Update urls to remove hidden character in large document so they function correctly

[Riannon368885617n15]

I have a product catalogue that has hyperlinks applied to each product name so the respective webpage for the product will load if the product name is clicked when viewing the exported pdf.

Unfortunately the url's have a strange hidden character that isn't always visible - I have found "^p" sometimes when i copy and paste the url back and forth from notepad - so this may be the character I am looking for. But in acrobat pro when I go in the edit url menu there is a visible space that appears after the product number in the URL.

Does anyone know a script that I can run in either indesign or acrobat to search for the character in every single hyperlink in the document to remove the character, The document has several thousand hyperlinks so it's a very tedious job to do one by one.

[m1b]

Hi @Riannon368885617n15 this might be easy to fix with a script. Can you post a sample document with some of the problematic hyperlinks in it?

- Mark

[m1b · Accepted solution]

Hey @Riannon368885617n15, can you try this script and see if it works? It's a stab in the dark, but it might do the trick.

- Mark

/**
 * @file Clean Hyperlinks.js
 * 
 * Attempts to strip bad characters from
 * the active document's hyperlink URLs.
 * 
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2025-02-28
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/update-urls-to-remove-hidden-character-in-large-document-so-they-function-correctly/m-p/15180488
 */
function main() {

    const illegalCharacters = /[\x00-\x1F\x7F-\x9F\u200B\u200C\u200D\n\r]+/g;

    var doc = app.activeDocument,
        hyperlinks = doc.hyperlinks,
        counter = 0;

    for (var i = 0; i < hyperlinks.length; i++) {

        var hyperlink = hyperlinks[i];

        try {
            if ('HyperlinkURLDestination' !== hyperlink.destination.constructor.name)
                continue;
        } catch (error) {
            // $.writeln('Hyperlink ' + i + ' links to a missing document.');
            continue;
        }

        // quick attempt to strip bad characters
        var originalURL = hyperlink.destination.destinationURL,
            newURL = originalURL.replace(illegalCharacters, '');

        if (newURL === originalURL)
            continue;

        // fix the hyperlink
        hyperlink.destination.destinationURL = newURL;
        counter++;

        // $.writeln('Fixed Hyperlink ' + i + ' URL: ' + hyperlink.destination.destinationURL)

    }

    alert('Cleaned ' + counter + ' hyperlink URLs.');

};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Clean Hyperlinks');

Edit 2025-02-28: changed code a bit to work with OP's sample document.

[Riannon368885617n15]

Do I need to edit anything in the javascript, it wouldn't work in my natuve document, but in the sample document I saved (below comments) it ran the scriupt but the characters were still present.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Do I need to edit anything in the javascript, it wouldn't work in my natuve document, but in the sample document I saved (below comments) it ran the scriupt but the characters were still present.

By @Riannon368885617n15

There is no "direct" access to non-working Hyperlinks.

You can't even edit it manually?

But Acrobat still shows it?

[m1b]

@Riannon368885617n15 did you use my updated script? If it still gives an error, I need another sample document that gives the error.

- Mark

[Riannon368885617n15]

Yes I replied above., the updated script was perfect! we are just testing the flipbook now. but they are working in reader which they didn't before. So your script has saved me a lot of time of re-doing hyperlinks! much appreciated.

[m1b]

@Riannon368885617n15 great to hear!

(I see your other reply now but the forum software makes these threads very confusing to navigate! Grr.)

[Riannon368885617n15]

100% the message threads are very confusing to navigate. But thanks again you are a life saver.

[flynfall]

Found this script after having the same problem with hidden characters when copying URLs from an Excel list. Worked well! Thank you!

[m1b]

Great to hear!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Riannon368885617n15

How are you creating those Hyperlinks?

[Riannon368885617n15]

I was updating hyperlinks in notepad replacing the product code in the URL. unfortunatley as I was copying the code from the indesign table it looks like it brought over hidden characters/artifacts from the original excel spreadsheet the data came from.

[Riannon368885617n15]

Here is a sample set of the urls

[Riannon368885617n15]

Interesting thing is - the URL's work when in acrobat pro or viewing the pdf in any browser. But when we convert the pdf to an online flipbook, the urls dont work.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Riannon368885617n15 

Most of your hyperlinks are not working - are incorrect - even in InDesign?

[Riannon368885617n15]

as presumed by m1b these are shared urls copied from another document - so the links got broken. but looks like the script has solved my issue

[m1b]

@Riannon368885617n15 

> Interesting thing is - the URL's work when in acrobat pro or viewing the pdf

Interesting! Are you sure they are going to the *full* URL? Maybe they are missing the part after the carriage return, ie. "&utm" etc. Or maybe in the process of generating the pdf hyperlinks it automatically removes illegal characters, but not in the other process.

- Mark

[m1b]

Thank you @Riannon368885617n15 that's helpful. I've updated my script above to work with your sample document. The bad URLs had a carriage return or linefeed in them. Please try it out the revised script.

- Mark

P.S. After reading Robert's comment, I should add that yes most of your hyperlinks were broken, but I assumed that was because you made a quick demo document. I assume they use shared destinations in another document that we don't have so they are broken. When I run my script on your demo document it fixed exactly 8 URLs. I'm not sure if that's what you expected.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

But InDesign do not report invalid URLHyperlinks?

Or it works in JavaScript?

[Riannon368885617n15]

Amazing. I have ran the updated script and it appears to be fixing all of the hyperlinks. Much appreciated. I am just getting out web developer to check one chapter that i ran the script on to see if it converts to the flip book correctly - and if all good then this script has solved our issue

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] When I run my script on your demo document it fixed exactly 8 URLs. I'm not sure if that's what you expected.

By @m1b

8 are a "good ones" - there are 58 in total:

And I don't see a "direct" way to get to them?

But they still show in the Acrobat:

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

What do the links that are problematoc look like on the page?

I'm wondering if an errant paragraph return (which is typically ^p) was inserted in one of your long hyperlinks to break tham in the layout?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Brad @ Roaring Mouse 

Yes, that's in the 2nd paragraph of the OP's post 😉

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

I saw that after the fact.:)  I get these messages out of order sometimes in my email. Fun times.