There's this nagging issue that is been poppin' in my mind for a while now regarding this forum and that is the fact that, when u click on external links that is posted on nairaland, it opens up on the same page, taking u out of the nairaland forum, i think this is not good enough for a forum as big as this. Seun, take note, work on d forum, so when u click on external links not related to the forum, it opens it up in a new page or something, u don't want to lose traffic to some other ext. links posted, even though u get all this traffic, u should still protect it, just felt i should air this out, Wacha think guys!

netwhizmx,

As that popular Michael Jackson song goes, "Yoouuuu are nooot aloooooone"

I'm happy that you want what's best for Nairaland. Personally, I find it annoying when links open in a new window, and I think many people feel the same way. If I want a link to open in a new tab, I'll right-click.

Seun,

Why not take a poll to see how many think (or don't think) like you

I know the forum is yours but it is popular because of the members. I think you should do what is best for a majority of the forumites.

So how about that poll?

personally, i find it annoying when reading an article or sumtin interesting and to be suddenly taken away from it just because i clicked a link, which opens on the same page. Anyway everyone's got his/her views, how about that poll?

I agree with Seun. Links that open up in new windows are very annoying. All it takes is a click of the mouse to get back to where you where. If the site that opens up is so good that you don't want to come back to Nairaland, then good for it. When you are as big and powerful as Nairaland, chances are pretty good, you will lose very little traffic.

depending on what is being opened in a new window, it is actually a good thing, especially if you give advanced notice. For example, I have a list of articles on my site and I don't want the user to have to click back 10 times to come back to my site. By having the articles open in a new window (again, with advanced notice given on the page), the user can close the new window and not have to remember how to get my article list. Sure, you can always click back, but what happens when you click from one link to another? Are you all saying you don't mind clicking back 5 or 10 times to get back to nairaland or wherever?

At the end of the day, it's Seun's site and he can do what he likes. Heck, if the majority wants links to open as-is, even better. I believe in majority rule. Having said that, I won't back down from saying that opening external links in a new window is actually good usability, as long as the user is informed in advance. Hint: In firefox, you can actuall tell the browser to open new windows in a new tab, as opposed to a new window, thus saving you from clutter in your task bar

There has been a lot of talks around about whether to allow links open in new window or not. Generally, webmasters are advised against it. The core reasons for this are that
1. Opening links in new window depends (not in all cases though) on Javascript and if it is has been disabled will lead to accessibility problems
2. It resets the Back button of browsers
3. It is not standard complaint
4. It affects accessibility for the impaired. The argument here is that if a link has opened in a new window, they may not be aware.
and a lot of others like that.
I really think an average surfer should be able to open links in a new window/tab themselves w/o the site implementing it. Personally, I simple Ctrl-Click on any link (open in new tab) when I dont want to leave the current page.
On the other hand though, there are situations when I think it is necessary to allow opening links in page; links to heavy documents as an example.
Which ways, I personally indulge my users in opening links in new tabs for them occassionally, like link to help files from forms. I wont like a user mistakenly leave a long form he has almost completed due to a click on a help link.

Kehers:

Here is a nifty solution to take care of all your "javascript off" concerns:

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open(not too sure of the syntax here but you get the point)">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

If JS is enabled, it uses onclick. If not, it reverts to the regular href.

There are certain things that the "average surfer" doesn't and shouldn't be able to do, just because you can. You always code for the lowest common denominator.

I still say, as long as the user (even those with disabilities) are given advanced notice (on the top and/or next to each such link) that they will be taken to another page, it's all good. Let's consider another scenario, if i may:

Imagine you just purchased a ticket on virgin nigeria website, via interswitch and are on the "thank you" page. Then imagine there is a link that you have to click that actually applies to you and you click. If you are taken to a page within the same window, then you click back, chances are that you will be charged twice. By going to another window, you eliminate such risks.

Bottomline:
It may be bad but as in all things, there is an exception to every rule, with legitimate reasons of course.

I personally indulge my users in opening links in new tabs for them occassionally, like link to help files from forms. I wont like a user mistakingly leave a long form he has almost completed due to a click on a help link.

Personally, Im a breaker of the standard, but that's me. Another developer may see it the other way, as Seun does. I really think wat matters is weighing the sensitivity of the current page - if the information is that important to stick users around.
By the way, my own approach to the JS solution is

<a href="link.ext" target="_blank">Yo!</a> or <a href="link.ext" onclick="this.target='_blank'">Yo!</a>

. In the real internet world, how many of this standards really work sef?

kehers it depends.

If you are doing a site for the US government, you have to follow 508 standards or risk a law suit. For other major corporations (and this has happened before), you don't have to follow 508 standards but if some disabled person can't access certain things cos the site isn't 508- compliant, again, you risk a lawsuit that could run in the millions.

Per other standards, you don't have to follow. Having said that, I would rather do so (just like a lawn tennis pro doesn't have to serve aces) for the following reasons:

1) It ensures your site is consistent across major browsers. In other words, code once and forget it. I for one seldom test my sites across major browsers or even PDAs because I follow web standards and know they will look good on all of them. Quick random spot checks in the future have confirmed my confidence by the way

2) It ensures your site will come up correctly on PDAs

3) It ensures everyone (including those with disabilities) can access your site (which could relate to more money if its an ecommerce site): for this one, you may not appreciate unless you have someone with disabilities and/or you try to view your site through a screenreader like jaws.


So again, you don't have to follow any standards. In addition to my lawn tennis example above, I would also like to use another example: It's like the lecturers at uni who say their handouts aren't mandatory but necessary. Believe, you are better off adhering to 50% of the standards than none at all.

@yawa-ti-de, good point u put down, but at the end of the day , it all boils down to d owner of the site to do whatsoever he pleases, we as nairalanders only have the option to air our views.

netwhiz,

I believe I have already said that, LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES

this has also been on my mind for long, can you enable this feature seun, nairalanders will love it

and based on how i personally you nairaland i.e

log in, go to "Your Posts" right click on each of my previous posts to see whose balls i will be asking for.
i already have close to 10 nairaland tabs,

Then go to the webmaster section, look out for "helps" and "latest news"
then off to the joke section, read 5 or 6 jokes, all in different tabs, i am reading 1, others are loading

then close all tabs and get back to my work. the come back in 6 hours. i think i need a tab to help me use the site better
and about the poll thing, i thing we need it.


@yawa, try that javascript out and see what happens, that snippet will come as a pop up window and not a tab.
you will have a popup and the opener will still go to that url, that will still result in you leaving nairaland completely.

maybe the _blank target is what we really need, so we need no javascript.

@yawa, try that javascript out and see what happens, that snippet will come as a pop up window and not a tab.
you will have a popup and the opener will still go to that url, that will still result in you leaving nairaland completely.

Webdezzi, did you try this in firefox? Note, I said firefox not IE (I develop/browse 99.9% of the time in firefox and recommend that any serious web developer do same). In Firefox, you can actually tell the browser to open new windows either in a tab or a new window. Go to Tools -> Options -> Tabs to verify for yourself that this in indeed true. In fact, I just tried the javascript snippet and it failed *in firefox*.

Thanks,

try it in your very firefox

i dont need to as i already did. i use ff3 (though version shdnt matter). check what you hv ur settings on by default. mine is on tabs.

Just tested again, same results. This is the last time I will b arguing on something I know and have independently verified to be true. I wd rather kick u in the nuts than do it again

run ur code again

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open('cnn.com')">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

you will end up with cnn on both the opener and the opened

what we are talking about here is we dont want the opener to go anywhere

dezzi

1)  Didn't I say I would rather kick you in the nuts than run this test again?  Besides, rn't you lifting from my post above, with respect to the code snippet?   Just to fulfill your fantasy, I did click and it DID NOT (for the umpteenth time) open in a new window (I am using FF) but IN A NEW TAB!! Haba!!!

2) Based on the code above, it will go somewhere.  That is the essence of .open().  If you don't want it to, don't add the opener or don't use target=_blank" and that has already been concluded as a "Seun Prerogative".

3) My code above is an accessibility hack, if you want to call it that, that works for both those with and without javascript enabled. It's nothing new. It's been around for a while. Sometimes, you want something to open in a smaller window, especially if it doesn't feature a lot of content. Having said that, again, some may have javascript disabled (hard to blv but they do still exist) and so by opening the window the regular way, such ppl still get to c the same content, albeit in a regular window. Of course, if they close it, they lose the window entirely.

na wa o!

lol, she'd rather kick u in d nutz man than run it again, bware, she's right man! i'm always on firefox, always test run ur codes on firefox

for your info, i use a nasa night launch spiced firefox

you can say all you know but that wont change the fact that

that YOUR snippet will not serve your claimed purpose

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open(not too sure of the syntax here but you get the point)">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

If JS is enabled, it uses onclick.  If not, it reverts to the regular href.

that is very wrong, you need to set the anchor to reference '#'
like this

<a href="#" onclick="window.open('yourLink')">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

if you put a link there, and you use an onclick to create another window, the opener window will go to "not too sure of the syntax here but you get the point" while the opener heads for cnn

and netwhizmx, let me know when you are done screwing yourself, you donuts

i wonder why seun had to remove the "your post" link.

I will say this for the last time, wait for you to concede you are wrong, then depending on your answer, remove notification from this thread or not:

Let us first start with what i said in about my 3rd post:

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open(not too sure of the syntax here but you get the point)">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

Note the bolded portion.  Perhaps either u skipped this one or you didn't understand what I meant.  Now you have forced me to dig up my library code.  no ya wa, nothing spoil.  As i hv said, I hv done this before

Here is the actual code:

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open('http://www.cnn.com'); return false;">Click here to go to cnn.com</a>

Again, note the bolded portion.  I don't memorize things if I don't use them.  Now, copy this, modify it to use ur window opener for onclick, make sure javascript is enabled, then click ur link. note that the link goes to a new window.  then disable javascript (u might want to close your "nasa" browser and open a new one), go to your page, click the link and note that the link now OPENS IN THE SAME WINDOW. Why? because it is going off of what is in the href as opposed to onclick (which wont work because javascript is disabled).  The former opens in a new window the latter opens in the same window.

The issue with the post is that I would prefer external links open in a new window and again, i don't own the forum and so can't dictate its direction.

by the way:
no need for the ad hominem attacks.  I know what i know, based on experience and u know what you know, based on your experience. In the end, we can both combine forces and know even more.  What you must be willing to do first though is open your mind and be willing to learn.  Whenever I am wrong on this forum, I am the first to own up to it.  I think through what I post at least 3 times, which is y i prefaced my first responses above by "not too sure" thus protecting myself from any liability