Why fake a link?

Thijs van der Vossen, 03 Jul 2007, 10:05 in web and broken, last updated 03 Jul 2007, 10:07 (edit).

In Google Analytics there are a lot of tables where you can click a link to see content details. These links only work if you left-click. If you right-click to open the link in a new tab or window, you’ll end up opening the current Google Analytics screen again.

Screenshot showing a link that's not really a link in Google Analytics

I find this extremely annoying because this is precisely the usage scenario where browser tabs are really handy. If you’re looking at an overview with links to additional details, you really need to be able to open them in multiple new tabs of windows so that you can quickly look through them instead of having to wait for each page to load when you go back and forth between the overview list and the details pages.

Here’s the html source for the example above.

<a href="" onclick="window.PageTable._drillDown(2); return false;">
/2007/06/flex-can-t-do-rest</a>

I’m wondering why people do this? What’s the reason for using JavaScript here? Why not just use a real link instead of a fake one?

Comments

Manfred Stienstra 34 minutes later: (delete)

Links like these also make sharing and bookmarking of pages impossible. ¶
Lucas about 2 hours later: (delete)

Yeah, <frame> all over again. People do this because AJAX is enterprise. ¶
Thijs van der Vossen about 2 hours later: (delete)

But there isn't any Ajax here. The JavaScript just loads a page into the current browser window. ¶
Jonas 1 day later: (delete | show email)

You´re not the only one... Hope goooogol changes that "bug". At least they should... ¶
kb 5 days later: (delete | show email)

Remember: the whole point of AJAX is to make the web easier to use. Not to move us back in time. :D ¶
Mutiny Design 16 days later: (delete | show email)

Can you not just click on the link with the mouse wheel? I think that should work in FF. ¶
Hatch Media - Website design 33 days later: (delete | show email)

I'm finding a few bugs with analytics as well as the webmaster tool, hopefully google will ploy a little more time into refining these tools ¶
Esinam Shop 330 days later: (delete | show email)

I'm here with you on this one. I also wonder why on earth JS is used with the link, its so pointless.. ¶