How to Stop Playing Iframe Video After Closing Modal Window

Have you ever encountered the issue of iframe videos continuing to play even after closing a modal window? This common dilemma can disrupt user experience and detract from the seamless flow of your website. In this guide, we will explore effective strategies to stop playing iframe videos when closing a modal window, ensuring a smooth and professional user interaction.

How to Stop Video Playback After Closing Modal

To stop a video from playing after closing a modal window, you can follow these steps:

1. Embed the Video:

   • First, copy the code to embed the video from the YouTube site.
   • Then, place the code inside the

     element.

2. Dynamic URL Toggle:

   • To automatically stop the video when you close the modal, dynamically toggle the src attribute of the YouTube video’s iframe.
   • You can achieve this using jQuery or plain JavaScript.

Here’s an example using jQuery:

Replace "https://www.youtube.com/embed/your-video-id" with the actual URL of your video. This script will pause the video when the modal is closed, and the next time you open the modal, it will start from the beginning.

Embedding and Pausing Iframe Video in Modal Window

To ensure that an embedded iframe video stops playing when a modal window is closed, you can follow these steps:

1. Embed the Video:

   • First, copy the code to embed the video from the YouTube site or any other video platform.
   • Place this code inside the .modal-body element of your modal.

2. Dynamic URL Toggle:

   • To stop the video automatically when the user closes the modal, dynamically toggle the src attribute value of the YouTube video’s iframe.
   • You can achieve this using jQuery. Here’s an example snippet:

   // Get the iframe's src attribute and cache it to a variable
   var src = vid.attr('src');
   
   // Empty the iframe's src attribute (this will pause the video)
   vid.attr('src', '');
   
   // Restore the iframe src URL, ready to be played again
   // (e.g., when the modal is opened next time)
   

Remember to replace vid

For more detailed implementation, you can refer to resources like GeeksforGeeks or WebDevStudios

Modal Window Event Handlers in JavaScript

When working with modal windows in JavaScript, you can set up event handlers to perform specific actions when the modal is closed. Let’s explore a couple of approaches:

1. Using the onbeforeunload Event:

   • The onbeforeunload event is triggered when the user navigates away from a page or closes a window. You can use it to execute code before the modal window is closed.
   • Here’s how you can set up an event handler for a popup window (created using window.open):

   const newWindow = window.open('some url');
   newWindow.onload = function() {
       this.onbeforeunload = function() {
           // Your code here (e.g., cleanup tasks)
       };
   };
   

   • This approach works well for same-origin popups. If the newly opened window is not in the same domain as the parent window, consider alternative solutions like loading the remote URL in an iframe or handling it via server scripts.

2. Detecting Modal Close for Cross-Origin Popups:

   • To detect when a cross-origin popup window is closed, you can use a combination of window.open and a timer. Here’s an example:

   const win = window.open('some url');
   const timer = setInterval(function() {
       if (win.closed) {
           clearInterval(timer);
           // Perform actions after the window is closed
           alert('Window closed');
       }
   }, 1000);
   

   • This approach works even for cross-origin popups and is used by platforms like Facebook in their JavaScript SDK.

Testing Video Playback Behavior

Testing video playback behavior across various browsers and devices is crucial to ensure a seamless user experience. Let’s explore how you can achieve this:

1. Understand Audio/Video Test Files:

   • Audio and video files come in different formats, each with its own characteristics.
   • Audio Formats:
     • MP3: Widely used for audio files; it’s a lossy compressed format.
     • MPEG1 and MPEG2: Lossless compressed formats.
     • WAV: Raw audio format with high quality.
     • OGG: Used for music files and can hold additional information.
   • Video Formats:
     • MP4 / MPEG-4: Commonly used for internet video streaming.
     • MOV: Stores movie files, compatible with both Windows and macOS.
     • AVI: Contains both audio and video.
     • WMV: Windows Media Video.
     • FLV: Flash-compatible video.
   • Each format has specific properties, supported platforms, and devices.

2. Perform Audio Testing:

   • Verify audio playback quality, load time, and buffer time.
   • Use real devices or cloud-based services like BrowserStack to test audio files on various browsers and devices.

3. Perform Video Testing:

   • Test video playback behavior:
     • Play Controls: Ensure play, pause, and other controls work as expected.
     • View Modes: Check switching between full-screen and windowed modes.
     • Buffering: Validate buffer time and smooth playback.
   • Use real devices or cloud-based services for comprehensive testing.

4. Testing on Real Devices:

   • BrowserStack provides a platform for testing on 3000+ real devices and browsers.
   • You can simulate different browser-device combinations to verify video playback behavior.

Optimizing iFrame Video Playback in Modal Windows

Let’s delve into enhancing user experience by addressing iframe video playback in modal windows. Iframes are powerful tools for seamlessly integrating external content into web pages. Whether you’re embedding videos, maps, or other dynamic elements, iframes provide a convenient way to load content from another website within your own page.

The Challenge: Fixed-Height Iframes with Scroll Bars

When using iframes, predefined fixed heights and scroll bars can create a disjointed user experience. Ideally, we want the content within the iframe to seamlessly blend into our website, without any visible indication that it originates from an external source.

The First Solution: Security Hurdles

Our initial approach was to access the document within the iframe, retrieve its height, and dynamically adjust the iframe’s height accordingly. However, direct access to the iframe’s content from the parent page is restricted due to security measures. These restrictions prevent cross-origin manipulation, ensuring that code from one domain cannot access or modify content within an iframe from a different domain.

Overcoming the Challenge: Dynamic iFrame Height

To achieve a cohesive integration, we needed a solution that didn’t compromise security. Here’s how we addressed it:

1. Responsive iFrame Height:

   • We created an illusion where the iframe content appeared inherent to our website.
   • The iframe’s height was adjusted dynamically based on its content, eliminating scroll bars.
   • The container element had a zero height and a percentage bottom padding, maintaining a fixed aspect ratio.
   • The iframe was positioned absolutely within the container, ensuring seamless integration.

2. Cross-Origin Security:

   • While CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) headers could allow specific domains, we opted for an agnostic solution.
   • By adhering to the Same-Origin Policy (SOP), we maintained security while achieving our goal.

Recommendations for Seamless Integration:

• Use the
• Customize HTML video controls to align with your website’s design.
• Consider responsive layouts for video embedding.
• Leverage JavaScript and CSS to enhance user experience.

For more details, you can explore the full blog post

Ensuring that iframe videos stop playing after closing a modal window is essential for maintaining a user-friendly and engaging website. By following the steps outlined in this article, such as embedding the video correctly and implementing dynamic URL toggling with JavaScript or jQuery, you can create a seamless experience for your audience. Remember, a well-crafted modal window can enhance user engagement, and the proper handling of embedded videos adds an extra layer of professionalism to your website.

Stop those pesky iframe videos from playing on their own and enhance your website’s user experience today!