberately not changed for Thunderbird, but kept for compatibility reasons.
[index]
(integer, optional)
The position the tab should take in the window. The provided value will be clamped to between zero and the number of tabs in the window.
[selected]
(boolean, optional) Unsupported.
Whether the tab should become the selected tab in the window. Defaults to true
[url]
(string, optional)
The URL to navigate the tab to initially. Fully-qualified URLs must include a scheme (i.e. http://www.google.com, not www.google.com). Relative URLs will be relative to the current page within the extension.
[windowId]
(integer, optional)
The window to create the new tab in. Defaults to the current window.
duplicate(tabId)
Duplicates a tab.
Parameters
tabId
(integer)
The ID of the tab which is to be duplicated.
executeScript([tabId], details)
Injects JavaScript code into a page. For details, see the programmatic injection section of the content scripts doc.
Changes in Thunderbird 77
With the permission, this now works in the document of email messages during composition.
Parameters
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab in which to run the script; defaults to the active tab of the current window.
Details of the script to run.
Return type (Promise)
array of any
The result of the script in every injected frame.
get(tabId)
Retrieves details about the specified tab.
Parameters
tabId
(integer)
getCurrent()
Gets the tab that this script call is being made from. May be undefined if called from a non-tab context (for example: a background page or popup view).
insertCSS([tabId], details)
Injects CSS into a page. For details, see the programmatic injection section of the content scripts doc.
Changes in Thunderbird 77
With the permission, this now works in the document of email messages during composition.
Parameters
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab in which to insert the CSS; defaults to the active tab of the current window.
Details of the CSS text to insert.
move(tabIds, moveProperties)
Moves one or more tabs to a new position within its current window, or to a different window. Note that tabs can only be moved to and from windows of type normal.
Parameters
tabIds
(integer or array of integer)
The tab or list of tabs to move.
moveProperties
(object)
index
(integer)
The position to move the tab to. -1 will place the tab at the end of the window.
[windowId]
(integer, optional)
Defaults to the window the tab is currently in.
query([queryInfo])
Gets all tabs that have the specified properties, or all tabs if no properties are specified.
Parameters
[queryInfo]
(object, optional)
[active]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tabs are active in their windows.
[cookieStoreId]
(array of string or string, optional)
The CookieStore id(s) used by the tabs. Either custom ids created using the contextualIdentities API, or built-in ones: firefox-default, firefox-container-1, firefox-container-2, firefox-container-3, firefox-container-4, firefox-container-5. Note: The naming pattern was deliberately not changed for Thunderbird, but kept for compatibility reasons.
[currentWindow]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tabs are in the current window.
[highlighted]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tabs are highlighted. Works as an alias of active.
[index]
(integer, optional)
The position of the tabs within their windows.
[lastFocusedWindow]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tabs are in the last focused window.
[mailTab]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tab is a Thunderbird 3-pane tab.
[spaceId]
(integer, optional)
The id of the space the tabs should belong to.
Whether the tabs have completed loading.
[title]
(string, optional)
Match page titles against a pattern.
[type]
(string, optional)
– [Added in TB 91]
Match tabs against the given Tab.type (see Tab). Ignored if queryInfo.mailTab is specified.
[url]
(string or array of string, optional)
Match tabs against one or more URL Patterns. Note that fragment identifiers are not matched.
[windowId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the parent window, or WINDOW_ID_CURRENT for the current window.
The type of window the tabs are in.
reload([tabId], [reloadProperties])
Reload a tab. Only applicable for tabs which display a content page.
Parameters
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab to reload; defaults to the selected tab of the current window.
[reloadProperties]
(object, optional)
[bypassCache]
(boolean, optional)
Whether using any local cache. Default is false.
remove(tabIds)
Closes one or more tabs.
Parameters
tabIds
(integer or array of integer)
The tab or list of tabs to close.
removeCSS([tabId], details)
Removes injected CSS from a page. For details, see the programmatic injection section of the content scripts doc.
Changes in Thunderbird 77
With the permission, this now works in the document of email messages during composition.
Parameters
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab from which to remove the injected CSS; defaults to the active tab of the current window.
Details of the CSS text to remove.
sendMessage(tabId, message, [options])
– [Added in TB 82, backported to TB 78.4.0]
Sends a single message to the content script(s) in the specified tab, with an optional callback to run when a response is sent back. The runtime.onMessage event is fired in each content script running in the specified tab for the current extension.
Parameters
tabId
(integer)
message
(any)
[options]
(object, optional)
[frameId]
(integer, optional)
Send a message to a specific frame identified by frameId instead of all frames in the tab.
Return type (Promise)
any
The JSON response object sent by the handler of the message. If an error occurs while connecting to the specified tab, the callback will be called with no arguments and runtime.lastError will be set to the error message.
update([tabId], updateProperties)
Modifies the properties of a tab. Properties that are not specified in updateProperties are not modified.
Parameters
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
Defaults to the selected tab of the current window.
updateProperties
(object)
Properties which should to be updated.
[active]
(boolean, optional)
Set this to true, if the tab should become active. Does not affect whether the window is focused (see update(windowId, updateInfo)). Setting this to false has no effect.
[url]
(string, optional)
A URL of a page to load. If the URL points to a content page (a web page, an extension page or a registered WebExtension protocol handler page), the tab will navigate to the requested page. All other URLs will be opened externally without changing the tab. Note: This function will throw an error, if a content page is loaded into a non-content tab (its type must be either content or mail).
Events
onActivated
Fires when the active tab in a window changes. Note that the tab’s URL may not be set at the time this event fired, but you can listen to onUpdated events to be notified when a URL is set.
Parameters for onActivated.addListener(listener)
listener(activeInfo)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
activeInfo
(object)
tabId
(integer)
The ID of the tab that has become active.
windowId
(integer)
The ID of the window the active tab changed inside of.
[previousTabId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab that was previously active, if that tab is still open.
onAttached
Fired when a tab is attached to a window, for example because it was moved between windows.
Parameters for onAttached.addListener(listener)
listener(tabId, attachInfo)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
tabId
(integer)
attachInfo
(object)
newPosition
(integer)
newWindowId
(integer)
onCreated
Fired when a tab is created. Note that the tab’s URL may not be set at the time this event fired, but you can listen to onUpdated events to be notified when a URL is set.
Parameters for onCreated.addListener(listener)
listener(tab)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
Details of the tab that was created.
onDetached
Fired when a tab is detached from a window, for example because it is being moved between windows.
Parameters for onDetached.addListener(listener)
listener(tabId, detachInfo)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
tabId
(integer)
detachInfo
(object)
oldPosition
(integer)
oldWindowId
(integer)
onMoved
Fired when a tab is moved within a window. Only one move event is fired, representing the tab the user directly moved. Move events are not fired for the other tabs that must move in response. This event is not fired when a tab is moved between windows. For that, see onDetached.
Parameters for onMoved.addListener(listener)
listener(tabId, moveInfo)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
tabId
(integer)
moveInfo
(object)
fromIndex
(integer)
toIndex
(integer)
windowId
(integer)
onRemoved
Fired when a tab is closed.
Parameters for onRemoved.addListener(listener)
listener(tabId, removeInfo)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
Parameters passed to the listener function
tabId
(integer)
removeInfo
(object)
isWindowClosing
(boolean)
Is true when the tab is being closed because its window is being closed.
windowId
(integer)
The window whose tab is closed.
onUpdated
Fired when a tab is updated.
Parameters for onUpdated.addListener(listener, filter)
listener(tabId, changeInfo, tab)
A function that will be called when this event occurs.
A set of filters that restricts the events that will be sent to this listener.
Parameters passed to the listener function
tabId
(integer)
changeInfo
(object)
Lists the changes to the state of the tab that was updated.
[favIconUrl]
(string, optional)
The tab’s new favicon URL.
[status]
(string, optional)
The status of the tab. Can be either loading or complete.
[url]
(string, optional)
The tab’s URL if it has changed.
Gives the state of the tab that was updated.
Types
Tab
object
active
(boolean)
Whether the tab is active in its window. (Does not necessarily mean the window is focused.)
highlighted
(boolean)
Whether the tab is highlighted. Works as an alias of active
index
(integer)
The zero-based index of the tab within its window.
selected
(boolean) Unsupported.
Whether the tab is selected.
[cookieStoreId]
(string, optional)
The CookieStore id used by the tab. Either a custom id created using the contextualIdentities API, or a built-in one: firefox-default, firefox-container-1, firefox-container-2, firefox-container-3, firefox-container-4, firefox-container-5. Note: The naming pattern was deliberately not changed for Thunderbird, but kept for compatibility reasons.
[favIconUrl]
(string, optional)
The URL of the tab’s favicon. This property is only present if the extension’s manifest includes the permission. It may also be an empty string if the tab is loading.
[height]
(integer, optional)
The height of the tab in pixels.
[id]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the tab. Tab IDs are unique within a session. Under some circumstances a Tab may not be assigned an ID. Tab ID can also be set to TAB_ID_NONE for apps and devtools windows.
[mailTab]
(boolean, optional)
Whether the tab is a 3-pane tab.
[spaceId]
(integer, optional)
The id of the space.
[status]
(string, optional)
Either loading or complete.
[title]
(string, optional)
The title of the tab. This property is only present if the extension’s manifest includes the permission.
[type]
(string, optional)
– [Added in TB 91]
Supported values:
addressBook
calendar
calendarEvent
calendarTask
chat
content
messageCompose
messageDisplay
special
tasks
[url]
(string, optional)
The URL the tab is displaying. This property is only present if the extension’s manifest includes the permission.
[width]
(integer, optional)
The width of the tab in pixels.
[windowId]
(integer, optional)
The ID of the window the tab is contained within.
TabStatus
Whether the tabs have completed loading.
string
Supported values:
loading
complete
UpdateFilter
An object describing filters to apply to tabs.onUpdated events.
object
A list of property names. Events that do not match any of the names will be filtered out.
[tabId]
(integer, optional)
[urls]
(array of string, optional)
A list of URLs or URL patterns. Events that cannot match any of the URLs will be filtered out. Filtering with urls requires the or permission.
[windowId]
(integer, optional)
UpdatePropertyName
Event names supported in onUpdated.
string
Supported values:
favIconUrl
status
title
WindowType
The type of a window. Under some circumstances a Window may not be assigned a type property.
string
Supported values:
normal
popup
panel
app
devtools
messageCompose
messageDisplay
Properties
TAB_ID_NONE
An ID which represents the absence of a tab.