Web Activities JavaScript library

It’s a common task for a web page to open a different page (an iframe, a popup or a redirect) that will return its result back to the calling page. The typical use cases include location picker, contact picker, payment form, social sign-in, and so on.

While many platforms provide an easy and reliable APIs to accomplish this, Web platform does not. The Web Activities library provides a common API to do this.

Key concepts

The API provides two parts: a client (or port) and a host. A host page implements the actual activity and a client page opens the host and waits for the result to be returned.

How to use this API

Client API (ports)

These APIs are provided within the ActivityPorts class.

A client page can open the activity as an iframe or a standalone page.

To open the activity as an iframe:

ports.openIframe(iframe, url, args).then(port => {
  // Check origin properties.
  return port.acceptResult();
}).then(result => {
  // Handle the result.
});

To open the activity as a standalone page (popup or redirect):

// First setup callback, even if you are not yet starting an activity. This
// will ensure that you are always prepared to handle redirect results.
ports.onResult(resultId, port => {
  port.acceptResult().then(result => {
    // Check origin properties.
    // Handle the result.
  });
});

// Open the activity.
ports.open(resultId, url, target, args, options);

For details options, see ActivityOpenOptionsDef type.

Host API (hosts)

These APIs are provided within the ActivityHosts class.

A host page implements the activity by connecting it to the client:

activities.connectHost().then(host => {
  // Check origin properties.
  host.accept();

  // At some point later, return the result.
  host.result(result);
});

How to include this API in your project

Compiling Web Activities into your source

Include Web Activities as a npm package.

In the npm package, you can either use the combined acitivities.js, or two separate activity-ports.js and activity-hosts.js based on whether you are implementing a client or a host.

Using the precompiled binary in your project

Include https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/web-activities/activities.min.js as a script on your page:

<script async src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/web-activities/activities.min.js"></script>

<script>
  ...

  (window.ACTIVITIES = window.ACTIVITIES || []).push(function(activities) {
    // Activities binary has been loaded. You can use ports or hosts.
    activities.ports.openIframe(...);
    activities.hosts.connectHost();
  });
</script>

Once the activities binary is loaded, you can use ports and hosts. For the actual APIs, see the How to use this API.