Opening hyperlinks in the same browser window

[Gregory_Pius]

Hey Gang!

How does one create a hyperlink such that it opens in the same browser window and doesn't keep opening a new window each time?

Cheers!

Gregory

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Hi,

It's a bit of a "hack", but you can use an embedded Flash movie to have more control over the whole hyperlink process. Basically, you simulate the hyperlink with a button in Flash, but instead of looking like a navigation button, you use the text of your hyperlink. This has the added advantage that you can make the text respond to mouse rollovers and clicks with a color change, something links in PowerPoint won't do.

So, assuming you've named the instance of your "button" as myLink_btn, you add some actionscript to the main timeline:

myLink_btn.onRelease = function () {
getURL (" http://my.url.com/index/index.htm","_self");
}

You compile your little Flash movie, and just embed it in your Powerpoint where you want it. The student will never notice the difference. We use this solution to provide the student with a "printable" version of the presentation - before we compile the PowerPoint with Presenter, we use Acrobat to make a pdf version, and upload it to the Breeze server. On the first page of the presentation is a flash-based "link" to the pdf document, and the student just assumes Breeze is "printing out" a copy of the presentation.

More on getURL: You can have it load to a named window by replacing "_self" with the name of the window, or a new window with "_blank". The getURL command also allows you to send javascript commands to the browser that's running the Breeze presentation. If you need to use relative links (if you're going to be building a standalone application on a CD, for example, and you want to link to pdf documents in a subdirectory) this is the best way to make them, as Presenter does a lousy job of converting relative links in PowerPoint. And, as I said, you can have the links "light up" when the user mouses over them, something that links made in PowerPoint won't do.

But... let's say you have 30 pdf documents on your Breeze server, and you want to make a simple one-page navigation for them. If you're not worried about capturing LMS data, it's a LOT easier to just build the whole interface as a single Flash document and send the student to that - just put all the pdf documents in a folder on the server that's set to "allow public viewing", and they don't even need to log in to the server to read them. 🙂 This is a great workaround if your company is like mine, where a few IT people have created their own little fiefdom controlling the actual web server, and you're using Breeze to host all sorts of resources that would normally be available on your intranet. If you say you want to host a resource on the "web", you have to go through them (and what a fun process that is - they insist on building everything themselves to justify their budget)... but if its on the "training Breeze sever", they don't care.

LOL.


v/r,
~Marc B

[Gregory_Pius]

Thanks for coming to the rescue once again!

Unfortunately, this isn't for training--it's for marketing. Therefore, the buttons have to sing and dance and be animated just like the rest of the objects on the PowerPoint slide. However, you've given me some good food for thought in making the whole slide a Flash object. I wouldn't have thunk of that on my own.

Cheers!

Gregory

[Guest]

Yes, unfortunately Flash objects embedded in PowerPoint slides can't be animated by PowerPoint (made to appear, or move around, or whatnot), or even placed behind other objects in PowerPoint once you convert them with Presenter. I think has something to do with the level that the embedded Flash movie is loaded into in relation to the Flash movie representing the slide itself - it's always loaded on top.

However, I've has some luck embedding a Flash movie that was the size of the entire stage, when I needed to animate Flash objects on the stage but wanted to retain the PowerPoint shell for the presentation. This is a classic example, where you want the links to come sliding down from a menu or something similar. If Flash would incorporate an animation-building tool like PowerPoint has (I bet it wouldn't be too hard to program), I'd ditch PowerPoint altogether for training presentations that I didn't need LMS data from.

And, if I ever figure out how Breeze presentations communicate with the server, I'd never have to use that crippled quiz generator again. Uccck!



🙂

[Guest]

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[Guest]

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[Guest]

Further question on this topic: I had a PPT button on the last page of one Connect presentation that links to another website. My webmaster has informed me that it's not 508 compliant, because you can't tab to it (must use the mouse to click the button). You can hit tab all day long in the Connect presentation, but all it does it toggle between the Connect buttons/tabs- it never goes into the SWF 'window'. I am thinking about using your Flash button/javascript window close idea from the other post to just close the window but it still may not be 508 compliant (can't tab to it). Any 508 experience out there? I work for the state and we NEED this bad!

[Guest]

Do you meant that you want to "open the hyperlinks of your flash file in the same browser window"

You flash file will be put on the internet and I think you have to configure your brower to achieve this goal.

We all know that IE can be configured to open the hyperlinks in the same window.

Thus if you want your flash file achieve this feature you need to write a code to control your brower.

This code can be a simple JS code. You can just google this to find out the answer.

good luck

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I love using flash quiz generator