---
title: "Feature: External, download, mail and tel links"
manual: "Frontend Theme for Extension Development"
version: "main"
source: "Changelog/2.0/Feature-LinkDecoration.rst"
modified: "2026-09-17T04:52:50+00:00"
---

# Feature: External, download, mail and tel links

## Description

A link TYPO3 builds from a link reference is marked by what it leads to:

-   another site - `theme-link--external`, the glyph
    `arrow-up-right-from-square`,
-   a file - `theme-link--download`, `download`,
-   an email address - `theme-link--mail`, `envelope`,
-   a phone number - `theme-link--tel`, `phone`.

The glyph follows the text of the link. It is decoration and hidden from
screen readers. A link that opens a new window - whatever it leads to, a page
of the site included - and a link to a file also carry a hint in words,
"(opens in a new window)" and "(download)", which screen readers read out and
which is hidden from sight. The download hint is added to every file link, and
repeats a label that already says "download".

This covers links in rich text and the link fields of the theme's content
elements: both are built by TYPO3's typolink. Links a template writes with a
plain `href` \- the menus, the file list of **File Links**, the
image gallery - are not marked.

A URL counts as another site when its host is no host of the installation:
neither the host of the page nor a base, base variant or language base of any
site. A link to another site of the same installation is not marked. A
`www.` host counts as the same site only where a site configures it.

The marking is switched by a constant, on by default:

```typoscript
theme.linkDecoration = 0
```

## Impact

A marked link carries the classes `theme-link` and one of the four
modifiers, and after its text a `<span class="theme-link__marker">`; a
link with a hint carries a `<span class="theme-link__hint">`. A site
package that styles links by their `href` may now show two markers;
switch one off.

The glyph is painted by the stylesheet as a mask of the icon file, so a site
package changes or removes it per kind in its own CSS without touching PHP.

The marking only happens on sites that render with the theme: the setup of the
theme sets `config.tx_theme.linkDecoration`, and a page without it
is left alone.