Feature Proposal: External Link Opens New Window

Motivation

For external links, I like to pop open a new window to make it more obvious to the user that they've left our web site.

Description

I'm doing this with the usual:

<A HREF="http://java.sun.com" TARGET="_blank">Java</A>

It would be great if I could do this to URLs and to

[[http://java.sun.com]] 

 
<A> 

-- JeffSparkes - 20 Jun 2001

Impact and Available Solutions

Note: Patch is attached as https://twiki.org/p/pub/Codev/LinkOpensNewWindow/twiki-foo-bar-patch.diff. The patch is against the TWikiAlphaRelease of 15 Feb 2004.

Documentation

If necessary, user documentation of new features introduced by this proposal.

Examples

Example uses of features introduced by proposal.

Implementation

Any comments on how the feature is implemented or could be improved

Discussion:

Or may be a NEWWINDOWFOREXTERNALLINKS preferences variable that can be set per user?

-- PeterThoeny - 23 Jun 2001

This definitely has to be a user definable parameter; most people including myself hate new windows popping up...

See also "The top ten new mistakes of web design" by usability guru Jakob Nielsen http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html

-- PeterKlausner - 24 Jun 2001

I'm waking up this old discussion after a request from a client. I don't know that yet another preferences variable is the best approach but will take whatever works.

(I personally don't like new-window links, but I don't care anymore. I have Firefox and just open everything in a new tab anyway :))

-- MattWilkie - 17 Feb 2005

Since the motivation is "to make it more obvious to the user that they've left our web site" an alternative would be to have TWiki give all external links a class of external or externalLink and then CSS could be applied to add an icon indicating an external link much like other sites do.

This has the advantage that the user know they are going to an external link before they click on it.

-- SamHasler - 17 Feb 2005

The LinkOptionsPlugin can do this.

[[http://www.gnu.org][the GNU web site][Name:_blank]]

-- AurelioAHeckert - 18 Jul 2005