Documentation Center

Inserting External Hyperlinks

Using the Hyperlink command on the Insert tab, you can create a hyperlink to an external website or file URL.

About this task

When you want to insert a hyperlink to a website (or some other external resource), you must know the exact URL or web address for that site or file. When you create the hyperlink, you will enter both the address for this hyperlink and the text that is displayed as the hyperlink.

For a valid web address, you must start with the resource type and a double forward-slash (for example, http:// followed by the remainder of the address). You must indicate the resource (in this case a hyper-text transport protocol (http)), followed by the rest of the web address. For a hyperlink to the SDL website, you should enter http://example.com, not just example.com.

Procedure

  1. Click the location in the topic where you want to insert the hyperlink.

    On the Insert tab, the Hyperlink command becomes enabled.

  2. On the Insert tab, click the Hyperlink command.

    The Hyperlink insert panel opens to the left of the editing window.

  3. Click Web Address.
  4. Enter the text that will be displayed as the hyperlink in the topic and then enter a valid URL for the external hyperlink.

    When the URL is valid, a check mark appears. When both fields have content, the Insert icon is enabled.

  5. Click Insert to insert the hyperlink.

    The external hyperlink appears in the topic.

What to do next

You usually need to re-publish the topic to check whether your link was added correctly.

To correct or edit the web address you must open the Properties panel and click the hyperlink. Look for the Hyperlink field to view and edit the web address as needed. On the Home tab, click the Save command to save the change.