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This is an experimental technology
Because this technology's specification has not stabilized, check the compatibility table for usage in various browsers. Also note that the syntax and behavior of an experimental technology is subject to change in future versions of browsers as the specification changes.
The lockOrientation method locks the screen into the specified orientation.
Note: This method only works for installed Web apps or for Web pages in full-screen mode.
Syntax
lockedAllowed = window.screen.lockOrientation(orientation);
Parameters
- orientation
- The orientation into which to lock the screen. This is either a string or an array of strings. Passing several strings lets the screen rotate only in the selected orientations.
The following strings represent the possible orientation requirements you may specify.
portrait-primary- It represents the orientation of the screen when it is in its primary portrait mode. A screen is considered in its primary portrait mode if the device is held in its normal position and that position is in portrait, or if the normal position of the device is in landscape and the device held turned by 90° clockwise. The normal position is device dependant.
portrait-secondary- It represents the orientation of the screen when it is in its secondary portrait mode. A screen is considered in its secondary portrait mode if the device is held 180° from its normal position and that position is in portrait, or if the normal position of the device is in landscape and the device held is turned by 90° anticlockwise. The normal position is device dependant.
landscape-primary- It represents the orientation of the screen when it is in its primary landscape mode. A screen is considered in its primary landscape mode if the device is held in its normal position and that position is in landscape, or if the normal position of the device is in portrait and the device held is turned by 90° clockwise. The normal position is device dependant.
landscape-secondary- It represents the orientation of the screen when it is in its secondary landscape mode. A screen is considered in its secondary landscape mode if the device held is 180° from its normal position and that position is in landscape, or if the normal position of the device is in portrait and the device held is turned by 90° anticlockwise. The normal position is device dependant.
portrait- It represents both
portrait-primaryandportrait-secondary. landscape- It represents both
landscape-primaryandlandscape-secondary.
default- It represents either
portrait-primaryandlandscape-primarydepends on natural orientation of devices. For example, if the panel resolution is 1280*800,defaultwill make it landscape, if the resolution is 800*1280,defaultwill make it to portrait.
Note: It's possible to set several locks at the same time. So, if the lock is set for only one orientation, the screen orientation will never change until the screen orientation is unlocked. Otherwise, the screen orientation will change from an orientation to another as long as the orientations are amongst the orientations the device has been locked to.
Return value
Returns true if the orientation was authorized to be locked or false if the orientation locking was denied. Note that the returns value doesn't indicate that the screen orientation is indeed locked: there may be a delay.
Examples
Usage with a DOMString argument
screen.lockOrientationUniversal = screen.lockOrientation || screen.mozLockOrientation || screen.msLockOrientation;
if (screen.lockOrientationUniversal("landscape-primary")) {
// orientation was locked
} else {
// orientation lock failed
}
Usage with an Array argument
screen.lockOrientationUniversal = screen.lockOrientation || screen.mozLockOrientation || screen.msLockOrientation;
if (screen.lockOrientationUniversal(["landscape-primary", "landscape-secondary"])) {
// orientation was locked
} else {
// orientation lock failed
}
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Orientation API The definition of 'Screen Orientation' in that specification. |
Working Draft | Initial definition |
Browser compatibility
| Feature | Chrome | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 38[1] | (Yes) moz[2] | 11 ms[3] | No support | No support |
Array argument |
No support | 18.0 (18.0) | 11 ms | No support | No support |
default |
No support | No support | No support | No support | No support |
| Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Mobile | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | No support | 38[1] | (Yes) moz[2] | No support | No support | No support |
Array argument |
No support | No support | 18.0 (18.0) | No support | No support | No support |
default |
No support | No support | 26.0 (26.0) | No support | No support | No support |
[1] A similar method is implemented using a newer standard syntax (screen.orientation.lock) and returns a Promise. While it exists on desktop, it will always fail.
[2] This API is only implemented as a prefixed method (screen.mozLockOrientation) in Firefox OS and Firefox for Android. Also, due to bug 966480, it does not work in Firefox for Android.
[3] This method is implemented using a prefix (screen.msLockOrientation) in Internet Explorer for Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1. It is not supported on Windows 7.