How do I use javascript: links?
Consensus on this area among professional web designers is that they shouldn’t be used at all. There are strong arguments arguments towards this, from usability, accessibility, optimisation and standards comformance perspectives. Before I tell you how to use them, please read through this list first… • Usability: Something not often mentioned but one of the most important factors in my view, is that the ‘javascript:’ pseudo-URI destroys several layers of usability features. E.g: – The link does in most cases only work when simply clicked, it generally no longer works: * When bookmarked * When users chose ‘open in new window’ or ‘open in new tab’ * When users to copy the link to clipboard for offline referencing – Browsers that handle internal and external links different no longer knows what kind of link it is • Accessibility: Of course, it’s a question whether some users are able to use the resource at all… – The link does not work in JavaScript disabled environments such as many
