Re: LYNX-DEV How to make a PREV_LINK URL...

[Foteos Macrides]

"Palmer King (SCFN)" <address@hidden> wrote:
>On Sat, 5 Apr 1997, Al Gilman wrote:
>
>>   Is there any way to create a URL in a document which would return the user
>>   to the previous link?
>>   
>> Why?  Would you expand a little on the scenario in which you
>> would want this?  At present you can put the plain text legend
>
>  SCFN is currently a menu based system which activates lynx to display
>  local and remote files/web pages. We are preparing to move to lynx
>  as the primary presentation manager, and need to deal with "culture"
>  shock for our 8000+ patrons. As part of the transition, we want to
>  provide each information page with a "return to menu" reference until
>  the user adjust to lynx being the menu control as well as the www
>  browser.
>
>  Of course, we can work around it, but, if it can be done, we believe
>  it would help our users through the transition.

        The markup for that would be an HREF-less LINK in the HEAD
section (to create a toolbar link) or Anchor in the BODY, with a
REL=Previous attribute/value pair.  E.g.:

        <LINK REL=Previous TITLE="return to menu">
or:
        <A REL=Previous>return to menu</A>

but that link string could be misleading since you have no guarantee
that the current document was accessed via a link in your menu document.
The -homepage= switch was designed for what you intend, i.e, if you set
up an alias for invoking Lynx with -homepage=[URL for your menu page]
then no matter what URL was used as the startfile, the 'm' keystroke
command will invoke your menu page.  You also could use -index= (or
define DEFAULT_INDEX_FILE to the URL for your menu page in userdefs.h
and/or lynx.cfg) to invoke it at any time via the 'i' keystroke command.

        Lynx presently supports the HREF-less LINK REL tokens Help,
Home, and Index (see the "Lynx and HTML Banners" section of the Users
Guide via the online 'h'elp).  It does not support REL or REV attributes
in Anchors, and the major commercial browsers do not support those
attributes at all, so if support for Previous were added, it would
still be Lynx specific, and you already have the homepage and index
Lynxisms at your disposal.

                                Fote

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