Understanding the Use of target="_blank" in HTML

When interacting with a webpage, users often encounter hyperlinks. These introduce interactivity onto a webpage, allowing users to navigate to different sections of the website or even to an entirely different website. HTML, the standard markup language used for creating webpages, provides several ways to handle these link behaviors. One such method is to use the target attribute within the <a> tag.

The target attribute specifies where to open the linked document. There are several options for this attribute, but the most commonly used value is _blank. When target="_blank" is used, the linked document will open in a new tab or window, depending on the users' browser settings.

A simple example of using this attribute is:

<a href="https://www.example.com" target="_blank">Visit Example.com</a>

When a user clicks on the text "Visit Example.com", a new tab or window will open for https://www.example.com.

Note that target="_new" or target="_window" are not correct ways to open a link in a new window - these values are not recognized in standard HTML.

It's worth mentioning that even though target="_blank" is a useful tool, it should be used judiciously. Overuse can lead to a poor user experience, as users might not want multiple tabs or windows opened. It's generally good practice to let users decide how they want to handle links.

Lastly, when using target="_blank", it's a good practice to include rel="noopener" for security reasons. This attribute prevents the new page from accessing your window.opener property and ensures it runs in a separate process. Without noopener, the new page can potentially redirect your page to a malicious URL.

The code then becomes:

<a href="https://www.example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Example.com</a>

So, target="_blank" in HTML provides a simple and standardized way to open links in a new tab or window, enhancing the user experience when utilized appropriately and with a consideration to security.