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Hi all,
In instances where we wanted to have custom text act as a cross-reference link (i.e., not the destination's text, or a topic title, etc.), we created "gotolink" and "newlink" markers. The links work within Frame, but some are not working in the PDF output (some, however, are).
Any ideas?
Thanks
Using version 14.0.0361
Just to update:
We found inconsistencies between the "goto" and "new" links. The strange part is that these links still worked in Frame and were only broken in the PDF output. Which seems very strange.
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Try to put a character format (can be an "invisble" one) on the marker and all text after it that you want to include as a "link". Does that solve it?
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Hi Stefan,
It didn't solve the problem.
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Then we'll need more details on how you set this up. You are calling them cross-references—are they actual cross-references (i.e., for more information, see. XXX on page X..) or are they navigational links?
If cross-reference, are you aware that you can reference a paragraph (i.e., a chapter title, subtitle, table title, figure title) or a cross reference marker that you insert where ever you like, that doesn't use the destination's text?
~Barb
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"you can reference a paragraph (i.e., a chapter title, subtitle, table title, figure title) or a cross reference marker that you insert where ever you like, that doesn't use the destination's text"
Could you elaborate?
If there's a better solution then the problem we're experiencing may be moot.
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Sure. There are two types of x-refs: paragraph and spot. Normally, one uses paragraph x-refs for referencing headings (the marker is added to the beginning of the heading automatically), and spot cross-refs are used to reference something inside a multi-line paragraph (because you can add the marker anywhere you like). I'm still not clear on your workflow—so not sure if this is what you are looking for—but here is how the spot x-refs work.
Spot x-refs are two-step process:
With both types, Fm monitors the position of the the marker, and updates the page number in the x-ref when you update your book or file. These work reliably in PDFs.
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Here's my specific use case:
I have two procedures in a manual (procA and procB). The following sentence appears in procA:
"If an appliance (e.g., furnace) has already been approved for construction heat and has a construction heat sticker affixed to it..."
The bold "construction heat" is a link to procB's title.
I set it up by adding a "newlink" marker to procB's title. Then I added a "gotolink" marker to "construction heat". I used this method to preserve the "construction heat" text rather than replacing it with procB's title/page number/other typical cross-ref styles.
This "newlink/gotolink" method worked for 90% or so of these types of links throughout the manual. Some, however, are working in Frame, but not working in the PDF output.
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Ok, that really isn't an Fm x-ref, it's a navigational link.
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"construction heat" has a character tag applied.
I highlighted both words and added the maker, which FM placed before the letter "c".
For the "newlink" side of things, the marker was just placed at the beginning of the title.
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Move the marker into the text, right in front of heat. Does that make a difference in the PDF?
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After making that change, only "heat" works as the link in Frame and it still does not work in the PDF.
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So, here's why I'd try next:
Click on Default ¶ Font in Format > Character > Catalog to remove any character formatting. Does the text look like the rest of the paragraph now? Assuming yes,
Here's the deal with links: in text, there are 2 potential hotspots:
I'm questioning how the character formatting was applied, based on your reports, so I'm asking you to remove all character tags and retag it to see if it works.
If it is quicker for you to post the file on dropbox, you are welcome to post a link to it here (publicly) or you can message me privately (click my name and click on message) and I'd happy to take a look. As a heads up, I'm leaving the office in a few hours and won't be back online until late on Sunday.
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No change in the result. (And as an FYI, we don't use Bold, we use a character tag called Hyperlink, so that's not the issue).
Unfortunately, we don't have access to Dropbox through our firewall. Is there an email address I could send the files to?
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Shoot Barb a Private Message
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I just tried it, and it works for me. This is how I did it:
Create a Hypertext marker with the command "Specify named destination" in the "target" paragraph.
Content: newlink construction-heat
Create a Hypertext marker in front of the "link text" with the content "gotolink construction-heat
":
Create a character style "hyperlink" and marked up both the link text and the marker with this character style. The important thing is, that the marker and the "link text" must have the same character style applied so that FM knows, they belong together.
When I create a PDF, it works as expected, and I can click anywhere on "construction heat" and it jumps to the paragraph where the named destination marker is.
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Just to update:
We found inconsistencies between the "goto" and "new" links. The strange part is that these links still worked in Frame and were only broken in the PDF output. Which seems very strange.