Looked at the FAQ really quickly, didn't find the answer to this question, so I'm asking here.

Is there was way to make a link open automatically in a new tab?

The target="_blank" attribute does not work as part of the rpol link code, so probably not.

I think that's primarily a function of the browser on the individual computer, more than anything you code into a link, but I'm not positive.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the browser ... I do know (cos someone told me a while back) that if you've got a wheel mouse you can press the wheel instead of the left button when you have the cursor over the link and that should force the link to open in a new tab.  I found that a very useful habit to get into.  :>

Also, on a Mac, holding the Command key while clicking will open it up in a new tab.

Depending upon the browser type you are using - you can set options to allow automatic handling of links:
In the URL bar: about:config

use the search bar function and use either:
1) edit browser.link.open_newwindow or
2) browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction
adjust according to desires.

Other browsers handle this concept differently.

I do believe OSs can also have rules on top of that - but, I've never bothered to do anything there.

You can also create personal CSS sheets with CSS rules/hacks to do that yourself.

You can also right click on the link and choose the option to open in a new tab