Use of Back link query

[KiwiBrian]

I have a site where on every page I have a "Back" link using the following:-
<td class="backbutt"><a href="javascript:history.back()">Back</a></td>
This works fine when navigating the site.
However if I link to that page from elswhere in the site using:-
<a href="path/foo.html" target="_blank">
which works as I wish it, namely that the destination page is opened in a
new window; then the "Back" link on that new/destination page does not work.
Can I have it operate as I wish with the "Back" button still working?

TIA
Brian Tozer

 

[Barbara de Zoete]

I have a site where on every page I have a "Back" link using the following:-
<td class="backbutt"><a href="javascript:history.back()">Back</a></td>
This works fine when navigating the site.

Well, depends. It wouldn't for me and 15% of the visitors (apporx.), because I
don't allow Javascript to run.

However if I link to that page from elswhere in the site using:-
<a href="path/foo.html" target="_blank">
which works as I wish it, namely that the destination page is opened in a
new window; then the "Back" link on that new/destination page does not work.

Duh, that is why target=_blank is opposed to. It breaks history and confuses
visitor.

Can I have it operate as I wish with the "Back" button still working?

Hope not.


--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.
| weblog | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/_private/weblog.html |
| webontwerp | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/webontwerp.html |
|zweefvliegen | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/vliegen.html |
`-------------------------------------------------- --<--@ ------------'

 

[Hywel Jenkins]

I have a site where on every page I have a "Back" link using the following:-
<td class="backbutt"><a href="javascript:history.back()">Back</a></td>
This works fine when navigating the site.
However if I link to that page from elswhere in the site using:-
<a href="path/foo.html" target="_blank">
which works as I wish it, namely that the destination page is opened in a
new window; then the "Back" link on that new/destination page does not work.
Can I have it operate as I wish with the "Back" button still working?

There 's no history if you open a link like that. You've opened a new
window.

 

[Bernhard Sturm]

Duh, that is why target=_blank is opposed to. It breaks history and
confuses visitor.

just a general question: is target='_blank' as well considered *bad* if
you need to jump out of the context of a certain site? target='_blank'
is specified as a *must* in a lot of gov. and company style guides in
order to signal to the users: you have definitely left our site and
looking now at some content we don't take responsibility for.

what do you think about such specifications?

cheers
bernhard

 

[Adrienne]

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Bernhard Sturm

just a general question: is target='_blank' as well considered *bad* if
you need to jump out of the context of a certain site? target='_blank'
is specified as a *must* in a lot of gov. and company style guides in
order to signal to the users: you have definitely left our site and
looking now at some content we don't take responsibility for.

what do you think about such specifications?

cheers
bernhard

Since I use mouse gestures, I very rarely look up to see if the back button
has been grayed out, so I quite frequently don't notice that a site has
opened a new window. Then I gesture back like an idiot until I realise
some @#$^*( has opened a new window without advising me.

I also don't appreciate sites that send me somewhere in a frame with the
top frame saying something about how the parent is not responsible for this
site, etc. Hey, I'm a big girl now, and _I_ am responsible for what sites
I visit.

As a developer, I give visitors a choice,
<http://www.scriptassist.com/links.asp> is a good example.

 

[Bernhard Sturm]

Since I use mouse gestures, I very rarely look up to see if the back button
has been grayed out, so I quite frequently don't notice that a site has
opened a new window. Then I gesture back like an idiot until I realise
some @#$^*( has opened a new window without advising me.

so you better use FF visible mouse gestures. you can close a window
automatically by mouse gestures: down left

but in general you are right. However, I can understand not opening a
new window from a CI/CD point of view, that this can add a lot of
confusion if you don't signalise to the user: 'hey, you have just left
our website'.
One thing which drives me crazy at university or governmental sites:
they don't really have a clear CD and if they have one it's very badly
communicated through their sites. Now if the browser doesn't open a new
window (or better a new tab! sigh) I always ask myself: WTF?! Do they
have the complete CD chaos in their organisation, or what? It's then
just a few seconds later that I realise that I have just followed a link
that led to an external resource... Even if they tell their audiance
that the link will bring them outside of their website, I doubt if it's
noticed by the average user if the 'alien' URL opens in the same window.

As a developer, I give visitors a choice,
<http://www.scriptassist.com/links.asp> is a good example.

I don't see why this should be different from other sites (looking at it
through FF1.0). All links open in the same window. So how can a user
notice which link belongs to the service provided by the original site
(www.scriptassist.com) and which doesn't? Not all users check the url
while surfing...

 

[Bernhard Sturm]

so you better use FF visible mouse gestures. you can close a window
automatically by mouse gestures: down left

correction. I believe the default setting for this is: down right ;-)
I use different settings

 

[Sid Ismail]

: I have a site where on every page I have a "Back" link using the following:-
: <td class="backbutt"><a href="javascript:history.back()">Back</a></td>
: This works fine when navigating the site.


If you want a slideshow of pictures, it is customary to add back and forward
links in the form of arrows. Here you know which was the last page and the
next page, as this is a sequential viewing. No javascript. For other
applications... Viewer has a back button. Please do not insult his
intelligence.

Same rule applies for new window, resizing of his window, and worse,
changing his default viewing size.

Sid

 

[Karl Core]

just a general question: is target='_blank' as well considered *bad* if
you need to jump out of the context of a certain site? target='_blank' is
specified as a *must* in a lot of gov. and company style guides in order
to signal to the users: you have definitely left our site and looking now
at some content we don't take responsibility for.

Which government are you talking about?

 

[Travis Newbury]

Duh, that is why target=_blank is opposed to. It breaks history and confuses
visitor.

I really want to meet the person that is so confused by a window
popping up that they shut the computer down in dispair...

I do not doubt it might happen, but I really want to meet a person like
this.

 

[Bernhard Sturm]

Which government are you talking about?

canton of berne, switzerland.

 

[Barbara de Zoete]

I really want to meet the person that is so confused by a window
popping up that they shut the computer down in dispair...

I do not doubt it might happen, but I really want to meet a person like
this.

Why so extreem? Never seen anyone just first confused and then annoyed with not
being able to just backspace to a previous page? Or looking puzzled at the
screen when they find out that various previous windows are still open
underneath the one s/he closed to shut down the browser application?

--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.
| weblog | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/_private/weblog.html |
| webontwerp | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/webontwerp.html |
|zweefvliegen | http://home.wanadoo.nl/b.de.zoete/html/vliegen.html |
`-------------------------------------------------- --<--@ ------------'

 

[Dan]

I have a site where on every page I have a "Back" link using the following:-
<td class="backbutt"><a

This works fine when navigating the site.

....at least if JavaScript is enabled. But what's the point? The user
has a perfectly good back button in his/her browser, at least unless
you have done some other silly web tricks to disable it.

However if I link to that page from elswhere in the site using:-
<a href="path/foo.html" target="_blank">
which works as I wish it, namely that the destination page is opened in a
new window; then the "Back" link on that new/destination page does not work.
Can I have it operate as I wish with the "Back" button still working?

Basically, you're doing an annoying authoring practice that interferes
with normal navigation, then you're complaining that normal navigation
then doesn't work correctly.

 

[Dan]

I don't see why this should be different from other sites (looking at it
through FF1.0). All links open in the same window. So how can a user
notice which link belongs to the service provided by the original site
(www.scriptassist.com) and which doesn't? Not all users check the url

while surfing...

Those users who care whether a link is in the same site or a different
one can pay more attention to the URLs, as well as to any site design
elements that may be used to give a distinct look and feel to a site as
opposed to other sites. Those users who don't care, don't care, and
hence don't need (or want) any distinctive behavior that changes the
navigation depending on whether the link is or isn't to a different
site.