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Re: Reason For Links Opening In New Window

for

From: John E. Brandt
Date: Jan 7, 2007 5:40PM

I agree with all who have chimed in here and generally feel that spawned
windows are "poor form," but I can actually think of example where it
*might* be appropriate to open a new spawned window. I should qualify this
by saying that in this case it would be using JavaScript and most typically
in an intranet kind of environment.

And what I am referring to are cases where you might be providing help
information in the spawned window (e.g., glossary of terms, pronunciation
guide, specific help reference) - and where there would be some value in
having both windows open at the same time. In this scenario the spawned
window would have the help information and be a javascripted "special"
window (without status bar) that had the JS "Close window" link inside. BTW,
I do not know how this works with screen readers - you all can respond to
that part.

I mention this example as I have been recently playing around with a new
Content Management System that uses this type of spawned window in the back
end of the application. And I have found myself grateful to be able to see
the help screen and the main screen information at the same time.

Perhaps this is not a good example or an accurate representation to what you
all have been discussing. But I would be curious to know how these spawned
windows are dealt with in screen readers.

~j

John E. Brandt
Augusta, Maine USA
www.jebswebs.com