Open Link In New Window from Modules Block

Worker Joined: Jun 07, 2006 Posts: 114

hey ya'll...I just wonder if it is possible to create a link (to an external website) in the Modules Block of my Raven's RavenNuke76 v2.02.02 Distro installation, that opens in a new window once clicked?

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:56 am

I'd look at sommaire as it will allow such a function.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:11 am

Ever one to look for a hack Smile

If you go into administration, modules, and pick a module you aren't using, then hack the custom title. Make it be something like: <a href="http:external.site.com">whatever</a> and that's what will show up on the modules block. Or if you are using all the precious modules that come with Nuke (NOT) then you could create your own.

You could add target="new" in there too.

registered · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:46 am

Wow, I am surprised that this would work. Normally most fields that are just titles are run through the check_html() filter with "nohtml" as the option. Way too cool! Thanks fkelly for this hack!

I am going to add to the post title a reference to Modules block to help folks with their searches to find this thread.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:32 am

Hi guys.....fkelly i could indeed create a new block for this and place an external url link in it but i specifically wanted the link to be part of the main modules block, hence my posting about this.

your answer is so simple to execute and like montego says, WOW!!!!....and i too am surprised the html is alowed in the title feild.

also, i do see that the link opens in the same window, but found that by adding the TARGET="_blank" tag, the link will open in a new window if so desired.

the only 'floor' i see with this solution, is that the link you create in the way you suggest, does not follow the alphabetical listing of the rest of the links in the modules block. instead, the link appears immediately after the first link in the block ( 'home' ). is there a way to 'order' this link i have just created?

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:12 pm

Hi again techies...just when you think a solution is far too simple and good to be true, a further problem with the solution from fkelly has been found.

See, i am using the quick links menu, which means that the new title i have created in the modules block, (which does open up in a new window from there), appears in the quick links menu. this means that when selected in the quick links menu, a user lands on that module and it does not open a new window with the external link or website.

Any ideas about all this guys?

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 1:22 pm

Well what appears in the modules block appears to be sorted alphabetically though with "home" at the top. I don't have time to look at the code right now to be sure.

I just tried putting in the custom title as

w<a href="http://xxx.com" target="new">hatever</a>

and it seems to work. When you come back to edit it again it gets kind of funky and you really wind up starting over.

As to the quick menu I've never used it so I can't comment.

You can see it over at my test site http://fkelly.org ... the link from "whatever" is to my production site.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:03 pm

And thinking more on this, let's not get carried away. It's fun to cause Nuke to do something that it wasn't designed to do sometimes but we should also look at objectives and whether there isn't a more "natural" and effective way to accomplish them.

For instance, if you want a link to external sites and you want it right on the home page in a prominent position (thus the urge to put it in modules), you could just create a new block and put the links in the $content variable and then position that block top left above modules. The block positioning features in admin sure beat trying to outsmart the alphabetic ordering of modules. There is a sample-block even that comes with the distribution to get you started.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:21 pm

also you could simply put a module together to do this, with the code to open in a new window,
and the code to refresh the site so it does not make them leave where they are.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:43 pm

Hi again fkelly.

what do you mean...

fkelly wrote:

...When you come back to edit it again it gets kind of funky and you really wind up starting over.....

....?

I think you are refering to what I have seen when you have saved the module name and then you go back to edit it....the modules admin displays 'weird'....(i.e. most of the text/code that you originally placed in the field is missing etc), so you have to retype or paste the code again. is that what you mean?

I aready tried your example of making the first lettter of the link name NOT part of the link, which then orders the link alphabeticaly. But again, being a little fussy, I wanted all the letters to be part of the link, particularly as my links change color when you hover over them. one other point is that if you do not make all the letters part of the link, when the user clicks the letter that isnt part of the link, they are taken to the actual 'dummy' module you are using and in my case it currently displays the 'module not active' error.

I do understand what you say about the fact that ideally for this kinda thing a new block should be created and positioned close to the modules one and this is what i would have usually done. however i just wondered about the possibility of a 'work around' and you came back with a perfectly acceptable reply. thank you.

Also, thans for your reply darklord and one thing i also tried doing is to make the module i am using for this active and place a link to the same url in the module too....with text. so if the user did access the module instead of clicking the link part of the text in the module block, the module is displayed and it says....'to see yada yada yada website (or link), click here').

I guess that as ever with php nuke, there is gonna be more than just one option to solve this little point.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:14 pm

Yeah, that's what I meant by funky Smile

The input field was not set up to handle that type of thing and that's what you get with a "hack". Good luck on your efforts.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:46 pm

Just remember that Sommaire does this already and is a really handy tool. If you cannot find it from Googling, you can get it from my site, but its the 3.0 beta that is on my site.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:34 am

thanks for this montego. but again when you simply write 'Just remember Sommaire does this...', someone like me who is a rookie has no clue what 'Sommaire' is, (i.e. if it is software or something).

I had the same problem when darklord wrote earlier in the thread, 'I'd look at sommaire as it will allow such a function.'

im just making the point that if you wrote 'just remember that (the sorftware) Sommaire does this....' or whatever, it would make more sence to me and anyone picking up on such a thread who is also a new guy.

But I will now investigate this 'Sommaire'.

thanks again.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:57 am

Sorry, was short on time yesterday and was actually reminding you that darklord had also recommended this tool. You can find it here:

http://marcoledingue.free.fr/

You won't get any support at the site anymore, but the 3.0 beta isn't all that bad and the 2.1.1 is pretty solid (this one is specifically here: http://marcoledingue.free.fr/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=4)

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:58 am

Sommaire is just another add-on for Nuke, which basically replaces the Modules block. It is more functional and looks a bit more fancy because you can us collapsing trees and images on the menu.

If you have a look at http://www.nukecode.com/ they use it there.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:42 am

Lots more info here
http://www.ravenphpscripts.com/posts480-highlight-add+links+main+menu.html