CODEWITHSUNDEEP
htmlhttp-redirectdeprecated
John
John

Reputation: 4706

Redirect from HTML deprecated?

I've heard that the usual way I redirect from an HTML page, like

<meta http-equiv="REFRESH" content="0;url=page.html">

is deprecated by the latest HTML. Is it true or not, and if so, what other ways are there to redirect?

Upvotes: 5

Views: 965

Answers (4)

Jukka K. Korpela
Jukka K. Korpela

Reputation: 201588

It is technically not deprecated, but that’s just because the pseudo-term “deprecated” is sloppily used in the “spec”. The meta redirect mechanism is described as “should not” in HTML 4.01:

“Note. Some user agents support the use of META to refresh the current page after a specified number of seconds, with the option of replacing it by a different URI. Authors should not use this technique to forward users to different pages, as this makes the page inaccessible to some users. Instead, automatic page forwarding should be done using server-side redirects.”

The HTML5 drafts, though, describe the meta refresh mechanism without saying such things, though the examples are about different use. This does not make it any better idea. It should not be used for redirecting an address to a new one, except in case you have no way of affecting server behavior so that appropriate HTTP redirect takes place. In that case, it is advisable to add a normal link to the new address into the document body, for situations where the meta redirect does not work.

Upvotes: 2

valentinas
valentinas

Reputation: 4337

The proper way to redirect is to send redirect headers. You need to change status from 200 OK to appropriate 3xx status. Then you also need to include Location: http://yourRedirectURL header. The implementation depends on what programming language you are using in the back-end.

Upvotes: 5

JakeParis
JakeParis

Reputation: 11210

If you are using php, you can use the following code (prior to any other output to the browser):

<?php header('Location: http://example.com'); ?>

Upvotes: 2

Brad Christie
Brad Christie

Reputation: 101614

Using the Location header is both seamless and a more efficient way to redirect someone to another page, assuming you're just using a zero timeout anyways.

Unless you're placing them on a landing page first then redirecting them, use the Location header.

I should also note that the location header specifies it should be provided with a fully qualified address to land on and not use an absolute or relative site-based path. E.g.

Location: http://www.google.com/

Instead of:

Location: /login
Location: ../../home

Upvotes: 2

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