Popup Blockers & Site Design

should I continue to use secondary windows?

[AmishJohn]

Popup Blockers not only block annoying ads, but also all secondary windows.

My web site uses secondary windows for a variety of useful functions (for instance when a customer wants to see a full size image, he clicks the thumbnail and the full size image is shown in a new window opened with JavaScript).

Right now, I test to see if a customer has his popup blocker enabled and then, if he does, ask him to turn it off. But I wonder if it would be better to redesign the site to stop using secondary windows?

[Birdman]

I would create an image veiw page that would be universal for all images on the site and pass the file name in the link. Then put a big back button under the image.

Example: <a href="/image_enlarge.php?file=bluewidget_big.jpg"><img></a><br />
<a href="javascript: history.back()">BACK</a>

Added: I think that javascript back link is wrong, but you know what I mean.

fixed typo

[edited by: Birdman at 2:25 pm (utc) on Mar. 13, 2003]

[graywolf]

AmishJohn I started a thread back in December, on this subject.

[webmasterworld.com...]

The conclusion I came to was to remove secondary windows wherever possible, for the one's I can't make sure there's no checkout critical information in them.

[SEO practioner]

Hi Amish John

If I were you, I would open a new html window altogether with the
target="_blank"> directive.

Annoying Pop-up windows are, well annoying to say the least, but as
webmasters I think we have to find ways to get around them. We have the same problem with them too so we prefer the target="_blank">
directive than to ask our client (or his visitors) to turn off their Pop-up-Killer software.

But, thats just me... it would be interesting to see what other webmasters think of this and how they go around the problem

Cheers from Canuck country

[Jon_King]

It's clear as it can be that numerous major companies are shutting down these windows. This is a growing trend. We webmasters must simply avoid them for anything critical.

Quite frankly everything I put onto a site is important and if there is a good chance that it can't be viewed due to window blockers why use pop-ups or pop-unders?