=== External Links Manager – new window, new tab, noopener, nofollow, noreferrer === Contributors: NewCodeByte Tags: external links, new window, new tab, noopener, nofollow Requires at least: 4.5 Requires PHP: 7.0 Tested up to: 6.8.1 Stable tag: 1.2 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Manage external links: new tabs, add rel attribute nofollow, noopener, noreferrer, sponsored, show icon on/off. SEO, secure, XHTML Strict compliant. == Description == **Take full control of your WordPress site's links with Smart External Links Manager!** **The professional solution for managing external links on modern WordPress sites.** Reliably handles dynamic content (AJAX, infinite scroll) and gives you complete control over SEO and style. This powerful plugin ensures all external links open in a new browser window or tab, enhancing user experience and keeping visitors on your site longer. Built with **SEO best practices** and **XHTML Strict compliance** in mind, it offers a seamless integration for both users and search engines. Its **highly configurable** settings panel allows you to precisely tailor link behavior to your needs. The core mechanism uses JavaScript to open links, the preferred method for XHTML 1.0 Strict compliance, avoiding `target` attribute modifications that could invalidate your markup. If JavaScript is disabled, links gracefully open in the current window. Ideal for blogs, affiliate sites, magazines, and business websites that rely heavily on external links. == Who is this plugin for? == * Bloggers and Content Creators who want to improve user engagement. * Affiliate Marketers who need to manage rel="sponsored" and "nofollow" attributes correctly. * Website owners using modern themes with infinite scroll or AJAX-loaded content. * Developers who need a reliable, XHTML Strict compliant, and lightweight solution for their clients. * Anyone who wants a simple, set-and-forget tool to manage external links professionally. **Key Features Include:** * **Automatic New Tab for External Links:** Improve site engagement by default. * **Optional Link Icon:** Visually indicate links that open in a new tab with a customizable Dashicon or symbol (e.g., 🔗, ↗). * **XHTML Strict Compliant:** Uses JavaScript for `window.open()`, preserving markup validity. * **Security First:** Automatically adds `rel="noopener"` to all modified links. * **SEO Enhancements:** * **UGC Ready:** Works seamlessly with WordPress's default rel="ugc" on comment links, ensuring best practices for user-generated content. * Option to add `rel="noreferrer"` for enhanced privacy. * Option to add `rel="nofollow"` for specific link types. * Option to add `rel="sponsored"` for paid or affiliate links. * **Granular Control with Lists:** * **Force List:** Specify URLs or patterns (e.g., internal PDFs, specific pages) that should *always* open in a new tab. * **Ignore List:** Define URLs or patterns that should *never* open in a new tab, even if external (highest priority). * **User-Friendly Settings:** Intuitive interface to manage all options, including dynamic lists. * **Lightweight & Efficient:** Designed to be performant and not slow down your site. Dynamically processes new links added via AJAX. * **Internationalization Ready:** Easily translatable into any language. **Why Choose Smart External Links Manager?** * **User Experience:** Keep users on your site while allowing them to explore external resources. * **SEO Friendly:** Proper use of `rel` attributes (`noopener`, `noreferrer`, `nofollow`, `sponsored`) without altering `href` for search engines. * **Compliance:** Adheres to XHTML Strict standards for modern web development. * **Flexibility:** Extensive configuration options to suit any website's needs. * **Developer Support:** From the creator of NewCodeByte, with a commitment to quality and updates. **Future Enhancements Planned:** * Excluding specific links via CSS selectors. * Advanced management for internal link behavior. * And much more! == Installation == 1. Upload the `smart-external-links-manager` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory. 2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress. 3. Configure the settings under **Settings > Links Manager**. == Frequently Asked Questions == = Does this affect SEO? = This plugin is designed to be SEO-friendly. By using JavaScript to open links in a new tab and correctly managing `rel` attributes (like `noopener`, `noreferrer`, `nofollow`, `sponsored`), it doesn't negatively impact SEO. The `href` attribute itself is not modified for search engine crawlers. Opening links in a new tab is primarily a user experience choice. = Why use JavaScript instead of target="_blank"? = Using `window.open()` via JavaScript is the recommended method for XHTML 1.0 Strict compliance. Directly adding `target="_blank"` can invalidate strict markup. This JavaScript approach also allows for dynamic addition of window features like `noopener` and `noreferrer` effectively. = How does this plugin handle WordPress external links? = It automatically identifies external links on your WordPress website and uses JavaScript to open them in a new tab or window. The plugin also manages important SEO attributes like rel="noopener", "nofollow", and "noreferrer", giving you full control. = Can I customize which links open in a new tab? = Yes, you can use the Force List and Ignore List to specify URLs or URL patterns to always or never open in a new tab. = Can I choose a different icon for external links? = Absolutely! From the settings page, you can enable the "Display External Link Icon" option. Once enabled, a new dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of Dashicons and modern Unicode symbols (like ↗ or 🔗) to best match your site's style. = How does the plugin handle links in comments (UGC)? = The plugin is fully compatible with WordPress's handling of User-Generated Content (UGC). By default, WordPress adds rel="nofollow ugc"to links in comments. Our plugin respects this and applies its own rules on top, such as opening these links in a new tab. If you enable the "Add nofollow" option in the settings, it will ensure nofollow is present, harmonizing perfectly with WordPress's SEO best practices. = Is this plugin compatible with caching and minification plugins? = Yes, it is lightweight and works well alongside most caching and optimization plugins. = What is the priority of Force/Ignore lists? = 1. **Ignore List:** Links matching patterns here will *always* open in the *same* tab. 2. **Force List:** If not ignored, links matching patterns here will *always* open in a *new* tab. 3. **Default Behavior:** If not in ignore or force lists, external links open in a new tab, internal links in the same tab. == Screenshots == 1. The main settings page showing general options, including the "Display External Link Icon" option. 2. Managing the Force List with the dynamic item adder. 3. Managing the Ignore List. 4. The helpful Guide & Support section within the settings. 5. (New) Example of the link icon appearing on the frontend. == Changelog == = 1.2 = * New: Customizable Link Icons! You can now choose from a wide variety of Dashicons or modern Unicode symbols (like ↗, ↪, 🔗) to perfectly match your site's design. This feature is powered by a flexible JSON-based icon library. * New: Interactive URL/Pattern Lists. The "Force" and "Ignore" lists in the admin settings are now fully interactive. Easily add or remove entries without reloading the page for a much faster workflow. * Enhancement: Improved Admin Interface. The settings page has been reorganized for better clarity. The icon selection control is now dynamically shown or hidden based on the "Display Icon" setting. * Enhancement: Better Support & Guidance. The "Help & Support" section has been completely revamped with clearer explanations, a detailed guide on UGC link handling, and a new FAQ section in the readme file. * Dev: Code Refinements & i18n. Refactored and improved the rendering of admin option fields. All new strings are fully localizable. = 1.1 = * New: Added an option to display a visual icon (Dashicon 🔗) next to links set to open in a new window/tab. * Enhancement: Implemented `MutationObserver` to process links added dynamically after page load (e.g., via AJAX). * Enhancement: Added frontend CSS file (`welm-frontend.css`) for icon styling. * Dev: Conditionally enqueues Dashicons stylesheet when the icon feature is active. = 1.0 = * Initial stable release. * Opens external links in a new window/tab using JavaScript (XHTML Strict compliant method). * Adds `noopener` by default to new windows for security. * Configurable options: * Enable/disable plugin functionality. * Add `noreferrer` to window features for new tabs. * Add `rel="nofollow"` to links modified by the plugin. * Add `rel="sponsored"` to links modified by the plugin. * Force List: Specify URLs/patterns to always open in a new window. * Ignore List: Specify URLs/patterns to never open in a new window (overrides external/force). * User-friendly interface for managing Force and Ignore lists with AJAX-like behavior. * Admin settings page (Settings > Links Manager) with a comprehensive Guide & Support section. * Internationalization ready (.pot file included). == Upgrade Notice == = 1.2 = This is a major feature update! You can now customize the link icon and manage Force/Ignore lists with a new interactive interface. Please review your settings at Settings > Links Manager to explore the new options. = 1.1 = This version introduces an optional link icon and improved handling for dynamically loaded links. Check Settings > Links Manager to enable the icon if desired. = 1.0 = Initial stable release. Configure your external link preferences under Settings > Links Manager. == Support == If you need help or have a question, the best place to ask is the support forum on WordPress.org (once the plugin is listed). You can also visit NewCodeByte for more information. Found this plugin useful? Please consider leaving a ★★★★★ review! Want to support future development? Buy me a coffee ☕!