Is there a way to get a <button> element to link to a location without wrapping it in an <a

Question

Just wondering if there is a way to get a HTML element to link to a location without wrapping it in an tag?

Bu

Answer 1

Inline Javascript:

<button onclick="window.location='http://www.example.com';">Visit Page Now</button>

Defining a function in Javascript:

<script>
    function visitPage(){
        window.location='http://www.example.com';
    }
</script>
<button onclick="visitPage();">Visit Page Now</button>

or in Jquery

<button id="some_id">Visit Page Now</button>

$('#some_id').click(function() {
  window.location='http://www.example.com';
});

Answer 2

You can make it a non-submitting button (<button type="button">) and hook something like window.location = 'http://where.you.want/to/go' into its onclick handler. This does not work without javascript enabled though.

Or you can make it a submit button, and do a redirect on the server, although this obviously requires some kind of server-side logic, but the upside is that is doesn't require javascript.

(actually, forget the second solution - if you can't use a form, the submit button is out)

Answer 3

Just do this

<button OnClick=" location.href='link.html' ">Visit Page Now</button>

Although, it's been a while since I've touched JavaScript - maybe location.href is outdated? Anyways, that's how I would do it.

Answer 4

LINKS ARE TRICKY

Consider the tricks that <a href> knows by default but javascript linking won't do for you. On a decent website, anything that wants to behave as a link should implement these features one way or another. Namely:

• Ctrl+Click: opens link in new tab
  You can simulate this by using a window.open() with no position/size argument
• Shift+Click: opens link in new window
  You can simulate this by window.open() with size and/or position specified
• Alt+Click: download target
  People rarely use this one, but if you insist to simulate it, you'll need to write a special script on server side that responds with the proper download headers.
  
  

EASY WAY OUT

Now if you don't want to simulate all that behaviour, I suggest to use <a href> and style it like a button, since the button itself is roughly a shape and a hover effect. I think if it's not semantically important to only have "the button and nothing else", <a href> is the way of the samurai. And if you worry about semantics and readability, you can also replace the button element when your document is ready(). It's clear and safe.

Answer 5

Well, for a link, there must be a link tag around. what you can also do is that make a css class for the button and assign that class to the link tag. like,

#btn {
  background: url(https://image.flaticon.com/icons/png/128/149/149668.png) no-repeat 0 0;
  display: block;
  width: 128px;
  height: 128px;
  border: none;
  outline: none;
}

<a href="btnlink.html" id="btn"></a>

Answer 6

Here it is using jQuery. See it in action at http://jsfiddle.net/sQnSZ/

<button id="x">test</button>

$('#x').click(function(){
    location.href='http://cnn.com'
})