open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
When clicking the Help link in our product's GUI, the Help now opens in a new tab instead of a new (separate, detached) window. Naturally, this makes it impossible to view the Help while also looking at the GUI. With tabs, you can only view one at a time. For normal web use, this is good, but not for using Help. Is there a setting in Flare that I need to configure to make the Help appear in a new window instead of a new tab, or is it something that the GUI developers need to add to the link? BTW, this recently became a problem, so I'm wondering if there's a new setting in Flare 4 that I now need to set that I didn't in previous versions of Flare. Thanks - Joe
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Re: open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
That is usually a setting in a user's browser (for at least Firefox 3 and IE7 under Tools > Options).
Laura A. Castle
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Re: open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
You can try and use the target parameter in the hyperlink. For example
should open a new window. You may have varying success with this. Looking at the basic web UI guidelines opening links in new windows is considered a no-no, but I think for the special case of application help it is a valid use. Usually, it should be up to the user to decide how they want links to open, so if this works as expected make sure that you allow for this being optional. Especially screen readers have often problems with new browser windows opening out of nowhere.
Code: Select all
<a target="HelpWindow">http://www.myserver.gov/myhelp/default.htm<a>
New Book: Creating user-friendly Online Help
Paperback http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449952038/ or https://www.createspace.com/3416509
eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XB9E3U
Paperback http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449952038/ or https://www.createspace.com/3416509
eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XB9E3U
Re: open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
If you're making a standard HTML call, then it would be:RamonS wrote:Code: Select all
<a target="HelpWindow">http://www.myserver.gov/myhelp/default.htm<a>
Code: Select all
<a href="http://www.myserver.gov/myhelp/default.htm" target="_blank">http://www.myserver.gov/myhelp/default.htm</a>
Lisa
Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines.
Warning! Loose nut behind the keyboard.
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Re: open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
Lisa is right, I got my syntax wrong (playing too much with Wikis), but you should be able to put a name for the window in the target parameter, which will cause any subsequent help calls to go to that window and not open yet another new one as target="_blank" will do.
New Book: Creating user-friendly Online Help
Paperback http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449952038/ or https://www.createspace.com/3416509
eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XB9E3U
Paperback http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449952038/ or https://www.createspace.com/3416509
eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XB9E3U
Re: open WebHelp in a new window, not in a new tab
Thanks, Laura, Lisa, and Ramon. I'll make sure the right tag is being used. I'll also add a note in the Help explaining how to change the browser settings if the Help topics are opening in a new tab but you want to open them in a new window instead. I think that with the right code and a note, we'll have the issue covered. I truly appreciate your help. - Joe