Can the Browser 'Forward' Button be Set from HTML?

Question

Example: At the bottom of the StackOver Questions page are a bunch of page numbers (1,2,3...), enclosed in a set of prev and next buttons. Clicking next repeatedly will bring me to, say page 5, at which point I will have:

• The page's prev button will be set to 'https://stackoverflow.com/questions?page=4'
• The Back button on my Browser will have the same value.
• The page's next button will be set to 'https://stackoverflow.com/questions?page=6'
• The Forward button on my Browser - won't be set to anything.

Obviously, if I hit the Back button on the Browser, then Forward will have a value, pointing to the URL for page 5 - but not otherwise.

Is there any way, from HTML (plus Javascript), to set the value of the Browser's Forward button? Or is this one of those things that HTML is simply forbidden to do?

Answer 1

You are possibly looking for custom links, although I am not aware of any major browser that utilizes them.

Answer 2

This isn't possible.

Besides, back and forwards are about where the user has been, not a specific logical sequence of pages.