Open in a new windowWhile some argue that this practice is beneficial, enabling users to look at external content
and return to your site, what it actually does is take control of the browser away from
users. After all, if someone actually wants to open content in a new window, they can do
so using keyboard commands and/or contextual menus. More important, opening documents
in new windows breaks the history path. For many, this might not be a huge issue,
but for those navigating the Web via a screen reader, pop-ups are a menace. New content
opens up, is deemed to not be of interest, and the back function is invoked. But this is a
new window, with its own blank history. Gnashing of teeth ensues. There??™s also the problem
that you can??™t guarantee what will happen when this attribute is used anyway??”many
users configure browsers to suppress new windows, either forcing them to open in a new
tab or over the top of the current page.
There??™s also the issue that target is deprecated. Although it remains valid when working
with XHTML Transitional (and XHTML Frameset), it??™s not when using XHTML Strict.
USING LINKS AND CREATING NAVIGATION
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There is, however, a JavaScript alternative for those very rare occasions where you need to
use a link to open a new window (this is explored on Bruce Lawson??™s website, at www.
brucelawson.co.uk/2005/opening-links-in-new-windows-in-xhtml-strict-2/); essentially,
you attach the script to your web pages and then add rel="external" to the a start
tag for external links.
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