Editing Text Hyperlinks

You can edit text hyperlinks that you have inserted into a topic in at least three different ways: (1) edit the destination and properties of the hyperlink, (2) edit the style of the hyperlink, and (3) unbind (or remove) the hyperlink from the text.

The first way to edit text hyperlinks is to change the destination and other properties (link text, target frame, screen tip).

Example You test the topic containing the text hyperlink and you notice that the wrong destination topic is opening when you click the hyperlink. So you use the steps below to associate the correct destination topic with the hyperlink.

  1. Open the document or topic.
  2. In the XML Editor, click inside the link.
  3. At the top of the XML Editor, right-click the span bar representing the link. For example, hyperlink span bars have an "a" label, and cross-reference span bars have a "MadCap:xref" label. When you click on the link in the topic, the appropriate span bar at the top of the XML Editor will change color to indicate that it goes with the link. If your span bars are not turned on, click in the local toolbar of the XML Editor.
  4. Select Edit Hyperlink. The Insert Hyperlink dialog opens.
  5. Use the section below to choose the heading or bookmark to which you want to link.

  6. (Optional) The Link text field displays the text that you highlighted in the topic, which will be used as the hyperlink. Leave the text as it is, unless you decide you would like to change it. If you want to change the link text, type the new text in the field. It will replace the previous text in the topic.

  7. (Optional) In the Screen Tip field, you can type a phrase that will appear when the end user hovers over the hyperlink in the output.

    When you enter a screen tip, it is added as a <title> tag in the markup.

  8. (Optional) In the Alternate Text field, type a phrase that describes what the element is about. This option should be used to increase accessibility for users who are unable to view an element. See Alt Text and Title Attributes.
  9. (Optional) Next to the Style Class field, click the Select button. This opens the Select Class dialog, which lets you apply one of the defined hyperlink styles (a.NameOfStyleClass) from your stylesheet to the link. After you select a style class in the dialog, click OK. The Style Class field displays the selected style. (If you do not specify a style class, Contributor uses the parent "a" style.)
  10. (Optional) In the Target Frame field, click the drop-down arrow to select the way the linked destination will open.
    • Page Default The destination file opens in the same window as the output window.
    • Parent Frame The destination file opens in the parent frame of the current topic while hiding that topic.
    • New Window The destination file opens in a new browser window.
    • Same Frame The destination file opens in the same window frame as the current topic.
    • Top Frame The destination file opens in the same output window, removing all other framesets. You might use this option, for example, if the destination topic has its own frameset.
    • Popup Window The destination file opens in a popup box on top of the current topic.

  11. (Optional) In the Tab Index field you can enter a value to specify the order in which users can tab through hyperlinks in a topic. So when a user presses the TAB key the first time in a topic, the hyperlink with an index value of 1 will be selected first, the hyperlink with a value of 2 will be selected next, and so on. If you want to skip a hyperlink, enter -1 in that field.

  12. Click OK. The hyperlink is changed in the topic. By default the hyperlink is displayed in blue, underlined font. You can change the appearance of the link by modifying the style in the Stylesheet Editor.
  13. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

The second way to edit a text hyperlink is to edit the style (e.g., font, color) of the hyperlink. When you edit the style for a text hyperlink, the style changes for all text hyperlinks.

  1. Open the stylesheet you want to modify or create a new one.

  2. Complete one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether you want to use the Simplified view or Advanced view in the Stylesheet Editor.

    • Simplified The Simplified view displays styles in a grid view and is often best for brand new users.

      This view provides an easy way to apply properties to styles, with format options available from a toolbar and dialogs (similar to the way one would use an interface such as Microsoft Word). In some cases, only the most common property options are available in the Simplified view (e.g., font, letter/word spacing, paragraph alignment/indentation, autonumbering format, borders, background). One advantage of the Simplified view is that you can apply a property to multiple styles at the same time. You can also click a check box to hide the properties in the editor, allowing you to see only the styles.

    • Advanced The Advanced view displays styles in a tree structure, and despite the name, is user friendly for authors of all levels.

      For the properties, you can toggle between a grouped display and an alphabetical display. The Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor lets you edit more settings than are available in the Simplified view. In addition, the Advanced view lets you see and apply settings to multiple mediums and media queries at the same time.

    3. If Using Simplified View

    1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays The button to change the stylesheet to the simplified view. (which means that the Simplified view is currently shown in the editor). If the button displays The button to change the stylesheet to the advanced view. instead, then click it.
    2. In the upper-left corner of the editor, click in the drop-down field and select .

    3. From the grid in the bottom portion of the editor, find and select the a tag.

      If you want to modify the way links look when they are in a certain state, you can select a pseudo class under the "a" style. Link pseudo classes include the following:

      • Active This class is used when the person activates the element (mouse is clicked).
      • Focus This class is used if the element has the focus.
      • Hover This class is used when the person hovers the mouse over the element.
      • Link This class is used for links that have not yet been clicked.
      • Visited This class is used for links that have already been clicked.

    4. In the local toolbar of the editor, click Display properties for the selected item.. The Properties dialog opens.

    5. Use the Properties dialog to change values for any of the style's properties.

    6. In the Properties dialog, click OK.

    If Using Advanced View

    1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays The button to change the stylesheet to the advanced view.. If the button displays The button to change the stylesheet to the simplified view. instead, then click it.
    2. In the upper-left corner of the editor, click in the drop-down field and select .

    3. On the left side of the editor, find and select the a tag.

      If you want to modify the way links look when they are in a certain state, you can select a pseudo class under the "a" style. Link pseudo classes include the following:

      • Active This class is used when the person activates the element (mouse is clicked).
      • Focus This class is used if the element has the focus.
      • Hover This class is used when the person hovers the mouse over the element.
      • Link This class is used for links that have not yet been clicked.
      • Visited This class is used for links that have already been clicked.
    4. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select Filter using the drop-down to show assorted relevant properties in the stylesheet.. The most relevant properties for that style are shown on the right side of the editor.
    5. (Optional) You can use the toggle button in the local toolbar to show properties below in a group view Stylesheet local toolbar button to show properties in a group view. or an alphabetical view Stylesheet local toolbar button to show properties in an alphabetical view..

    6. Locate the property you want to change.

    7. The area to the right of the property is used for selecting and entering values. If you know how to enter the information correctly, you can click in the value field and type it directly. Otherwise, click the ellipsis button Display more options. to the right of the property. Depending on the type of property, the appropriate controls and options display, allowing you to choose or enter values (e.g., select from a drop-down list, click a button, complete fields in a dialog or popup). If you completed values in a popup, click OK at the bottom of the box.

  3. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

The third way to edit a text hyperlink is to unbind (or remove) the hyperlink effect. If you decide that you no longer want the content to serve as a hyperlink, you can use the steps below to remove the hyperlink, converting the content to regular text.

  1. Open the document or topic.
  2. In the XML Editor, click inside the link.
  3. At the top of the XML Editor, right-click the span bar representing the link. For example, hyperlink span bars have an "a" label, and cross-reference span bars have a "MadCap:xref" label. When you click on the link in the topic, the appropriate span bar at the top of the XML Editor will change color to indicate that it goes with the link. If your span bars are not turned on, click in the local toolbar of the XML Editor.
  4. From the context menu, select Unbind. The hyperlink effect is removed.
  5. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

What’s Noteworthy?

Note You cannot use stylesheets for this feature in the Review (Full Registered) workflow.

Note This feature is not supported for MadCap Lingo review package (LIREV) files.