I'm new here -- and a user of Dreamweaver CS3.

I have the following two complaints from a client - and don't know how to fix the problems.

One is:

Double clicking, or a subsequent later click, on a link that opens a separate new window, unexpectedly opens TWO identical windows. Second and subsequent clicks on any link should open the window that's already open, not a new window.

Well, yes - it's set to "_blank" as an external link. does anyone know of a way to make the external wondiow open only once?

And TWO:

The accordion sidebar (used for navigation) reverts to the first tab each time you open a new window - rather than leaving the tab you used to navigate from open.

I am javascript illiterate (Dreamweaver does it for you) and don't know of any way to stop this form happening. The obvious solution is to create a different style of navigation bar. But, is there a way to make this work as I intended?

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about - the work-in-progress is here

Thanks,

Ev

You mean new pages are opened in new windows?


Give it a proper name value (say "foo") instead of "_blank", and it should open new pages in the same window.


Seems http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/ar...rdion_overview/ section "Set the default open panel" lets you change this.

Although this is a bad idea IMO. What about people who know how to use their browser and want to open several links at once, each in their own windows?

The best is not to open new windows at all.

Christian J, yes, pages are opened in new windows. So - if I have a link set to a herf (url THIS PAGE)
target = _blank (url THIS PAGE)

Then, a new tab or window will open with (url THIS PAGE) as many times as I click the link. Different windows - very same page. Now, to me that's normal - but the client doesn't like it. They are also quite clear they don't want an external link opening in the same window as a page from their site.

So - sorry to sound like a noob - but by "foo" -- do you mean that I can actually come up with a name myself (Like in OOP?) And, do I need a new name for each external link? (it doesn't seem as though I should, but then a number of things have not seems as they should these past weeks )

Thanks for the tip and the link - I'll try them out.

pandy -- well - that's an understandable point of view - but most clients I deal with don't want people to accidentally leave their site. Having an external link open in a new tab or window is pretty much SOP in my experience. What I won't do is set up those obnoxious little snippets of code that make it next to impossible to leave the site (such as reloading the page you're on when you hit "back" ) even when the viewer is deliberately trying to leave.

My own preference, as a viewer, is to have external links open in new windows. I want to navigate them separately. And, I don't want to have to do any more than click to have that happen.

Point is that everyone has different preferences.

I often go about it this way. I open a link in a new window. If the page looks interesting, I keep that window open, save it for later so to speak, and keep reading the original page. I see another promising link and open that too in a new window. Now, if a site replaces the content of my first opened window with something else, I lose track. I get pissed off. I go away.

But that's me.

My preference, as a viewer, is to open new tabs/windows when I need them (without interference from web sites) and to not open new tabs/windows when I don't need them (without interference from web sites).

Your client might find it interesting that usability studies show that the back function is the second most frequently used navigation function in browsers, second only to following links. Visitors can and will return to your site, if you give them a reason to return to your site.

And yes, you can name a window almost anything.
http://htmlhelp.com/reference/html40/values.html#frametarget

Interesting. I'd like to know what others think of this.

As an aside - I notice that external links open in a new window from this forum, and, multiple click will open multiple windows. The links must be set as Target _blank

That's because of IPB, the forum software. If you view source, you'll notice it also uses tables extensively.

More and more forum software get the hang of it though. For example that latest version of phpBB doesn't open external links in new windows anymore. After all, the target attribute has been deprecated since 1999 IIRC...

On the subject of WHICH panel should be open on WHICH page - the documentation Christian J sent me to says:



And, I'm bleary (this site, so far, has over 40 pages. Please don't shoot the messenger. I had designed it as separate sites and got overruled. ) SO - let me ask - how would you use this in a context where what you want is for the open accordion to be relevant to the page the viewer is on?

Keep in mind I am working off a modified template - and my favorite thing about it is that it handles link updates.

So, can I modify this without messing with link updates?

It may make more sense in the morning. Right now, I'm for a dumb move - a beer - and my bed!

This post has been edited by UptonGirl: Jan 17 2009, 10:16 PM

Surely that doesn't happen if you open links in new windows by your own choice (e.g. by right-clicking and choosing "open link in new window")? It will happen if you rely on the site to do open new windows for you, though.

In my understanding you must add the code example on every new page, and edit the value for "defaultPanel" manually. But this should be a one-time job.


From a quick look it appears so.

Well! I guess it's time to learn something new about modifying templates. My template doesn't want me to edit that area of the page.

GGgrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I've located the constructor, but it won't let me edit on a page-by-page basis. I did see a post in another forum that said "unlock your template" -- however, it seems as if the template has locked and unlocked regions - and that is that.

Is there a way to make the accordion constructor editable - by page? (the default open panel will depend upon which page the viewer is on)

EDITED TO ADD: Well, I think I've got it - but as their are two accordion area in this template - time will tell. IF this works (it was, as is often the case - a little more complicated than the documentation would have you believe it was necessary to make the widget an optional region, and then to REPLACE the accordion code with the code from the documentation, not add it. ) then I will come back and post the code with steps.

This post has been edited by UptonGirl: Jan 18 2009, 04:48 PM

You are right. It works as you describe if the new window is opened by HTML with the target attribute, but I don't think many users know how to get around this. If it's done with JS there is no way around it.