Compose: a popup for links — Open / Edit / Delete — and for creating them

Clicking a link in the message shows "Open the link: <URL> | Edit | Delete"
just below it. Open opens http(s)/mailto links in a new tab (a pasted
javascript: link is shown but never run); Edit swaps in an inline URL field;
Delete removes the link and keeps its words. Click elsewhere, Escape or
typing closes it — and Escape stops there instead of also minimising the
compose window.

The toolbar's link button uses the same floating field instead of the
browser's prompt: under the selected text (kept highlighted with a CSS
highlight while the field has focus), at the caret with the address as the
text, or — with the caret inside a link — editing that link rather than
nesting a new one. A bare "example.com" becomes https://example.com.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

frontend/src/components/compose/RichTextEditor.tsx

@@ -185,6 +185,13 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
   // Currently-selected inline image + its handle box (px, relative to the editor).
   const [selImg, setSelImg] = useState<HTMLImageElement | null>(null);
   const [box, setBox] = useState<{ left: number; top: number; width: number; height: number } | null>(null);
+  // A clicked link and the popup under it: "Open the link: <URL> | Edit | Delete".
+  const [selLink, setSelLink] = useState<HTMLAnchorElement | null>(null);
+  const [linkPos, setLinkPos] = useState<{ left: number; top: number } | null>(null);
+  const [linkEdit, setLinkEdit] = useState<string | null>(null); // the URL being edited
+  // A link being created from the toolbar: the selection (or caret) it will wrap.
+  const [newLinkRange, setNewLinkRange] = useState<Range | null>(null);
+  const linkPopupRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 
   // A reply's quoted original starts folded away behind the "•••" pill.
   const [quoteOpen, setQuoteOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -310,9 +317,34 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
     refreshActive();
   };
 
+  // The toolbar's link button opens the same floating field as a link's Edit:
+  // under the selected text, or at the caret. A caret inside an existing link
+  // edits that link instead of nesting a new one.
   const link = () => {
-    const url = window.prompt(t("compose.linkPrompt"), "https://");
-    if (url) exec("createLink", url);
+    const ed = ref.current;
+    if (!ed) return;
+    const sel = window.getSelection();
+    let range =
+      sel && sel.rangeCount > 0 && ed.contains(sel.anchorNode)
+        ? sel.getRangeAt(0).cloneRange()
+        : (savedRange.current?.cloneRange() ?? null);
+    if (!range) {
+      // Never clicked into the message: the end of what was typed.
+      range = document.createRange();
+      range.selectNodeContents(ed);
+      range.collapse(false);
+    }
+    const start = range.startContainer;
+    const inLink = (start instanceof Element ? start : start.parentElement)?.closest("a");
+    if (inLink && ed.contains(inLink)) {
+      setNewLinkRange(null);
+      setSelLink(inLink);
+      setLinkEdit(inLink.getAttribute("href") ?? "");
+      return;
+    }
+    setSelLink(null);
+    setNewLinkRange(range);
+    setLinkEdit("https://");
   };
 
   const applyColor = (kind: "fore" | "hilite", color: string) => {
@@ -406,9 +438,131 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
       return;
     }
     setSelImg(el.tagName === "IMG" ? (el as HTMLImageElement) : null);
+    const a = el.closest("a");
+    setSelLink(a && ref.current?.contains(a) ? a : null);
+    setLinkEdit(null);
+  };
+
+  // Where the link popup goes: just under the link (or the text becoming one),
+  // kept inside the editor.
+  const computeLinkPos = useCallback(() => {
+    const ed = ref.current;
+    if (!ed) return null;
+    let ar: DOMRect | null = null;
+    if (selLink?.isConnected) ar = selLink.getBoundingClientRect();
+    else if (newLinkRange) {
+      // A bare caret can measure as an empty box; its line box still has a place.
+      ar = newLinkRange.getBoundingClientRect();
+      if (!ar.width && !ar.height) ar = newLinkRange.getClientRects()[0] ?? null;
+    }
+    const er = ed.getBoundingClientRect();
+    if (!ar || (!ar.width && !ar.height && !ar.top)) return newLinkRange ? { left: 12, top: 12 } : null;
+    const left = Math.max(8, Math.min(ar.left - er.left, er.width - 320));
+    return { left, top: ar.bottom - er.top + 4 };
+  }, [selLink, newLinkRange]);
+
+  useEffect(() => setLinkPos(computeLinkPos()), [selLink, newLinkRange, computeLinkPos]);
+
+  // While the URL field has focus the browser hides the text selection, so the
+  // words about to become a link would look unselected. Keep them marked with a
+  // CSS highlight (styled in index.css; nothing is written into the message).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const registry = (globalThis.CSS as unknown as { highlights?: Map<string, unknown> }).highlights;
+    const HighlightCtor = (globalThis as unknown as { Highlight?: new (r: Range) => unknown }).Highlight;
+    if (!registry || !HighlightCtor || !newLinkRange || newLinkRange.collapsed) return;
+    registry.set("wmc-link-target", new HighlightCtor(newLinkRange));
+    return () => {
+      registry.delete("wmc-link-target");
+    };
+  }, [newLinkRange]);
+
+  // Close on a click elsewhere; follow the link on resize.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!selLink && !newLinkRange) return;
+    const onWin = () => setLinkPos(computeLinkPos());
+    const onDown = (e: MouseEvent) => {
+      const el = e.target as Node;
+      if (linkPopupRef.current?.contains(el) || selLink?.contains(el)) return;
+      setSelLink(null);
+      setNewLinkRange(null);
+      setLinkEdit(null);
+    };
+    window.addEventListener("resize", onWin);
+    document.addEventListener("mousedown", onDown);
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener("resize", onWin);
+      document.removeEventListener("mousedown", onDown);
+    };
+  }, [selLink, newLinkRange, computeLinkPos]);
+
+  const closeLink = () => {
+    setSelLink(null);
+    setNewLinkRange(null);
+    setLinkEdit(null);
+  };
+
+  // Only web and mail links open from the popup: a pasted javascript: URL must
+  // never run in the app's own page.
+  const openableHref = (a: HTMLAnchorElement) =>
+    /^(https?:|mailto:)/i.test(a.getAttribute("href") ?? "");
+
+  // "Delete" removes the link, not its words: the text stays where it was.
+  const unlink = () => {
+    const a = selLink;
+    if (!a) return;
+    a.replaceWith(...Array.from(a.childNodes));
+    emit();
+    closeLink();
+  };
+
+  const saveLink = () => {
+    let url = (linkEdit ?? "").trim();
+    if (url === "https://" || url === "http://") url = ""; // the untouched prefill
+    // "example.com" means the web address, as the browser's own bar would read it.
+    if (url && !/^[a-z][a-z0-9+.-]*:/i.test(url)) url = `https://${url}`;
+
+    if (newLinkRange) {
+      const ed = ref.current;
+      if (url && ed) {
+        ed.focus();
+        const sel = window.getSelection();
+        sel?.removeAllRanges();
+        sel?.addRange(newLinkRange);
+        if (newLinkRange.collapsed) {
+          // Nothing selected: the address itself becomes the linked text.
+          const safe = url.replace(/&/g, "&amp;").replace(/</g, "&lt;").replace(/"/g, "&quot;");
+          document.execCommand("insertHTML", false, `<a href="${safe}">${safe}</a>`);
+        } else {
+          document.execCommand("createLink", false, url);
+        }
+        emit();
+        refreshActive();
+      }
+      closeLink();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const a = selLink;
+    if (!a) return;
+    if (!url) {
+      unlink();
+      return;
+    }
+    a.setAttribute("href", url);
+    emit();
+    closeLink();
   };
 
   const onEditorKeyDown = (e: React.KeyboardEvent) => {
+    // Typing (or Escape) in the message puts the link popup away. Escape stops
+    // here: the mail view's own Escape would otherwise minimise the whole window.
+    if (selLink || newLinkRange) {
+      if (e.key === "Escape") {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        e.stopPropagation();
+      }
+      closeLink();
+    }
     if (selImg && (e.key === "Delete" || e.key === "Backspace")) {
       e.preventDefault();
       selImg.remove();
@@ -588,9 +742,81 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
           onMouseUp={refreshActive}
           onClick={onEditorClick}
           onKeyDown={onEditorKeyDown}
-          onScroll={() => setBox(computeBox())}
+          onScroll={() => {
+            setBox(computeBox());
+            setLinkPos(computeLinkPos());
+          }}
           className={`wmc-editor ${quoteOpen ? "" : "wmc-quote-collapsed"} ${minHeight} flex-1 overflow-y-auto px-3 py-3 text-sm text-app-fg outline-none`}
         />
+        {(selLink || newLinkRange) && linkPos && (
+          <div
+            ref={linkPopupRef}
+            role="dialog"
+            aria-label={newLinkRange ? t("compose.linkPrompt") : t("compose.linkOpen")}
+            className="absolute z-20 flex max-w-[min(32rem,calc(100%-16px))] items-center gap-2 rounded-lg border border-app-border bg-app-elevated px-3 py-2 text-[13px] text-app-fg shadow-xl"
+            style={{ left: linkPos.left, top: linkPos.top }}
+          >
+            {linkEdit === null && selLink ? (
+              <>
+                <span className="shrink-0 text-app-muted">{t("compose.linkOpen")}</span>
+                {openableHref(selLink) ? (
+                  <a
+                    href={selLink.getAttribute("href") ?? ""}
+                    target="_blank"
+                    rel="noopener noreferrer"
+                    className="min-w-0 truncate text-app-accent hover:underline"
+                    onClick={closeLink}
+                  >
+                    {selLink.getAttribute("href")}
+                  </a>
+                ) : (
+                  <span className="min-w-0 truncate text-app-faint">{selLink.getAttribute("href")}</span>
+                )}
+                <span className="shrink-0 text-app-border">|</span>
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  className="shrink-0 text-app-accent hover:underline"
+                  onClick={() => setLinkEdit(selLink.getAttribute("href") ?? "")}
+                >
+                  {t("compose.linkEdit")}
+                </button>
+                <span className="shrink-0 text-app-border">|</span>
+                <button type="button" className="shrink-0 text-red-500 hover:underline" onClick={unlink}>
+                  {t("compose.linkDelete")}
+                </button>
+              </>
+            ) : (
+              <form
+                className="flex items-center gap-2"
+                onSubmit={(e) => {
+                  e.preventDefault();
+                  saveLink();
+                }}
+              >
+                <input
+                  className="w-72 rounded border border-app-border bg-app-surface px-2 py-1 text-[13px] focus:border-app-accent focus:outline-none"
+                  value={linkEdit ?? ""}
+                  aria-label={t("compose.linkPrompt")}
+                  onChange={(e) => setLinkEdit(e.target.value)}
+                  onKeyDown={(e) => {
+                    if (e.key === "Escape") {
+                      e.preventDefault();
+                      e.stopPropagation(); // close the popup, not the compose window
+                      closeLink();
+                    }
+                  }}
+                  autoFocus
+                />
+                <button type="submit" className="rounded bg-app-accent px-2.5 py-1 font-medium text-app-accent-fg hover:opacity-90">
+                  {t("compose.linkSave")}
+                </button>
+                <button type="button" className="px-1 text-app-muted hover:text-app-fg" onClick={closeLink}>
+                  {t("common.cancel")}
+                </button>
+              </form>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        )}
         {selImg && box && (
           <>
             <div

frontend/src/i18n/en.ts

@@ -251,6 +251,10 @@ export const en = {
   "compose.fmtImage": "Insert image",
   "compose.insertSignature": "Insert signature",
   "compose.linkPrompt": "Link URL:",
+  "compose.linkOpen": "Open the link:",
+  "compose.linkEdit": "Edit",
+  "compose.linkDelete": "Delete",
+  "compose.linkSave": "Save",
   "compose.imageTooLarge": "Image is too large (max 5 MB).",
   "compose.attachTooLarge": "File exceeds the 25 MB limit.",
   "compose.attachments": "Attachments",

frontend/src/index.css

@@ -185,6 +185,13 @@ body {
   display: none;
 }
 
+/* The text a new link will wrap, kept visible while the URL field has focus
+   (RichTextEditor registers the range; browsers without the Highlight API
+   simply show nothing extra). */
+::highlight(wmc-link-target) {
+  background-color: rgb(var(--app-accent) / 0.25);
+}
+
 /* Thin, unobtrusive scrollbars that match the theme. */
 * {
   scrollbar-width: thin;