Hyperlinks in Placed Illustrator file

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
November 23, 2024
3 replies
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Is it possible to create a .AI file that contains hyperlinks (I know how to do that part) that maintain their integrity when placing it as a linked image into another illustrator file? When I create the file with the hyperlinks and export it as a PDF the hyperlinks work but when I then place it as a link into my other Illustrator file - I cant get it to work at that point.

I want to make the imaster mage and link one time and have it in many files. Am I missing something or does it just not work?

How-to

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_scott__

Legend

Perhaps.... You know you can link an .ai file into another .ai file... I don't work with this a whole lot. And I don't do a lot of hyperlinks in .ai files.. but this might work, or at least be something to test...

After linking, if the link is then embeded, the link is effectively "expanded". So, the linked .ai file gets unlinked and its contents become a part of the open document, just like anything else in the document. Basically, it is as if you copy/pasted one file into another. Just without copy/paste steps.

Since the "clickable" part of url strings is a function of the PDF export and Acrobat. This should allow the export to see the url string like any other url string and therefore generate the "click" with the export.

This would allow you to have one master file and use links until you are ready to output one of the many files containing the link. THat way, if the original url string changes it would be updated in links. You would simply need to embed the link, then Save As/Export to PDF.

G

GiGiTexasAuthor

Known Participant

This is exactly what I was doing, linking to another .ai file in my .ai file.

In my pea brained mind it seemed like it should work this way and was going exacty for what you are describing...like a master file with the link and used in multiple files BUT it just doesnt seem to work.

Thank you for the reply.

_scott__

Legend

hmmm... Oddly enough the above works just fine - and as a link with no need to expand - at least in CS6. I'll need to test in v29.

Works as a linked file in v29 as well.

Untitled1 - just basic .ai file with the text "http://www.example.com" - that's all. Saved as .ai (2020)
Untitled2 - Place Untitled1 - Save As PDF - Untitled3 (using the default settings)
Open Untitled3 in Acrobat, link is clickable.

Are you ensuring the "Preserve Hyperlinks" box is ticked when saving/exporting as a PDF?

How is the URI text formatted? With or without "http://" - although my testing shows the "http://" appears to be irrelevant.

Is the URI text outlined? If the text is outlined here - I outline the text in Untitled1, place into Untitled2, save as PDF -- this fails and links are not made clickable in the PDF.

So, it would seem there's a need for the text to be live text, and not outlines.