Take a look at this page http://www.accessify.com/tutorials/the-perfect-pop-up.asp or create a custom dtd (kinda cheating IMO) You should ask yourself if you really need to pop a new window!
Kim,
I agree. Strictly speaking (no pun intended!) I suppose there's never a need to open a new window. That said, I *like* to do so in several circumstances:
- Off-site links. I like to open links within a domain in the same window and links to pages in other domains in new windows, especially when the link is not the sole continuation of the current process but is a side-note of some kind.
- Asides, for example brief help screens.
- Multiple-screen user interfaces. Some processes seem easier to negotiate by toggling quickly between two windows and/or arranging them on the screen side by side.
However, these can all be accomplished in a single window, giving the user the choice of whether to go back() where they came from or combining multiple "windows" on one page. And there are distinct disadvantages:
- Multiple windows can be confusing to people using screen readers.
- New windows with specific dimensions can create a mess with tabbed browsers such as Mozilla/Firefox when they're set to open new documents in new tabs within the same parent window.
- New windows can be suppressed by ad-suppression software, breaking the user interface for some visitors.
Cheers,
Paul
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