target="_blank" ... but better ?

[Romain]

Hi,

I've used an excellent way to make target="_blank" links that still
validate while using HTML 4.01 Transitional doctypes in the past.

I learned the trick from : http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1041

Basically, instead of typing :
<a href="yourlink. html" target="_blank" alt="">The link</a>

You type :
<a href="yourlink. html" class="external " alt="">The link</a>

And it's the same due to this little piece of javascript :

/* Evite de mettre des target="_blank" */
function externalLinks() {
if (!document.getE lementsByTagNam e) return;
var anchors = document.getEle mentsByTagName( "a");
for (var i=0; i<anchors.lengt h; i++) {
var anchor = anchors[i];
if (anchor.getAttr ibute("href") &&
anchor.getAttri bute("class") == "external")
anchor.target = "_blank";
}
}
window.onload = externalLinks;

Now, eventhough this perfectly works, I wish I could do a little
something more (with your help).

What I would like to archieve would be the following :

When typing :
<a href="yourlink. html" class="external " alt="">The link</a>

I would like to obtain :
<a href="yourlink. html" class="external " alt="">The link</a> (<a
href="yourlink. html" class="external 2" alt="">new window</a>)

So what I would like is the ability to :
1°) Add (<a href="yourlink. html" class="external 2" alt="">new
window</a>) after my original link
2°) indicate by this mean that the link could be followed either on the
same page or another one.
3°) have class="external " that opens nothing and class="external 2" that
opens a new window automaticaly.

What I don't know is :
1°) Is it feasible using only javascript ?
2°) Is it possible only by specifiing class="external " in the original
link (and having javascript doing the subsequent coding) ?
3°) Is someone able to come up with a solution (because I truly can't)

Hope I'll get some expert coders attention ;)

Greetings.

R.

[Lee]

Romain said:

In article <bf*********@dr n.newsguy.com>,
Lee <RE************ **@cox.net> wrote:

If you're not concerned with validity, why not simply use target="_blank"
when you want a new window and target="_self" (or "_top") when you don't?
Then it will even work for people who have disabled JavaScript.
Simply because I want this :

<a href="link.html " class="external ">the link</a>

To be transformed into this :

<a href="link.html " class="external ">the link</a> (<a href="link.html "
target="_blank ">In a new window</a>)

So that users can choose between opening a link in the same window, or
not. And since all my "external" links already have the class="external "
attribute that'll be VERY convenient instead of replace each and every
link (above 5000).

All this was clearly explained in my first thread, obviously you skipped
that part.

I read that part. You did not cleary explain that you wanted the
users to be able to choose whether links were opened in the same
window or in a new one. I got the impression that you, as the
page designer, would be making that decision.
I just want to offer a convenient (don't argue with that last personnal
opinion please) way to choose between opeing a link in the same window,
or in a new one, by LETTING the user do the choice.

In that case, there is a *much* simpler way to do what you
want. Too bad you're an asshole, or somebody might help you.

[DU]

Romain wrote:

In article <bf*********@dr n.newsguy.com>,
Lee <RE************ **@cox.net> wrote:

If you're not concerned with validity, why not simply use target="_blank"
when you want a new window and target="_self" (or "_top") when you don't?
Then it will even work for people who have disabled JavaScript.

Simply because I want this :

<a href="link.html " class="external ">the link</a>

To be transformed into this :

<a href="link.html " class="external ">the link</a> (<a href="link.html "
target="_blank" >In a new window</a>)

So that users can choose between opening a link in the same window, or
not. And since all my "external" links already have the class="external "
attribute that'll be VERY convenient instead of replace each and every
link (above 5000).

All this was clearly explained in my first thread, obviously you skipped
that part.

Oh, and by the way, I neither live in the US nor in the UK, I don't have
a commercial web site, and I really don't care about ADA, DAA (american
only RECOMMENDATIONS ).

<troll>ONU made recommendations about controling guns, kyoto agreements,
not starting a war in Irak etc. USA (& UK) didn't care. Why should I
care about USA (&UK) recommendations today ?</troll>

I just want to offer a convenient (don't argue with that last personnal
opinion please) way to choose between opeing a link in the same window,
or in a new one, by LETTING the user do the choice.

And for the accessibility concerned, doing so doesn't prevent disabled
people to watch my web site (although I doubt that they will ever find
an interest to "read" my thoughts and "watch" my pictures).
R.

There is something better than target="_blank" (I am assuming here that
your website design justifies the use of popups and meets widely known
accessibility and usability requirements). Just give a name to the new
window (say, target="Request edPopup") and then re-use the popup window.
I've coded requested popups before and I never ever saw the relevance of
creating new unnamed popup windows. Just allow the users to re-use the
same popup window, even if javascript is turned off. If you code
carefully, you can make your code robust, flexible and versatile so that
the user can open new unnamed popup windows (if this is what he really
wants and in as many new unnamed "_blank" popup windows as he wants) via
a right-click, open the referenced resource in a new tab or in the same
window... or open the reference resource in the same unique named
requested popup. The possibilities here are only limited by the browsers.

Here's a page allowing all this (use NS 7.1 or Mozilla 1.0+ to try all
alternatives):

http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunc...ra702Bugs.html

DU
--
Javascript and Browser bugs:
http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunclear/

[nice.guy.nige]

While the city slept, Romain <us**@domain.tl d> feverishly typed:

In article <bg************ @ID-112325.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"nice.guy.n ige" <ni********@dea dspam.com> wrote:

While the city slept, Romain <us**@domain.tl d> feverishly typed:

Basically, instead of typing :
<a href="yourlink. html" target="_blank" alt="">The link</a> [...]

As an aside, there is no alt attribute for <a>, so you do not need to
declare it empty (and shouldn't really declare it at all). You can,
however use the title attribute with <a> if you wish, but it is not
mandatory.

Oups, my mistake... I mean title of course...

<g> But as I said before, title is not a mandatory attribute in <a>, so you
don't need to declare an empty one if you don't want a title.

Cheers,
Nige

--
Nigel Moss.

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