Inserting an external link in Xd

[2Pop]

Hello,

I'm trying to insert an external link to a button in Xd (a web site URL or an e-mail adres) and can't find the function. Is there an option to do that in Xd?

Please help!!

[Lattke Communications]

I think you misunderstood what I'm trying to say. And beware of sentences like "it never will". I've heard a lot of people like you telling me things like that ("DTP-Tools can't do it all – you always have special cases where you have to edit the PS-Code" (!), "digital photography never will be used in an professional environment" a.s.o.). That's the behavior of Nokia or Microsoft! Things are changing. Possibilities are changing. You can ignore that. But it won't help you at all. 

And I really do know what you mean with Wordpress – believe me. As a Professional I should. But it was easy to design the first sketch on XD and then I decided to do leave it that way. And then I wondered why I can show it to a client but can't use it as a result! Everything works like designed and expected. So why not using it??? That's why I see  there could be much more (like other tools already do).

I expect much mightier tools for digital creative work. Right now it's like the world of DTP was before Quark XPress. I'm shure there will be real clever tools with ease of use for designers with huge possibilities and handovers to the code-people. (Other Tools are helpful for designers and the code-guys as well; for example to do the CSS-Coding). 

But I'm not talking about "one for it all". (Even when MS is bringing back an old Apple Idea with an integrated App-Ecosystem with APIs/Interfaces to other Softwareparts (which is very clever).)

[Monika Gause]

Companies have tried for 20 years to create webpages in a WYSIWYG manner. And they have failed. All of them. There are so many demands to fulfill for a website. And it's getting more and more. Those cannot be fulfilled in WYSIWYG environments, such as having a meaningful document structure, accessibility, decent on-page SEO, enriched user experience balanced with download speed, compatibility with a gazillion browsers, responsiveness on a gazillion devices. And this ever onging change of technology being implemented in devices and viewers.

That being said: for simple pages with not a lot of flexibility and expectation as to the cleanliness of your code you can maybe get along withthis Xd plugin: https://blog.prototypr.io/fireblade-plugin-for-adobe-xd-b6675055e11e

[Peter Villevoye]

I do understand what you're saying, but I just don't agree.

And please don't think of me as a conservative guy. My career and tools have changed drastically almost every five years. I embrace new ideas, even when 9 out 10 turn out to be disappointing.

Now DTP became a craft and an industry built on one single brand's inventions, acquisitions, and perseverance: Adobe. Their ambition and unique in-company integration made it possible for designers to produce, and for producers to design, which has been quite unique in any area or era. (And Canva is not cutting it as good as the holy trinity of AI, PS, and ID did.)

However, the web and all these apps are a totally different ball game.

These are not designed or built by one or even a few brands their proprietary technologies. It's a quickly growing and changing open world, and everyone will keep coming up with new technologies and tools. That sure is stimulating innovation, but it's hardly a boon for better integration or simplification. On the contrary: this jungle gets bigger and complexer, because everyone wants to distinguish themselves and become the better or best specialised tool. Look at cloud-services, online-collaboration, workflow and front-end tools from various developers. Do users fully understand them ? Do they work well together ? Is that bigger picture really getting more effective or efficient ? I beg to differ...

Especially in the last decade, I've seen the tasks and tools of a web and/or app designer and developer diverge, in stead of come together.

Oh yes, HTML and CSS look very straight-forward, that's because these are open standards in formatting – not developing techniques. So it's quite easy to say "Hey, why can't a design tool whip up the proper HTML and CSS ?" Well, a tool could do that. But that's just the beginning, the static content and styling. But any bit more demanding website or app also needs developers for scripts, frameworks, queries, and back-end systems. And that's where it starts to get messy.

Could you name any freeform web or app tool which combines design and development in one ?

Dreamweaver made attempts (many times) but was never satisfying. Muse tried, succeeded for a while, until users wanted more and more features to be implemented. WebFlow is a promising tool, let's see what comes of that...

[FuturelineMediaDenmark]

I totally agree with Lattke – and you should too Peter. I've worked in the industri since 1993 and do have the opposite way – obviously – of thinking than you, Peter. I agree too that it's an arrogant way of replying.

Have a nice day. Mark, Copenhagen, Denmark.

By the way... My reply to Peter doesn't seem to show up, so I'll paste it in here below.

Hi Peter

Doesn't understand that way of thinking. Why not make the best you can? If you are an Adobe customer you won't stop using Adobe just because some of the programs overlap each other. It's and old fashion way of thinking. Make the stuff working – nothing else works... That should be rule number one for Adobe to make our flowflow the best way possible! Thanks.

[Fraitz]

Sketch, Webflow and UXPin ... they do what I need. 

[FuturelineMediaDenmark]

Hi Peter

Doesn't understand that way of thinking. Why not make the best you can? If you are an Adobe customer you won't stop using Adobe just because some of the programs overlap each other. It's and old fashion way of thinking. Make the stuff working – nothing else works... That should be rule number one for Adobe to make our flowflow the best way possible! Thanks.

[haruna3957704]

"Solved" and "Correct answer" should be two separated status of an answer. It could be a correct answer, but the feature is still not solved, like in this case. Come on Adobe. If we make a list of requested features ordered by major number of requests slash the least effort, this feature would be at the top.

For me this is not about adding a link to youtube or whatever external website, which essentialy would not add any value in the review/testing process. What I need this feature for is to link prototypes between them. Sometimes we manage separated files for separated environments (ex. ecommerce and admin are two separated XD files with separated prototype URLS). It is also useful when sharing a link to stakeholder to be able to send one link and not seven.

[chrisd89869133]

I've got a project in which I need to share multiple scenarios and features. I want to setup a menu system so that I can share one link with my client vs sharing multiple prototype links. I need Adobe XD to link to external URLs in order to do this. I'm surprised that this hasn't been implemented yet.

The last response to this that I see is from 2016. Is there an update on this yet?

[HARSHIKA_VERMA]

Hi Chris,

I understand your concern that would be a helpful feature. I'd request you to please submit your feedback here: Link to external URLs – Adobe XD Feedback : Feature Requests & Bugs and upvote this feature to add your voice as this feature is already under review.

Thanks,

Harshika

[ryan.1.johnson]

Hi Harshika, 

Any news on this? 

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for reaching out. We are so sorry for the delay. I am afraid I don't have a time frame by when this feature would be available. Having said that, I assure you that I will pass on this feedback with the team.

Regards

Rishabh

[willustration13]

Really? This feature has been under review for THREE YEARS with over 2500 upvotes and asks. Looks like you are ignoring your users here. Remember if you don't take care of your users you will lose them to competitors that do listen.

[nemanjar45156280]

Hello, can someone help me about this ?

I can't find option where I can put link in my app, please help

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

Link to external URLs – Adobe XD Feedback : Feature Requests & Bugs

[Fraitz]

WHY 4 YEARS OF WAITING ????

[FrancoBits]

Look at the bright side, they added the "<3' polygon thing. Yey!

[Timothy5DEE]

Nope. Adobe gives zero f.

[luciano2903]

There is a BIG issue with XD: we cannot import LINKED files.

I need to import PS or IL artboards that updates automatically if i change the original.

Or at least linked PNG/JPG files.

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

This feature is not available - but please vote here: InDesign Workflow – linked files in XD – Adobe XD Feedback : Feature Requests & Bugs

[ryan.1.johnson]

What's going on with the request? Has this feature been added? 

[Peter Villevoye]

Not yet, and probably not soon...

When I read the first page of recent comments to the request on Uservoice, I see most users are looking for this feature in order to "create a website" or "hook it up to Facebook" etc. This is not the intention of Adobe XD, as I explained earlier, so those users will never get what they want or come up with after each new feature.

But I'd like to know on a personal note (I'm never speaking on behalf of Adobe or their team of developers), what would be the purpose of this external linking ? What would you expect to happen ? Suppose you're working on a home page, and there's a textual link or button referring to a "Make Donation" page, which already exists and is not part of the test. But you'd like to hook it up anyway, for the sake of the perceived continuity. Is that a possible situation ?

How would you like the test to act, in a browser (typically from a shared reviewers link), and an mobile devices (in the XD app) ? Should the browser viewport completely change to the linked URL (hence, leave the Adobe testing platform) or display the linked URL within the rendered testing part, as an iframe ? And how to go back ? And in the XD app, should the app switch to a real browser, or also try to display the web content within the app's screen ?

What implementation and behavior would be desirable and technically viable ?

BTW, Harunharun describes in his reply another scenario for linking, which is a much more plausible feature to be implemented !

[ARTsss]

Simple - linking several prototypes together - let's say you are running out of Artboard space - or want to have a complex prototype running - any other prototyping tool out there support that - you wouldn't use is to ''create a website'' coz is clearly branded and mark as an Adobe XD prototype.

years after this feature hasn't been added .... get it together Adobe .....

[ccokis]

While designing prototypes for software applications, there is often reference to external websites. All prototyping tools I have used offers a external link options. For instance, I am working on a app experience, I need to reference a warranty URL and I can't cause this feature isn't offered. I use the XD links to user test and creating a "fake' warranty URL doesn't cut it. Other prototyping tools offers to input the URL, along with giving it a target. Whether it's _blank, _self, etc. XD has come a long way but this should of been implemented a long time ago.

[andrea1549]

Peter, what you may not realize is that needs are constantly evolving due to Covid and uses for XD that you may never have imagined before may be creeping up.  People that are creative but not overly technical may want to use XD for very simple virtual presentations that are used on a very temporary basis.  XD seems perfect for that.  Some projects do not need to be necessarily backed by complicated code and back end databases, they just need to show a short, simple interactive presentation.  I know you seem hell bent on keeping XD inside this little circle of what you or Adobe deems it to be, but you are missing out on a much larger market and developing uses.  People appreciate the software and to be honest you don't really know what is best for every user.  So by flat out refusing to add what seems to me to be a very simple and straightforward feature, you are alienting a whole new class of users and methods that you have no clue even exist.  People are asking for this feature.  If it's just too difficult for Adobe to implement, just say so.  But, to say adobe won't do it just because someone there thinks it's a bad use of the software is ridiculous.

[Peter Villevoye]

First off: why bring COVID into the equation ?

Working remotely has become super important, so certain features like virtual collaboration are useful (and are being implemented, even before COVID was happening). But I don't see how COVID might have any other strong impact on the desired features of Adobe XD.

For the rest, I think you're stretching the purpose of Adobe XD too far. The discussion was about adding links to external sources, like another web page, or a YouTube video. Not addressing users who want to slap some stuff together for "very simple and short virtual and interactive presentations that are used on a very temporary basis". Should Adobe XD become the digital Swiss Army knife ? I already have my doubts about that Whiteboard plugin, piggy-backing in Adobe XD. (I truly hope it becomes an app on itself...)

Granted – the feature is #4 on the list of top feature requests. But like I said before: most voters are rooting for a technically working hookup to other platforms. I think a feature as described by Fraitz in his reply is much more viable and useful to the proper user base of Adobe XD. But that's also a different issue and discussion.