selenium - seleniumIDE - how to store a hyperlinks address and then visit that URL? Was working before -

i had working fine couple of months ago when run test fails , don't know why or how fix.

background:
have screen several links 'admin' user logged in can login 1 of 'practitioners' via login hyperlink presented.

details:
test click on 'login link' hyperlink(s), enter & confirm new password required, , practitioners screen 'as them'. 'wrinkle' pop-up user enter (new) password happened on new window selenium ide used new window. clicking on hyperlink didn't work. around able store hyperlink's href -a@href- in selenium variable first_login_link_to , use open instead of clickandwait visit page, i.e. open ${first_login_link_to}

this working fine few months ago.... not working now.

i page doesn't exist , when @ url - urgh! somehow includes locator stuff , getting

http://dmplanning-stage.herokuapp.com//tr[td[contains(.,'6 day')]][1]/td[8]/a@href

instead of

http://dmplanning-stage.herokuapp.com/p/zah7m3al7fxuplvrc21l

in browsers url address bar.

how can selenium open url stored in variable , not use 'locator' address?

selenium:

open          /admin clickandwait  link=practitioners store         //tr[td[contains(.,'6 day')]][1]/td[8]/a@href open          ${first_login_link_to} 

found - whew! somehow storeattribute got changed plain store.
once changed worked again!