hyperlink url not available

[johnp47342834]

I have a text document imported into InDesign in which one imported hyperlink remains red in the hyperlink panel, indicates "URL not available," and will not open the link. There are several other imported links that work properly. 

I can open Edit Hyperlink in the Hyperlink Panel and copy the link, paste it into my web browser, and it will open the link. I can also insert the link into a Word document and it will work. I have tried deleting the link from the Hperlink Panel and recreating it, both by typing it in and by copying and pasting the address from the web browser, when it opens the link. I have even tried inserting the link as the sole content of a Word document, then placing that word document into InDesign; that still only produces the "URL not available" message.

From the other similar posts, my guess is that this is some sort of firewall or login requirement by the website I am trying to link to, but I am curious as to why only InDesign seems to encounter it? And I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can suggest a work-around?

This is occurring on:

27 inch iMac, 2019

Big Sur 11.5.2

InDesign 16.4

The file originally placed is a text file from a web archive of an online posting of the document. Several other links included in that text file do import and work correctly.

As said above, the problem also occurs when the link is created in a Word document and then placed into InDesign.

[Eugene Tyson]

If the URL works then why care what InDesign says? 

I know you want to see it is working - but if it works when you publish or export the file - then it's ok - right?

[Arto15B9]

I have the same issue with InDesign 2024 (v19.4). The link works just fine also when performing the go to destination command from within ID, but URL is marked as not available (red bullet) even when recreated. It certainly is not "ok" even if the link works, I want to be able to trust in the feature so that if the bullet is green, the link is guaranteed to be unbroken, and if it is red, there is need to make a check. If I cannot trust in status of red, how can I trust in status of green?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Is it a complete, valid URL, or a 'short form' one? ID tends to flag links that are not fully formed even if they are valid for browser entry.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Arto15B9

Can you show us your link? 

[Arto15B9]

As mentioned, this happens even if i recreate the link (by copy pasting from the browser address line after having accessed the page by using Go to Destination from within InDesign). So the link definitely works but just shows as if broken. I wonder if this could have anything to do with kind of "antibot" measures on the site, not responding to anything now showing genuinely human access? (I am not sure if this even a rational assumption 🙂

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Arto15B9 

OK, I made a typo in the address - it works in the browser.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Arto15B9 

The answer is pretty simple - I think - you need to REMOVE "https://" - then it works.

[Arto15B9]

I have several links in the same publication (and other) with https protocol which do work. I do not understand why it results in one address becoming unaccessible while not others...

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's not a reasonable option. I don't know what process or protocol ID uses to validate links, but this is all reflective of my experience that the validation/green light is erratic. ANY properly formed URL should show green. Otherwise, the feature is somewhere between useless and a hindrance.

[Arto15B9]

ANY properly formed URL should show green. Otherwise, the feature is somewhere between useless and a hindrance.

By @James Gifford—NitroPress

I basically agree, though I do think that the feature, even as it implemented now, is still quite useful (I say thins assuming that "green" links truly mean that they are not broken, and it certainly appears so but I have not checked this other than by random tests).

I have been using CS6 up to now, and there this feature did not exist and it is a kind of a pain to need to go through hundreds of links to see if they are operating!

In the two projects I have been using this feature, both have one actually operating, fully formed URL that is marked red. In the other project, the URL in question is  https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/missions/goce and while the site responds immediately, the https prefix will be added to the address only after a while -- I am not sure if this is browser specific, or what, but it does not seem to be a question of whether https is actually "site-owned" or server-based.

Perhaps this is something that is diffiult to resolve, but I supppose the code could be improved so that it checks whether the site responds with something else than 404 or another error code (so basically has an URL with or without the protocol prefix returned, as defined)?

Btw, there is another thing i noticed just now and it is that the green and red dots actually work as "Go to Destination" buttons: I was about to complain that the separate "Go to Source" and "Go to Destination" buttons have been removed but the page number link and red/green symbols now work as buttons (even the red one actually invokes the call so it facilitates checking whether a site marked as red is actually broken or not).

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I think we can consider the feature broken, or at least selective. Until and when it's fixed to validate any reasonable URL, without getting hung up on minor variations or (what seems likely) redirection and so forth, it's not a very useful feature. As you said, if we can't trust the red tags, how can we truly trust the green ones?

I'd guess the feature relies on old, simple code that just can't keep up in today's much more dynamic web addressing world, and ignore it in favor of checking actual links in export documents, tedious as that may be.

Or maybe there's a script/plugin solution, although I am hazy on how a 'successful' ping to a website can be determined.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] 

Or maybe there's a script/plugin solution, although I am hazy on how a 'successful' ping to a website can be determined.

By @James Gifford—NitroPress

Easy - no pinging, script can open "silently" each link and validate result. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Okay. I was just trying to think it through and get a truly valid validation, if you get me. More than just "yes this address is active" and on to "yes this address is 'working'" — but maybe that's unnecessary or easier than I think. It's been a while since I did anything at the network protocol level.

[Arto15B9]

What is the way of opening links "silently" in script? I mean, the ones that are now marked in red ("not available") in my examples are unique calls to the sites in question but still get returned as broken, so at least just adding a delay between calls is not a solution.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

What is the way of opening links "silently" in script? I mean, the ones that are now marked in red ("not available") in my examples are unique calls to the sites in question but still get returned as broken, so at least just adding a delay between calls is not a solution.

By @Arto15B9

I mean replicating "click on the dot".

I don't know exactly how to do it in JS - I know it's possible but would have to Google the solution - but on a PC & VB - you can simulate browser... so it should be even possible to take a screenshot of the website - and place it back in InDesign as a preview... Possibilities are endless with the right tool...