Clicking Links

[mickey4paws]

I know in some forums, when you click a link in a post, you are taken to a new browser window, but still have the forum window open. In TFP though when you click a link, you are taken to the new page, but then you're taken away from TFP.

I don't know if it's possible with TFP, but it would be nice to be able to click on a link without losing TFP window.

Thanks

[dattia]

I have closed several links only to find myself back on my 'desktop'. I think that using that "back" button on the browser will take you to the TFP page you were on. I just keep forgetting to do that.

In most browsers you can right click on a link and get a menu that will allow you to open the link in another window or tab.

[mickey4paws]

Thanks, Waterbear. I use Avant browser (in my opinion, an excellent tabbed browser) and I've become so used to just clicking a link and a new window opens up. I guess i've gotten too lazy to right click I just thought it might be possible to set up the forum that way but I don't really know anything about code, etc.

[JasonLion]

There is a setting in the forum software to open links in posts in a new window. Personally, I don't like that behavior. It is also thought of as "out of style" by the web design blogs I read. The current style gives you the most flexibility, the link can be followed in a new window with the correct click in almost all web browsers. If it worked the other way there wouldn't be any way to have it open in the same window in most web browsers.

Still, that behavior does have it's fans and I can understand why some people like it. What we really need is a user preferences item that would allow you to configure the behavior. Sadly, the forum software does not support that.

[Mike_k]

I was going to start a new thread about this but then saw this one - so I'll bump it to say here's another vote to have the default behavior be to open an external link in a new browser tab or window. I don't think this is out of style at all and in fact it is the default behavior in all of the other forums that I frequent as well as many major web sites.

A couple of examples:
http://news.google.com - external links open in a new tab
http://www.amazon.com - external links (like links in the "Product Ads from External Websites" sections) open in a new tab
(see an example towards the middle of this page.)

I think it is common behavior to link to an external site and then want to just close that window to get back to the forum. I know I can right click and open the link in a new window, but as I said this is the only forum that I have to do this on and I usually forget. Then I have to back, back, back my way to this forum - or I accidently close the window and have to open my browser again.

Just my 2 cents - thanks for listening.

Ha - just to show how short my memory span is - I did a preview of this post, clicked on the first link to make sure it worked, which of course took me away from this site . Tried to go back but got a "web page has expired" error. I was just writing about doing the right click thing and had forgotten about it already...

[pool2p]

I set my google search results when clicked to open in a new tab. I also set my mouse wheel button to open links in a new tab.

So I left click to have the link perform its normal behavior and I mouse wheel click a link if I want to open it in a new tab.

I do quite a bit of mouse wheel link clicking in my general web browsing come to think about it.