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JavaScript - open link in new tab

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Created by:

Zoya-Gaines

653

In this short article, we would like to show how in JavaScript open some links in a new tab.

Quick solution:

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window.open('https://some-domain.com/path', '_blank', 'noopener,noreferrer');

or:

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var site = window.open('https://dirask.com', '_blank');
​
if (site) {
    site.opener = null; // prevents against JavaScript code level access from opened page to opening page
} else {
    console.error('It looks like your web browser blocked pop-up windows.');
}

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Notes:

opening pages from outside the domain can lead to attacks when we use _blank parameter,
many browsers blocks popupping windows this way - sometimes it is better to consider simple link in html code with target="_blank" attribute,
to avoid browser blocking effect it is good to run above action inside mouse click event function - check last example.

Read the next sections for more details.

Link with a click simulation example

Edit

In this approach, it is necessary to create a new link element and simulate clicking on it.

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var a = document.createElement('a');
​
a.setAttribute('href', 'https://dirask.com');
a.setAttribute('target', '_blank');
a.setAttribute('rel', 'noopener noreferrer'); // prevents against JavaScript code level access from opened page to opening page
​
a.click();

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Note (in 2021): when we use target="_blank" attribute in links, in major modern web browsers, it is automatically used rel="noopener" attribute behaving to prevent vulnerabilities - check notification here.

Warning: for security reasons, it is important to use rel="noopener" attribute, even if some tools warns us about unnecessary attribute.

Avoiding blocking by web browser example

Edit

In this section, the open in new window action is run during onclick event to prevent blocking operation.

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<!doctype html>
<html>
<body>
  <a href="https://dirask.com" onclick="event.preventDefault(); var site = window.open(this.href, '_blank'); site.opener = null;">
    Click me and open new tab
  </a>
</body>
</html>