Links to external sites

[DavidM13]

Sorry if this has been raised before but I thought I would just make a suggestion.

Currently when someone hits a link on here it takes them away to this new place. You are then off the Lemon fool and have to navigate back. I would think normal practice would be for the link to open in a new window to prevent this?

Just an idea

[monabri]

Here's a link to another site

https://www.theaic.co.uk/

When you select it, don't just click on it but click and hold to see if it gives a "open in new tab option"





Yes...I did deliberately chose the AIC link

[88V8]

Here's a link to another site https://www.theaic.co.uk/
When you select it, don't just click on it but click and hold to see if it gives a "open in new tab option"

It does in FF if I right-click it.

V8

[DavidM13]

Here's a link to another site

https://www.theaic.co.uk/

When you select it, don't just click on it but click and hold to see if it gives a "open in new tab option"





Yes...I did deliberately chose the AIC link

Thanks. The click and hold trick doesn't work for me but hitting the right side mouse button does give that option. The problem is remembering to do that each time. I never do! And the LF is one of the main areas of website referral traffic to the AIC site, so thanks for making that even better

[mc2fool]

Sorry if this has been raised before but I thought I would just make a suggestion.

Currently when someone hits a link on here it takes them away to this new place. You are then off the Lemon fool and have to navigate back. I would think normal practice would be for the link to open in a new window to prevent this?

Just an idea

It's been raised before as a negative behaviour of the AIC site!

There are a couple of ways of the user requesting that the target of a link should open in a new tab or window. As well as the context menu (right click) method the user can also hold down the ctrl or shift key while (left) clicking if the user wants the target to open in new tab or window. This is pretty much standard across all browsers.

However, the browsers have no built in (non-convoluted) way of the user requesting a link be opened in the same tab or window, should the site decide that it knows better than the user about what the user wants. There is no "Open in same tab/window" context menu item and no key you can hold down to override the site spawning new tabs/windows.

The decision as to where to display the target of a link should be left up to the user, and not dictated by the site, so, no, links should absolutely not automatically open in a new tab or window.

[DavidM13]

Ha! Well we then must agree to disagree on this one! Thanks for taking the time to reply and I see your logic. The AIC site often has articles with multiple links so more of an issue in any case.

[Lootman]

The decision as to where to display the target of a link should be left up to the user, and not dictated by the site, so, no, links should absolutely not automatically open in a new tab or window.

Either way you do it, one method is the default and the other is an override.

So from the site's perspective it depends what the community prefers (as the default). I prefer a new tab, personally, so would rather that were the default, i.e. the "normal practice" that the OP refers to.

That said, one of my devices complains when there are more than about 4 tabs open, and that is also about the limit of what I can manage mentally and visually at a time. So I guess it can also depend and then I might want the override.

[swill453]

So I guess it can also depend and then I might want the override.

The point made above is that if the site is designed such that links open a new tab, you can't override it and keep using the same tab.

Scott.

[mc2fool]

Ha! Well we then must agree to disagree on this one!

Yes, you want sites to impose their idea of how the browser should behave on users and I want users to be able to be in control of and choose how it behaves. If this were on another board it'd be a discussion of authoritarianism vs the individual's freedom to choose.

The decision as to where to display the target of a link should be left up to the user, and not dictated by the site, so, no, links should absolutely not automatically open in a new tab or window.

Either way you do it, one method is the default and the other is an override.

No, as I've already explained, there is no built in (non-convoluted) "override" available in browsers for the site deciding to open a link in a new tab or window; there is no key you can hold down or "Open in same tab/window" context menu item. If there were then the matter might be more equally balanced and your "either way" valid, but there isn't so it's totally one sided and the only "either" is the user's choice or the site's diktat.

It's trivially easy to open a link in a new tab, just hold down the Ctrl key when you click on the link. I do it fairly often but when I want it (in PC browsers; on mobiles press-and-hold brings up the context menu).

Hint: if after following a link and it opening in the same tab you decide you do want it and the previous page in separate tabs, hold down Ctrl and click on the Back button.

[Lootman]

So I guess it can also depend and then I might want the override.

The point made above is that if the site is designed such that links open a new tab, you can't override it and keep using the same tab.

Actually there is. If you keep the new tab open and simply close the original TLF window, then the end result is the same - just one tab open, showing the linked item. I do that a fair amount to reduce the number of open tabs.

That said, the way it works now is OK as well, since the back button takes me right back to TLF. Whereas with the above trick, the back button won't take me back to TLF so I would need to hit the last TLF history item above. You remain signed in even if you close the TLF window.

[swill453]

The point made above is that if the site is designed such that links open a new tab, you can't override it and keep using the same tab.

Actually there is. If you keep the new tab open and simply close the original TLF window, then the end result is the same - just one tab open, showing the linked item. I do that a fair amount to reduce the number of open tabs.

That said, the way it works now is OK as well, since the back button takes me right back to TLF. Whereas with the above trick, the back button won't take me back to TLF so I would need to hit the last TLF history item above. You remain signed in even if you close the TLF window.

Forward and back with single clicks are pretty basic, well known operations when browsing. Your method with closing tabs then finding an item from history is a palaver.

Scott.

[Lootman]

Actually there is. If you keep the new tab open and simply close the original TLF window, then the end result is the same - just one tab open, showing the linked item. I do that a fair amount to reduce the number of open tabs.

That said, the way it works now is OK as well, since the back button takes me right back to TLF. Whereas with the above trick, the back button won't take me back to TLF so I would need to hit the last TLF history item above. You remain signed in even if you close the TLF window.

Forward and back with single clicks are pretty basic, well known operations when browsing. Your method with closing tabs then finding an item from history is a palaver.

Perhaps but then that is not really the issue here. There are two main cases:

1) Link appears in a replacement window. You get back to TLF with the back button.

2) Link appears in a new tab. There is no need to navigate back to TLF because it never went away. You just close the new tab, and bingo.

The "history" thing only arises if you open a new tab and then insist on deleting the old TLF tab, for reasons that totally escape me, but seem important to some!

[mc2fool]

Hint: if after following a link and it opening in the same tab you decide you do want it and the previous page in separate tabs, hold down Ctrl and click on the Back button.

BTW, for those not aware, the Ctrl/Shift for open in a new tab/window applies not only to in-page links and the Back button but also to just about every navigation click, including on Bookmarks, History and Synced Tabs entries and even on the Home and Reload buttons.

[Lanark]

Usability research has long shown that forcing new windows/tabs is almost always a bad experience for the end user

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/new-br ... -and-tabs/

When I see a website doing that, it is a red flag, the owners obviously have the arrogant attitude "our website is so important nobody will ever want to leave"

It is one step away from using javascript to detect anyone closing the tab and then opening another window with the same content - you shall not leave!

[kempiejon]

Usability research has long shown that forcing new windows/tabs is almost always a bad experience for the end user

https://www.ebay.co.uk/
I can't remember if it has always been this way but bloody ebay always fills my browser with windows as I hunt a round for things I'm interested in.

[swill453]

Hint: if after following a link and it opening in the same tab you decide you do want it and the previous page in separate tabs, hold down Ctrl and click on the Back button.

That's useful to know, but annoyingly it doesn't work with the Back button on my mouse*.

* - Which is probably my most used button/key of all. Amazingly handy.

Scott.