Using a button to open a link in a new tab/window in ASP.NET

Question

I’m trying to use a button click to open a page in a new tab/window. I’ve looked at solutions similar to this, but the answers given there are either to use a link or have it open in the same window. I need to use a button because it needs to generate the link based on criteria data entered in the form (string manipulation). This button is not submitting the form though; it’s just validating some of the data on an external site. I need this in a different window or tab so they can go back and forth between my form and the validation site. This is basically my current Button_Click event:

var Address = AddressTextbox.Text.Trim();
Address = Address.Replace(' ', '+');
var Url = "http://www.example.com/query?text=" + Address + "&param1=foo&param2=bar";
Response.Redirect(Url);

This works except that Response.Redirect(Url) only opens in the same window, not a new one.

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered May 10 '12 at 16:04

6

Just spit out javascript code from the Click event handler on the Button.

var Address = AddressTextbox.Text.Trim();
Address = Address.Replace(' ', '+');
var Url = "http://www.example.com/query?text=" + Address + "&param1=foo&param2=bar";
Page.ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(this.GetType(), "dsadas", "window.open('"+Url+"');", true);

answered May 10 '12 at 16:04

Icarus

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That did it. I had tried something almost like that but it failed. I think previously I was missing the `Page.` at the beginning and the `, true` at the end. What's with the `"dsadas"` though? Is that basically just a throwaway string because of a required param? – techturtle May 10 '12 at 16:12
1

@techturtle exactly. It was me being lazy. It's supposed to be a key that uniquely identifies the script you are spitting out. You should use it in conjunction with `IsClientScriptBlockRegistered` to determine whether the script has already been added to the page or not. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa5tktc9.aspx – Icarus May 10 '12 at 16:15

James Johnson · Answer 2 · 2012-05-10T16:10:37.427

Use the OnClientClick attribute:

<script type="text/javascript">
    redirectToPage = function(url){
        void(window.open(url, "child_window"));
        return false;
    }
</script>
<asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server"
    Text="Click Me!"
    OnClientClick="return redirectToPage('/somefolder/somepage.aspx');" />

Using the OnClientClick attribute, it's important to remember to return false at the end, otherwise the button click will trigger a postback.

EDIT

If you want to open a new window from the click event handler, you can do something like this:

protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Page.ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(Page.GetType(), "open_window", 
        string.Format("void(window.open('{0}', 'child_window'));", "/somefolder/somepage.aspx"), true);
}

Admittedly, this is kind of ugly, but if there's certain information that you won't have until the button click logic is executed, this might be your best option. If there's any way you can build the URL before the button is clicked, you can just assign the OnClientClick in code-behind.

I've seen that before, but I don't see how I would pass it my custom-built URL string. I won't know the text of the string until the user enters it. — techturtle, May 10 '12 at 16:04

Using a button to open a link in a new tab/window in ASP.NET

2 Answers2