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Participant
August 19, 2021
Answered

Hyperlinks in a typeset URL that breaks at the end of a line

  • August 19, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 3440 views


Hi, folks! This is a bit complicated. I hope I can explain it properly.

 

I have a document in which URLs must sometimes break at the end of a line because they are too long. The problem I describe happens no matter how the break is created (either automatically by InDesign or if I insert hard line breaks). No hyphenation is inserted at these breaks.

The hyperlinks of the "line-broken" URLs do not export properly in a PDF (for print), even if I have manually created each one in the text (Type > Hyperlinks & Cross References > New Hyperlink). So, for example, if I have to break "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_InDesign" after the ".org/", the hyperlink goes to the Wikipedia homepage, not the Adobe InDesign entry. I have tried inserting a hard line break (return key) and aassigning each segment a complete-URL hyperlink, but that doesn't solve the problem. I have even tried copying and pasting the "broken" segments of an URL from a plain-text document onto separate lines of text and assigning each one its own complete-URL hyperlink. InDesign still "links them together" with an incomplete URL.

 

They do, however, export correctly if I export as an interactive PDF. But the interactive PDF results in a spread rather than single pages, and it remains a spread even when I specify "single page" view in Adobe Acrobat (or Preview). The document must be single pages.

 

(Tinyurls are not a suitable workaround. And this happens whether or not the typeset text begins with "http".)

 

Can you suggest either how to get the broken-line hyperlinks to behave correctly in a "print" PDF or how to export an interactive PDF in which each "single page" is a spread?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer BobLevine

Just uncheck spreads by selecting pages in the interactive PDF export.

 

3 replies

Participating Frequently
September 13, 2023

It's best for hyperlinks to stay intact so I would stop the line break from happening in the first place. InDesign often automatically applies a hyperlink character style to URLs (if not, create one and apply it to all your hyperlinks). Now go into the style options and check No Break 🙂

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 15, 2023

Instead to apply a non-break property via character style I prefer to apply a no-language property. As I have often URLs longer than one line, I have to have a line break, with no language applied, the breaks can only apply after / or other no-language-character and without breaking and adding a hyphenation.

David W. Goodrich
Participating Frequently
August 19, 2021

The original post sounds like what happens when Acrobat/Reader "make up" URLs they think they see in the text (an Acrobat setting I always turn off). Are you sure your URLs were getting into the PDF for print? This needs to be turned on -- here's a screenshot from IDCS6.

David

WenamunAuthor
Participant
September 4, 2021

Thank you, David! I will keep an eye on that setting, too, if this happens in the future.

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 19, 2021

Just uncheck spreads by selecting pages in the interactive PDF export.

 

WenamunAuthor
Participant
August 19, 2021

Thank you, Bob, but I don't know where to find what you show me. I had thought there would be such settings somewhere, but I don't have them in the Adobe PDF Presets menu, which is offering only some print-oriented PDFs and the Blurb PDF export, and I don't see them anywhere else (e.g.,  Preferences menu). (I'm on 16.3.2.) 

WenamunAuthor
Participant
August 19, 2021

Oh! D'oh. I have found it. It's only Thursday and it's already been a long week! Thank you!