Posted by Toby Inkster on 05/06/06 14:46

usenet+2004 wrote:
> Toby Inkster:
>
>> Just had this idea:
>> http://examples.tobyinkster.co.uk/external-links2
>
> 1. Duplication of browser features. I already have
> an option of opening a URL in a new window.

Yes there is a duplication there, but one of the most common arguments
that people use to defend target="_blank" is that "not all visitors know
they can right click and open a new window".

> With that menu, I'm restricted to current or new
> window, without the choice of new tab, or any
> other option the author hadn't considered.

You're not really restricted though -- the right-click menu should still
work fine. (Tested in Opera 9 beta; Mozilla 1.7.2; IE 6.)

> 2. Consistency, both appearance- and function-wise.
> First, the menu *looks* different to mine,

One could use CSS system colours to style it in a way that blends in more
with the user's system.

> Second, it works differently: clicking outwith the
> menu does not collapse it.

Yep -- that's certainly a place where it could be improved. I'm sure that
would be possible to implement, but perhaps a little tricky -- as I said,
it's just a quick mock-up.

> Only "cancelling" or
> opening another menu seems to collapse it.
> 'Cancel' on a menu sounds odd to me.

You've clicked a link; the browser would normally now follow the link.
Cancel allows you to cancel that.

> (One of my gripes with Firefox is that the menu brought up by right
> clicking doesn't have an option for following the link in the current
> tab/window.)

Try Opera. :-)

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

[Back to original message]