New tab

[Brian Robertson]

How do I open a new tab, rather than a complete new window, through a link?

Brian.

 

[dorayme]

How do I open a new tab, rather than a complete new window, through a link?

On Firefox and iCab I do it by pressing the command key as i
click links in the browser window. As for links that occur
elsewhere, e.g., in newsreader, I have set the preferences in FF
and iCab so that they open always in new tabs. That is on a Mac.

If you are asking how to do it on a Windows machine, I think
maybe similar but perhaps a the Alt key. Look at Properties.

If you are asking how to make it happen on someone else's
computer when they are clicking on links in your website, I
believe this is not a good idea even if there was a reliable way
to ensure this. Mainly because it might not please the user who
should therefore be allowed to decide these things for him or
herself.

You can put target="_blank" in your links (not kosher in Strict)
and this is a handle that might trigger a new tab if the user
(like me) sets the browser to so act. But if it is ot explicitly
so set by the user, it will default open a new window. Not a good
bet as default is much more likely.

 

[John Hosking]

How do I open a new tab, rather than a complete new window, through a link?

You can't. HTML provides no means to do so. Your link may coincidentally
open a new tab, but that depends entirely on the settings of the user's
browser (and of course some browsers and other UA's don't even have tabs).

 

[Jukka K. Korpela]

Scripsit dorayme:

If you are asking how to do it on a Windows machine, I think
maybe similar but perhaps a the Alt key. Look at Properties.

On IE 7, using a three-button mouse, you can just click on a click with the
middle button.

You can put target="_blank" in your links (not kosher in Strict)
and this is a handle that might trigger a new tab if the user
(like me) sets the browser to so act.

Indeed. Thus, using the middle button is a simple and effective weapon
against target="_blank". However, not all users know this. Besides, there's
no comparable simple method for opening a link in the current window and the
current tab (i.e., using it as a normal link) if the link has
target="_blank". So target="_blank" is still a nuisance, especially to
novice users who easily get confused. (They try to use the Back button,
without realizing that a new window was thrown at them.)

 

[scripts.contact]

there's no comparable simple method for opening a link in the current
window and the current tab (i.e., using it as a normal link) if the link has
target="_blank".

In opera, i can simply right click > open any link to force it to open
in the same tab.