Controlling frame content with links

To use a link in one frame to open a document in another frame, you must set a target for the link. The target attribute of a link specifies the frame or window in which the linked content opens.

For example, if your navigation bar is in the left frame, and you want the linked material to appear in the main content frame on the right, you must specify the name of the main content frame as the target for each of the navigation bar links. When a visitor clicks a navigation link, the specified content opens in the main frame.

To target a frame:

1. In Design view, select text or an object.
2. In the Link field in the Property inspector (Window > Properties), do one of the following:
   • Click the folder icon, then select the file to link to.
   • Drag the Point to File icon to the Files panel to select the file to link to.
3. In the Target pop-up menu in the Property inspector, select the frame or window in which the linked document should appear:
   • _blank opens the linked document in a new browser window, leaving the current window untouched.
   • _parent opens the linked document in the parent frameset of the frame the link appears in, replacing the entire frameset.
   • _self opens the link in the current frame, replacing the content in that frame.
   • _top opens the linked document in the current browser window, replacing all frames.

   Frame names also appear in this menu. Select a named frame to open the linked document in that frame.

   NOTE

   Frame names appear only when you’re editing a document within a frameset. When you edit a document in its own Document window, frame names do not appear in the Target pop-up menu. If you’re editing a document outside of the frameset, you can type the target frame’s name in the Target text box.

   TIP

   If you’re linking to a page outside of your site, always use target="_top" or target="_blank" to ensure that the page doesn’t appear to be part of your site.

Related topics

• Setting frame Property inspector options