565621 - Let _me_ choose whether to open a link in current or new tab (open in same tab despite window.open() / target=_blank)

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: General, enhancement)

Description

[Roman]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 ( .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET4.0E)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 ( .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET4.0E)

Ctrl+Click/Middle+Click are great: I can force a link to open in a new tab whenever I feel like it. However, there is no equivalent to force a link to open in the _current_ tab.

In order to be fully in control of which tab is used, I would like it to be possible that:
- Every link/button I click normally opens in the current tab.
- Every link/button I click with Ctrl held, or with the Middle Click, opens in a new tab.
- The website has no way to override this (and especially not by opening a new window).

Additionally, as I mentioned in bug 528005, it would be nice if the "new tab" clicks could always be modified with a Shift+ to force the new tab to be opened at the far right (as opposed to next to the current tab).

In order for this to work smoothly a few other bugs have to be implemented too; I've tried to linked all those I think are relevant.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Kevin Brosnan]

Shift + click is already owned by open link in new window.

Comment 2

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

Pretty clear DUP of bug 55696, apart from:
> - Every link/button I click normally opens in the current tab.

Comment 3

[Roman]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Shift + click is already owned by open link in new window.

Yes, but I'm only talking of Ctrl+Shift+Click and Shift+Middle Click.(In reply to comment #2)

(In reply to comment #2)
> Pretty clear DUP of bug 55696, apart from:
> > - Every link/button I click normally opens in the current tab.

That is the key point here. I should have probably made that clearer.

I mentioned the rest for completeness and to provide context, and also because to get the consistency I'm after the existing middle-click inconsistencies need to be fixed too.

Comment 4

[Timwi]

This needs some thought:

* At the moment we have subtly different behaviour between Ctrl+Click and Ctrl+Shift+Click. The default is for Ctrl+Click to open in the background and Ctrl+Shift+Click to switch to the tab. There is an about:config option to flip this around.

* The new suggestion (move the tab to the far right instead of directly beside the current tab) could theoretically be mapped to yet another modifier key; on PC, for example, the Alt key. Then Ctrl+Click, Ctrl+Shift+Click, Alt+Click, and Alt+Shift+Click all have subtly different behaviour.

* At that point I start wondering how many users will systematically make use of those subtle differences. The number is likely to be small. The majority of users will not notice the difference, and the majority of the remaining users will likely prefer exactly one combination and usually (if not exclusively) use that one.

THEREFORE, I SUGGEST:

* Have a single option that determines what Ctrl+Click does. It can:
  * Open the tab beside the current tab in the background
  * Open the tab beside the current tab and switch to it
  * Open the tab on the far right in the background
  * Open the tab on the far right and switch to it

* Have "Open in new tab" in the right-click menu honour the placement (beside or far right) but always switch to it. Otherwise the UX would include an element of initial surprise ("why doesn't this menu item work?").

* Develop an add-on that allows hardcore users to configure Ctrl+Shift+Click, Alt+Click etc. to their heart's content.

Comment 5

[Timwi]

After pounding on this minor point, I'd like to add that I am strongly in favour of the real main point — keep the user in control. Don't open new tabs when the user doesn't want it, irrespective of what the website author thought.

Comment 6

[Felix Miata]

No reason this should not be cross platform.

Comment 7

[Shad Sterling]

(In reply to Timwi from comment #4)
> * At that point I start wondering how many users will systematically make
> use of those subtle differences. The number is likely to be small. The
> majority of users will not notice the difference, and the majority of the
> remaining users will likely prefer exactly one combination and usually (if
> not exclusively) use that one.
> 
> THEREFORE, I SUGGEST:
> 
> * Have a single option that determines what Ctrl+Click does. It can:
...
> * Develop an add-on that allows hardcore users to configure
> Ctrl+Shift+Click, Alt+Click etc. to their heart's content.

I agree that a particular user is likely to only use a few combinations (and forget that others are available), but I don't think it's better to replace the other modifiers with options that change the behavior invoked by the modifiers allowed.  Users do occasionally share computers, and I expect that having the behavior differ between installations will be more confusing than to have more modifier options than any particular user can remember.  As long as there are enough modifiers to support the common browsing styles, I think it would be better to have every installation support all of them with the same set of modifiers.

Comment 9

[Graham Perrin]

To complement this bug: 

You're Not So Special
<https://addons.mozilla.org/addon/you-re-not-so-special/>

> Turns off links from opening in new tabs on selected websites. …