Opening URLs in New Browser Tabs with JavaScript

Introduction

Modern web applications often need to open links in new browser tabs. This enhances user experience by allowing users to explore linked content without navigating away from the current page. This tutorial will cover various methods to achieve this functionality using JavaScript, including vanilla JavaScript and the jQuery library.

Opening a URL in a New Tab with Vanilla JavaScript

The core method for opening a URL in a new tab (or window) using JavaScript is the window.open() function.

window.open('https://www.example.com', '_blank');

Let’s break down this code:

• window.open(): This is the JavaScript function that opens a new browser window or tab.
• 'https://www.example.com': This is the URL you want to open. Replace this with your desired URL.
• '_blank': This is the target attribute. Setting it to '_blank' instructs the browser to open the URL in a new tab or window. The browser’s configuration determines whether it opens in a new tab or window.

Important Considerations:

• Popup Blockers: Browsers often have popup blockers that can prevent window.open() from working. Users might need to explicitly allow popups for your website. There’s limited control you have over this from the client-side.
• User Experience: While functional, directly triggering a new tab open can sometimes be jarring for users. Consider providing clear visual cues (e.g., an icon indicating the link will open in a new tab) to improve the user experience.

Checking if the Tab Opened Successfully:

You can check if the window.open() call was successful. The function returns a reference to the new window if it was opened successfully; otherwise, it returns null.

var newTab = window.open('https://www.example.com', '_blank');
if (newTab) {
    newTab.focus(); // Optionally bring the new tab into focus
} else {
    alert('Please allow popups for this website.');
}

Opening Links in New Tabs with jQuery

If you’re already using jQuery in your project, you can easily achieve the same functionality with a few lines of code. This is particularly useful when you want to apply this behavior to multiple links on your page.

$(document).on('click', 'a', function(e) {
    e.preventDefault(); // Prevent the default link behavior
    var url = $(this).attr('href');
    window.open(url, '_blank');
});

Let’s break down this code:

• $(document).on('click', 'a', function(e) { ... });: This sets up a click event handler for all <a> (anchor) elements on the page.
• e.preventDefault();: This prevents the default behavior of the link, which is to navigate to the URL in the current tab.
• var url = $(this).attr('href');: This retrieves the URL from the href attribute of the clicked link.
• window.open(url, '_blank');: This opens the URL in a new tab, as described previously.

Targeting Specific Links:

Instead of applying this behavior to all links, you can target specific links using CSS selectors:

$('.my-link').on('click', function(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    var url = $(this).attr('href');
    window.open(url, '_blank');
});

This code will only apply the new tab behavior to links with the class my-link.

Alternative Approach: Form Submission Trick

While less common, you can also achieve this using a form submission trick. This is generally not recommended as it’s less direct and relies on a workaround.

function openNewTab(url) {
  var form = document.createElement('form');
  form.method = 'GET';
  form.action = url;
  form.target = '_blank';
  document.body.appendChild(form);
  form.submit();
}

// Example usage:
openNewTab('https://www.example.com');

This code creates a temporary form, sets its action to the desired URL, sets the target to _blank, appends it to the document body, and submits it. This effectively opens the URL in a new tab. However, it’s less straightforward than using window.open() directly.

Best Practices

• Provide Visual Cues: Clearly indicate to users that a link will open in a new tab (e.g., using an icon).
• Consider Accessibility: Ensure that the visual cue is accessible to users with disabilities.
• Be Mindful of Popup Blockers: Users may need to allow popups for your website. Avoid excessive or unnecessary use of window.open().
• Use window.open() directly when possible: It’s the most direct and efficient way to open a URL in a new tab.
• Use jQuery for convenience: If you’re already using jQuery, it can simplify the process of applying this behavior to multiple links.