"Previous" doesn't function as 'back'...

[Ross Macintosh]

I've noticed that in setting up a button to jump to <previous page> the result is the button may not take you back to the actual previous page you were viewing.

If your browsing takes you from page one directly to page four, then the <previous> action won't take you back to your actual previous page - page one - it will take you to page three. <Previous> and <Next> buttons do work as expected if you navigate the site sequentially -- from page 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 etc.

Is there a way to have a 'previous' button that behaves like a browser 'back' button and will take you to the actual previous page you visited?

Regards, Ross

[covoxer]

Is there a way to have a 'previous' button that behaves like a browser 'back' button and will take you to the actual previous page you visited?

Not without scripting.

[covoxer]

Simply insert following string in the "Link to web address" field:

javascript:history.go(-1)

For "forward" button it's:

javascript:history.go(1)

[jclements]

John,

Shouldn't this (what the script does) be the NORMAL behavior for <Next page> and <Previous page> ?

The way they work now is useful, but perhaps should be named something else.

[covoxer]

Shouldn't this (what the script does) be the NORMAL behavior for <Next page> and <Previous page> ?

No it shouldn't. The idea of the "next" and "previous" links in the WD is that if you swap pages in your site, you don't need to alter their links in case they are used as a sequence. See the Gary Priester tutorial as an example.
These are just absolutely different things and have nothing in common except for the names used.

The way they work now is useful, but perhaps should be named something else.

Well, the history navigation is usually called "Back" and "Forward" not the "Previous page" and "Next page". Look at the tooltips in your browser. So I'm pretty sure that our naming of this feature is absolutelly correct.

BTW, why would anyone add back/fore buttons on his page if every user see them both on the browsers toolbar?

[jclements]

I understand what you' re saying ... not arguing.

Suggesting that Page Next and Page Previous (per the physical pages of the .Web document) and Back and Forward (per the navigation history) are all useful depending upon the design of the website and how that could result in the user's navigation behavior.

But rather than using the script approach, have all four available in the Link to box of the Web Properties > Link dialog in a future release. I think that would be more user friendly.