Re-Format URL as Named Link

Re-Format URL as Named Link

This seems like a newbie question, but I cannot get it to work. I have a url collection field in a form. It's set to just accept a url (no targets, titles, names). In the code, I want to reformat it as a clickable named link. Here's the code:

urlstring = "<a href='" + input.URL + "' target='_blank' >Click here to learn more about this particular HHM.</a>";

The output in the table is a garbled mix of text, no links. Note I'm using the single apostrophe ' for the typical double quotes.

What am I missing?