Last modified: 2012-07-15 16:31:36 UTC

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Bug 1055 - targeting a new window in a link, the wiki way?
targeting a new window in a link, the wiki way?
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Product: MediaWiki
Classification: Unclassified
Parser (Other open bugs)
unspecified
PC Windows 2000
: Lowest enhancement (vote)
: ---
Assigned To: Nobody - You can work on this!
:
: 6990 8418 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2004-12-09 20:58 UTC by Kent Littler
Modified: 2012-07-15 16:31 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Web browser: ---
Mobile Platform: ---
Assignee Huggle Beta Tester: ---


Attachments
Patch to enhance opening of external links (546 bytes, patch)
2007-03-17 11:07 UTC, Gunter Schmidt
Details

Description Kent Littler 2004-12-09 20:58:16 UTC
I searched the following to no avail, target, new window, _blank, _parent, _top, _self. 

I'm looking for a way to enter a link so that it opens in a new window. The application uses this 
functionality and I think the user should have the option to add this type of link also, please 
keep reading as this can be implemented while not forcing the user to use a new window.

Use Case
We use bugzilla as our bug tracking software and a link to has been placed on the help page. 

1. The user has navigated to help and found the link to bugzilla and want to enter a bug describing 
the page they were on just previous to going to help. 

2. They click on the link to enter the bug, but can't remember what they saw on the page they are 
trying to describe.

3. They click the back button to get to the page they were going to enter a bug on, see the problem 
but now they don't have the facility to enter the bug, so they go back to help and click on the 
bugzilla link again, they have a very bad short term memory, they live in Canada! so they forget 
what the problem was again, and so on, and so on, and so on.

(These people are not aware of the right click option, actually tested a couple of users on this by 
asking them to open the link in a new window, one clicked the normal link clicked back and then 
tried the right click, the other just sat there confused and said I don't know how)

Possible Use Case with new window functionality
1. User finds a bug, opens help, clicks an icon next to the bugzilla link.

2. User clicks back to the page they were on while bugzilla opens in a new window.

3. User enters bug with problem in plain view (icon indicates opening in a new window.)

Implementation

I would suggest another attribute that when entered inserts a duplicate link beside the regular one 
and around an icon so no one is forced to open it in a new window but the option is available to 
them. By doing it this way you can iliminate the unwanted effect of forcing new windows on the user 
while still providing the functionality. Further, i would like the same functionality given for 
naming the window.

Internal Links
go from:
  [[link|link name]]
to:
  [[^_winname|link|link name]]

External Links
go from:
  [[http://wikipedia.org/link linkname]]
to:
  [[^_winname|http://wikipedia.org/link link name]]

I'm a newbie so this code may not be right. but it should look like this in the end.
<a href="http://wikipedia.org/link">linkname</a><a href="http://wikipedia.org/link" 
target="_winname">^</a>

Or some other more suitable icon.
Comment 1 Antoine "hashar" Musso (WMF) 2005-01-07 00:31:17 UTC
Really forcing a user browser to open a new window is annoying.
Actually the external links got a different color and even a
little icon, user can then choose how he wants the link opened.

Will not be implemented.
Comment 2 Aryeh Gregor (not reading bugmail, please e-mail directly) 2006-08-13 02:44:08 UTC
*** Bug 6990 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 3 Aryeh Gregor (not reading bugmail, please e-mail directly) 2006-12-28 22:51:30 UTC
*** Bug 8418 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 4 Aryeh Gregor (not reading bugmail, please e-mail directly) 2006-12-28 22:52:16 UTC
*** Bug 3213 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 5 Gunter Schmidt 2007-03-17 11:06:20 UTC
There seems to be a lot demand for this functionality, why not add an optional parameter $wgExternalLinkTarget = '_blank';

See patch for Linker.php
Comment 6 Gunter Schmidt 2007-03-17 11:07:33 UTC
Created attachment 3356 [details]
Patch to enhance opening of external links
Comment 7 Rob Church 2007-03-17 17:05:19 UTC
Harms usability. Reclosing.
Comment 8 Liangent 2012-07-15 16:31:36 UTC
(In reply to comment #5)
> There seems to be a lot demand for this functionality, why not add an optional
> parameter $wgExternalLinkTarget = '_blank';
> 
> See patch for Linker.php

r41333 btw

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