Redirect from an HTML page
Redirect from an HTML page
Question
Is it possible to set up a basic HTML page to redirect to another page on load?
Accepted Answer
Try using:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=http://example.com/" />
Note: Place it in the head section.
Additionally for older browsers if you add a quick link in case it doesn't refresh correctly:
<p><a href="http://example.com/">Redirect</a></p>
Will appear as
This will still allow you to get to where you're going with an additional click.
Popular Answer
I would use both meta, and JavaScript code and would have a link just in case.
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html lang="en-US">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=http://example.com">
<script type="text/javascript">
window.location.href = "http://example.com"
</script>
<title>Page Redirection</title>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Note: don't tell people to `click` the link, just tell them that it is a link. -->
If you are not redirected automatically, follow this <a href='http://example.com'>link to example</a>.
</body>
</html>
For completeness, I think the best way, if possible, is to use server redirects, so send a 301 status code. This is easy to do via .htaccess files using Apache, or via numerous plugins using WordPress. I am sure there are also plugins for all the major content management systems. Also, cPanel has very easy configuration for 301 redirects if you have that installed on your server.
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JavaScript
<script type="text/javascript">
window.location.href = "http://example.com";
</script>
Meta tag
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0;url=http://example.com">
The following meta tag, placed between inside the head, will tell the browser to redirect:
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="seconds; url=URL">
Replace seconds with the number of seconds to wait before it redirects, and replace URL with the URL you want it to redirect to.
Alternatively, you can redirect with JavaScript. Place this inside of a script tag anywhere on the page:
window.location = "URL"
This is a sum up of every previous answers plus an additional solution using HTTP Refresh Header via .htaccess
1. HTTP Refresh Header
First of all, you can use .htaccess to set a refresh header like this
Header set Refresh "3"
This is the "static" equivalent of using the header() function in PHP
header("refresh: 3;");
Note that this solution is not supported by every browser.
2. JavaScript
With an alternate URL:
<script>
setTimeout(function(){location.href="http://example.com/alternate_url.html"} , 3000);
</script>
Without an alternate URL:
<script>
setTimeout("location.reload(true);",timeoutPeriod);
</script>
Via jQuery:
<script>
window.location.reload(true);
</script>
3. Meta Refresh
You can use meta refresh when dependencies on JavaScript and redirect headers are unwanted
With an alternate URL:
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="3; url=http://example.com/alternate_url.html">
Without an alternate URL:
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="3">
Using <noscript>:
<noscript>
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="3" />
</noscript>
Optionally
As recommended by Billy Moon, you can provide a refresh link in case something goes wrong:
If you are not redirected automatically: <a href='http://example.com/alternat_url.html'>Click here</a>
Resources
If you are looking forward to follow modern web standards, you should avoid plain HTML meta redirects. If you can not create server-side code, you should choose JavaScript redirect instead.
To support JavaScript-disabled browsers add a HTML meta redirect line to a noscript element. The noscript nested meta redirect combined with the canonical tag will help your search engine rankings as well.
If you would like to avoid redirect loops, you should use the location.replace() JavaScript function.
A proper client-side URL redirect code looks like this (with an Internet Explorer 8 and lower fix and without delay):
<!-- Pleace this snippet right after opening the head tag to make it work properly -->
<!-- This code is licensed under GNU GPL v3 -->
<!-- You are allowed to freely copy, distribute and use this code, but removing author credit is strictly prohibited -->
<!-- Generated by http://insider.zone/tools/client-side-url-redirect-generator/ -->
<!-- REDIRECTING STARTS -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://stackoverflow.com/"/>
<noscript>
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; URL=https://stackoverflow.com/">
</noscript>
<!--[if lt IE 9]><script type="text/javascript">var IE_fix=true;</script><![endif]-->
<script type="text/javascript">
var url = "https://stackoverflow.com/";
if(typeof IE_fix != "undefined") // IE8 and lower fix to pass the http referer
{
document.write("redirecting..."); // Don't remove this line or appendChild() will fail because it is called before document.onload to make the redirect as fast as possible. Nobody will see this text, it is only a tech fix.
var referLink = document.createElement("a");
referLink.href = url;
document.body.appendChild(referLink);
referLink.click();
}
else { window.location.replace(url); } // All other browsers
</script>
<!-- Credit goes to http://insider.zone/ -->
<!-- REDIRECTING ENDS -->