- Types of Interactive Elements
- Defining Hyperlinks
- Creating Cross-References
- Working with Bookmarks
- Adding Sounds
- Movies and Animations
- Creating Buttons
- Sample Buttons
- Creating PDF Forms
- Sample Forms
- Animating InDesign Objects
- Timing
- Multi-State Objects
- Working with the SWF Preview Controls
- Setting Page Transitions
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Defining Hyperlinks
A hyperlink is an area of a page that can be clicked to send the reader to a new page, open a new document, move to a Web page, or send an email message. There are two parts to a hyperlink. The source is the object or text that you click to trigger the hyperlink. The destination is the page or Web link you go to.
To create a hyperlink:
- If the Hyperlinks panel is not visible, choose Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks to open the panel
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The Hyperlinks panel is used to define both hyperlinks and cross-references. - Select the text or object that you want to make the hyperlink source.
- Click the Create New Hyperlink icon in the panel or choose New Hyperlink from the panel menu. This opens the New Hyperlink dialog box
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- Set the options for Link To, Destination, Character Style, and Appearance as described in the following exercises.
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There are several types of destinations for hyperlinks. You can, for instance, choose to link to a specific place in the document or you can link to a Web page. The type of link you choose determines the destination options that appear in the New Hyperlink dialog box.
To choose the type of link:
Use the Link To menu to choose one of the following types of links :
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- URL creates a link to a Web page.
- File creates a link that opens a file in another application. Note: the file must be accessible to anyone choosing the link.
- Email creates a link that opens the default email application. You can also set the email address and subject line.
- Page creates a link that opens a new page in the document.
- Text Anchor creates a link to a point in the text that was defined as a text anchor.
- Shared Destination creates a link to a previously defined hyperlink. This is particularly helpful if you want several different hyperlinks to go to the same destination.
As you define hyperlinks, they appear in the Hyperlinks panel. Different types of hyperlinks display different icons.
To see the types of hyperlinks in the Hyperlinks panel:
Click each hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel. An icon next to the link shows the type of link .
The icons for hyperlinks in the Hyperlinks panel.
In addition to setting the destinations for hyperlinks, you can also control how the hyperlink appears on the page.
To set a character style to text hyperlinks:
- Select the text that you want as a hyperlink.
- In the New Hyperlink dialog box, click the Character Style menu
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Use the Character Style menu to apply a text style to a hyperlink. - Choose a predefined character style. Or choose None to apply no style to the selected text. You can also create visual indicators around all hyperlinks. This is controlled using the Appearance settings
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To set the appearance of a hyperlink:
- Use the Type menu in the Appearance area to choose a setting for the visibility of the rectangle around the hotspot.
- Use the Highlight menu to choose the appearance of the hotspot area when clicked.
- Use the Width menu to choose the thickness of the visible rectangle.
- Use the Style menu to choose a solid or dashed line for the visible rectangle.
- Use the Color menu to choose a color for the rectangle.
The easiest way to create a hyperlink destination is to create it as you define the hyperlink. However, it’s also possible to define destinations without defining the hyperlink. This is helpful if you have a lot of destinations that you want to define before you know where you will create the hyperlinks.
To create a page destination:
- Choose New Hyperlink Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
- Choose Page from the Type menu. This sets the Page destination controls .
The New Hyperlink Destination dialog box set for a Page destination. - Use the Page number control to set the page destination.
- Enter a name for the page destination
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Click the option for Name with Page Number. This forces the destination name to the name of the page and the zoom setting.
- Use the Zoom setting menu to set the magnification for the jump to that page.
You can set destinations for a URL. These are the links that are used to open Web pages.
To create a URL destination:
- Choose New Hyperlink Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu to open the New Hyperlink Destination dialog box.
- Choose URL from the Type menu .
The New Hyperlink Destination dialog box set for a URL destination. - Enter a name for the destination.
- Enter the URL information.
As you work, you can edit the settings for the hyperlink source.
To edit hyperlinks:
- Double-click the hyperlink entry in the Hyperlinks panel or choose Hyperlink Options in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
- Make changes in the Hyperlink Options dialog box.
To delete a hyperlink:
- Select the hyperlink you wish to delete.
- Click the Delete icon in the Hyperlinks panel or choose Delete Hyperlink/Cross-Reference from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
The Hyperlinks panel contains controls for working with hyperlinks.
To move to a hyperlink:
- Select the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel.
- Choose Go to Source from the Hyperlinks panel menu or click the Go to Source icon in the Hyperlinks panel .
To move to a hyperlink destination:
- Select the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel.
- Choose Go to Destination from the Hyperlinks panel menu or click the Go to Destination icon in the Hyperlinks panel .
To fix a missing hyperlink:
- Select the hyperlink that displays the missing destination icon .
The missing destination icon indicates that the hyperlink needs to be fixed. - Double-click the hyperlink to open the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
- Set the new destination for the hyperlink.