[asp.net] link button property to open in new tab?

In my application I have some link buttons there but when I right click on them I cannot (they are in disable mode) find the menu items Open in new tab or Open in new window.

How do I show those menu items?

Code example:

<asp:LinkButton id="lbnkVidTtile1" runat="Server" CssClass="bodytext" Text='<%#Eval("newvideotitle") %>'  />

This question is related to asp.net

The answer is


From the docs:

Use the LinkButton control to create a hyperlink-style button on the Web page. The LinkButton control has the same appearance as a HyperLink control, but has the same functionality as a Button control. If you want to link to another Web page when the control is clicked, consider using the HyperLink control.

As this isn't actually performing a link in the standard sense, there's no Target property on the control (the HyperLink control does have a Target) - it's attempting to perform a PostBack to the server from a text link.

Depending on what you are trying to do you could either:

  1. Use a HyperLink control, and set the Target property
  2. Provide a method to the OnClientClick property that opens a new window to the correct place.
  3. In your code that handles the PostBack add some JavaScript to fire on PageLoad that will open a new window correct place.

This is not perfect, but it works.

<asp:LinkButton id="lbnkVidTtile1" runat="Server" 
    CssClass="bodytext" Text='<%# Eval("newvideotitle") %>'
    OnClientClick="return PostToNewWindow();"  />

<script type="text/javascript">
function PostToNewWindow()
{
    originalTarget = document.forms[0].target;
    document.forms[0].target='_blank';
    window.setTimeout("document.forms[0].target=originalTarget;",300);
    return true;
}
</script>

It throws error.

Microsoft JScript runtime error: 'aspnetForm' is undefined


 <asp:LinkButton ID="LinkButton1" runat="server" target="_blank">LinkButton</asp:LinkButton>

Use target="_blank" because It creates anchor markup. the following HTML is generated for above code

<a id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_LinkButton1" target="_blank" href="javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$ContentPlaceHolder1$LinkButton1','')">LinkButton</a>

Here is your Tag.

<asp:LinkButton ID="LinkButton1" runat="server">Open Test Page</asp:LinkButton>

Here is your code on the code behind.

LinkButton1.Attributes.Add("href","../Test.aspx")
LinkButton1.Attributes.Add("target","_blank")

Hope this will be helpful for someone.

Edit To do the same with a link button inside a template field, use the following code.

Use GridView_RowDataBound event to find Link button.

Dim LB as LinkButton = e.Row.FindControl("LinkButton1")         
LB.Attributes.Add("href","../Test.aspx")  
LB.Attributes.Add("target","_blank")

When the LinkButton Enabled property is false it just renders a standard hyperlink. When you right click any disabled hyperlink you don't get the option to open in anything.

try

lbnkVidTtile1.Enabled = true;

I'm sorry if I misunderstood. Could I just make sure that you understand the purpose of a LinkButton? It is to give the appearance of a HyperLink but the behaviour of a Button. This means that it will have an anchor tag, but there is JavaScript wired up that performs a PostBack to the page. If you want to link to another page then it is recommended here that you use a standard HyperLink control.


  1. LinkButton executes HTTP POST operation, you cant change post target here.
  2. Not all the browsers support posting form to a new target window.
  3. In order to have it post, you have to change target of your "FORM".
  4. You can use some javascript workaround to change your POST target, by changing form's target attribute, but browser will give a warning to user (IE Does), that this page is trying to post data on a new window, do you want to continue etc.

Try to find out ID of your form element in generated aspx, and you can change target like...

getElementByID('theForm').target = '_blank' or 'myNewWindow'

try by Adding following onClientClick event.

OnClientClick="aspnetForm.target ='_blank';"

so on click it will call Javascript function an will open respective link in News tab.

<asp:LinkButton id="lbnkVidTtile1" OnClientClick="aspnetForm.target ='_blank';" runat="Server" CssClass="bodytext" Text='<%# Eval("newvideotitle") %>'  />