New window from a Popup window

Using a mailto link

[princess]

I've made a popup window using javascript, and want to include an email address in the popup.

Problem: I can't get it to open in a new window. Since the popup window has a set size, and I have resize off and scrollbars off, this is a problem. I've tried puting target="new_window" (which works for the other urls,) but it doesn't work. Can someone help me, please?

[tedster]

A "mailto:" link should automatically open the user's default email client in a new window. You don't need to include target attributes to make this happen, and the fact that it's a pop-up window also should have no effect.

Have you double checked the code for your email link? I find myself forgetting the "mailto:" part from time to time. It may be something just that simple.

If that doesn't debug for you, you could also try typing the pop-up window's URL directly in the location bar (instead of clicking the link.) See if your email link works that way.

[princess]

Nope--any more suggestions? Want to look at my code? :) (It's in my profile, right?)

[tedster]

If you're talking about the mailto: links on your pop-up page for "About", they work for me. They work from inside the pop-up window, and they work when I type the url directly into the location bar.

[princess]

Oh, I know they work, but I want them to open in another window...

[msgraph]

Like Tedster said, the mailto link is going to open a default e-mail client. What exactly do you want to open up in an additional new pop-up window?

[princess]

I want the mailto link to open up in another window, so that the user doesn't have to resize or scroll to see the whol page. The problem is that the popup is only 300x300 pixels--not good for emailing. So, I want to email link to oepn in another browser window. (Does that make semse?) I can make links to other web pages open in a new window (target="new_window") but the email link won't...

[oilman]

princess - I gotta say I'm a little confused as to what you are trying to do. From what I can tell everything is working as it should. The email links show up the 300x300 window and when I click on them they open a blank email window in my email client with the TO: field filled in.

>>I want the mailto link to open up in another window
A mailto link will not open a new browser window no matter what you do. It opens your email client.

If you want to setup a form that people can fill and and submit to you that's a different story but as it stands you've done everything right so far and it works fine from my end.

[princess]

Hmmm--I'm confused to. If you look at my website, on the About page, then click on an email link, the browser should go to the email page--which it does. But I want that email client to open in a new window that's not 300x300. I have hotmail set as my default email client, so when I click on an email link, it stays in the same 300x300 window. It doesn't keep the about page open, and open the email client in another window. So, what happens is that the user has to resize the original 300x300 window so they can see the email client in a big window. Is that a little more clear? Maybe it's because I'm using hotmail?

[princess]

Ok, I figured it out--it's because I'm using MSN Explorer and it automatically uses my hotmail account as the default browser. But that leads me to another question. When designing pages, is it safe to assume that most people aren't using MSN with hotmail set as the default email client? So that the majority of people are going to access the email link without my earlier problem?

[msgraph]

I just set my browser's default e-mail client to hotmail and tried out your links. The hotmail window opened up in a new window that was sized to my default size that IE always opens up at, which is set to open near full-screen size.

Are you using Internet Explorer? If so what version?

[princess]

I tried it in MSN Explorer...

[msgraph]

I'm not familiar with MSN Explorer but it could be just an issue with that browser alone. I'm sure most users are going to see the same thing that I see.

Why do you have the pop-up window in the first place? I see that you have the same addresses on the main page. Isn't that good enough?

Two options:

Drop the pop-up

or

Leave it as it is and hope your visitors do not have the same browser issue that you experience. If they do then they'll just have to resize the window on their own.