External links don't launch new window

[larsdog]

Mark,

When I paste a URL into a bulletin board message and apply URL brackets by highlighting the URL and clicking on the URL button, the result when clicking on the link is an absolute jump to the URL. It would be better for the link to launch a new browser window. That can be accomplished by adding target="_blank" to the link. That way someone can sniff around in the outlink and then get back to where he was in BidStart by simply closing the new window. As it is, you have to remember to hit the back button however many times it takes to get back to BidStart. I tried adding the "target" parameter manually, but it doesn't work.

[noernberg]

I also thought the [url] bbcode tag was supposed to automatically go to a new tab in the browser, but it doesn't. I was just fumbling with that this past weekend! It's gotten to the point that when someone posts an outside link, I go through the effort of copying and pasting the link into a new browser tab, or doing a right click on the link and selecting "Open in a new tab" rather than clicking it directly for the very reason you are stating, Lars. It's difficult to navigate back the traditional "back button" way.

Is the target = "_blank" a configuration setting?

[larsdog]

Is the target = "_blank" a configuration setting?

Sort of. I would call it a parameter. In simple HTML coding you would put:

<a href="http://www.bidstart.com" target="_blank">Click here for BidStart</a>

That would display as text: Click here for Bidstart and when you clicked on it you would be launched in a new browser window to the href URL, in this case bidstart.com. If you DON'T add the target parameter, you won't launch a new window. Personally, I think the industry default SHOULD be a new window, but sadly, as with many things, nobody asked me.

Because we can't write HTML coding, we have to depend on the formatting buttons to do it for us. That's a good thing because screwing up HTML coding isn't hard to do. The problem is that the URL formatting button does not include the target="_blank" parameter as a default when formatting our links into href tags.

Clear as mud?

[Mark]

The way our forum is set up, most websites you click on, you won't actually leave bidStart. You'll see the page you clicked on, but you should still see the bidStart header at the top of the page, and you can click on the bidStart logo to return at any time. For example: http://www.usatoday.com/

-Mark

[larsdog]

The way our forum is set up, most websites you click on, you won't actually leave bidStart. You'll see the page you clicked on, but you should still see the bidStart header at the top of the page, and you can click on the bidStart logo to return at any time. For example: http://www.usatoday.com/

-Mark

Doesn't that just take us back to the BidStart home page? Is there another way back (besides the browser back button) to where we left BidStart? If I drill down very deep in the linked web site I don't want to hit the back button a bunch of time to get where I departed BidStart and pick up where I left off.

[Mark]

There are some technical reasons why links need to be set up this way in the forums. However, as with any link on any website, if you want to open it in a new tab, just click on it with the middle mouse button. Or, if you don't have a middle mouse button, just hold down the Ctrl key and then click on it. Both of which will open any link in a new tab.

-Mark

[larsdog]

There are some technical reasons why links need to be set up this way in the forums. However, as with any link on any website, if you want to open it in a new tab, just click on it with the middle mouse button. Or, if you don't have a middle mouse button, just hold down the Ctrl key and then click on it. Both of which will open any link in a new tab.

-Mark

I was just following a link a few minutes ago and used Doug's method of right-click and open new tab. I'll see if I can remember to do that.

[youpiao]

Most (every?) mouse has a scroll wheel that you can press as a middle button. This, as Mark says, will open, or can be set in your mouse settings to open, links in a new browser tab.



Tedski

[larsdog]

Most (every?) mouse has a scroll wheel that you can press as a middle button. This, as Mark says, will open, or can be set in your mouse settings to open, links in a new browser tab.



Tedski

That's assuming one hasn't already disabled said pesky wheel because of a severe case of "fat-finger".

[youpiao]

I'd like to disable the Caps Lock key for the same reason.



Tedski

[larsdog]

I'd like to disable the Caps Lock key for the same reason.



Tedski

Already done that my friend! You can disable the caps lock and make the scroll lock a caps lock button:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-caps-lock-key-in-windows-vista/

I've done it on XP and Win 7. LOVE IT!

[youpiao]

Cool!



Tedski