Links to external sites should open in a new window

Created on 27 July 2025, 20 days ago

Problem/Motivation

  • Some help texts contain links to an external site. Currently, the links open in the same tab/window.
  • The user might lose changes by navigating away from the form in the same tab/window.
  • Although WCAG states that "Opening new windows and tabs from a link only when necessary", an exception exist that "Opening a page containing context-sensitive information, such as help instructions [...] will significantly disrupt a multi-step workflow, such as filling in and submitting a form, if the page is opened in the same window or tab."

Steps to reproduce

  • Go to, for example, /admin/config/people/accounts.
  • Click "Browse available tokens."
  • Expand "Current date"
  • Click on the link "the PHP documentation"
  • An external site opens in the same tab/window.

Proposed resolution

  • Open help links in a new window.

Notes

  • This issue was brought up during a user research session of the site I'm working on.
Feature request
Status

Active

Version

1.0

Component

Code

Created by

🇨🇦Canada andrew.wang

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