Working with Hyperlinks
If you've ever surfed the World Wide Web, you're already familiar with hyperlinks (p. 352).Simply put, by clicking your mouse on linked objects you can jump somewhere else: to another location in your slide show, to another program, or even to a location on the Web.
Unlike a book or a typical slide show where you must proceed sequentially through the material, a hyperlinked PowerPoint presentation enables you to go where you need to go and to present what you need to present when you want to present it.
Suppose, for example, you are making a presentation to the board of directors of your entertainment company. You suspect some board members will want to know more about current promotions by a rival company. You can create a hyperlink in your slide show that opens up your Web browser, connects to the Internet, and displays your competitor's Web site. Of course, if no one asks or if time is running short, you need not even use the link. But you know it's there just in case it's needed.
Adding Hyperlinks
The first step in creating an Internet hyperlink is to identify the object to be linked. Any object including text, clip art, WordArt, charts, AutoShapes, and more can be linked. To create a link, follow these steps:
While in the Normal (tri-pane) or Slide view, select the text or object you want to link (see Figure 15.1).
Figure 15.1. Select text, or any other object, to which you want to add a hyperlink.
Note
You can also select text, but not other objects, in the Outline view or the outline pane of the Normal view.
Click the Insert Hyperlink icon. Alternatively, you can choose Insert, Hyperlink; or press Ctrl+K. PowerPoint displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog box (see Figure 15.2).Note
When you create a hyperlink for the first time, you use the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. If you change the hyperlink, you use the Edit Hyperlink dialog box. However, both are identical except for the Remove Link button found in the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
Figure 15.2. Use the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to specify the location you want to link to the selected text or object.
Type the Internet URL in the Type the File or Web Page Name box.
Note
URL stands for uniform resource locator and it is the standard method for describing World Wide Web addresses. For example, in the following address you find three distinct components:
http://www.mycompany.com/sales/june/report.html
The first part of the URL is the protocol being used to "serve" you the information (http://). The second section is the name of the Internet computer or "Web server," which consists of at least the domain name (mycompany.com), along with any other names that distinguish more than one server in that domain. The final component is the "path" to the specific document you want, ending in the actual filename (/sales/june/report.html).
Caution
Be sure to carefully type the URL, including all special characters (such as the tilde ~). Generally, you should use lowercase characters. Some Web servers distinguish between upper- and lowercase characters, and using an uppercase character in the URL may not work.
Click OK.
If you added a link to text, that text now appears underlined and in a different color (see Figure 15.3). The actual color you see depends on the PowerPoint design template you are using. If you added the link to any other object, you do not see any difference in the appearance of the object, but the object is linked, nonetheless.
Creating Invisible Hyperlinks for Text
Linked text appears markedly different from the non-linked text around it. You may not like the look this creates, but you still want to be able to click on that text and have it linked.
The solution is really quite simple: Draw an AutoShape, such as a rectangle, that covers the text you want to link, link the AutoShape, and then make it invisible.
To create an invisible hyperlinked object, follow these steps:
Use the Drawing toolbar to draw a rectangular box that covers the text you want to link (see Figure 15.4).
With the AutoShape selected, click the Insert Hyperlink icon (or choose Insert, Hyperlink; or press Ctrl+K).
Type the Internet URL in the Type the File or Web Page Name box.
Click OK. This creates the link to the AutoShape image.
Right-click the AutoShape, and choose Format AutoShape; or choose Format, AutoShape. PowerPoint displays the Format AutoShape dialog box (see Figure 15.5).
Click the Fill Color drop-down menu and choose No Fill.
Figure 15.4. To create the effect of linked text without making it look linked, use an AutoShape graphic image to create the link, then make the image invisible.
Figure 15.5. Use the Format AutoShape dialog box to remove fill color and line color, thus making the AutoShape invisible.
Click the Line Color drop-down menu and choose No Line.
Click OK.
An invisible, linked object now appears over the text you want linked (see Figure 15.6). When you play your slide show, you simply move the mouse pointer to that text area and click when the mouse pointer changes to a hand. To the audience, it appears you are clicking on text, although you are really clicking a linked, invisible graphic shape.
Figure 15.6. An invisible AutoShape can be linked, making it appear that the text beneath it is linked.
An additional benefit to using an invisible link is that no one except you has to know the link is there. If you choose not to use it, no one will ever know. Text linked in the normal manner, on the other hand, begs to be clicked because the text around it is so obviously different.
Modifying Hyperlinks
The Insert Hyperlink dialog box is a powerful tool for quickly and efficiently creating and modifying your hyperlinks.
Changing URL Locations
For example, to change the URL for a hyperlink you created, follow these simple steps:
Click or select the linked object.
Right-click the object and choose Hyperlink, Edit Hyperlink; or choose Insert, Hyperlink; or press Ctrl+K. PowerPoint displays the Edit Hyperlink dialog box (see Figure 15.7)
Type the new URL or use one of the dialog box tools to select what you want to link to.
Choose OK to update the hyperlink.
Figure 15.7. The Edit Hyperlink dialog box offers several tools for locating what you want to link to.
When you access the Insert Hyperlink (or Edit Hyperlink) dialog box, by default, PowerPoint displays the Link to Existing File or Web Page view (refer to Figure 15.7). This view enables you to find the URL you want in these ways:
If you know the URL, simply type it in the Type the File or Web Page Name box.
If the link is to a location that you have visited recently, you can select it from the list of displayed URLs.
If you don't remember the location by its URL, you can click the Browsed Pages button, and choose the location from a list of location titles (see Figure 15.8).
You can click the Web Page button to take you to your browser, enabling you to browse for the Internet location you want. When you find the location, you switch back to PowerPoint (use the Windows taskbar, or press Alt+Tab), and the URL from your browser appears automatically in the dialog box.
Note
Don't forget that you must be connected to the Internet if you wish to browse for a URL. Generally, those connected directly to a network need not be concerned; those using dial-up connections must first make sure they are connected.
If you want to jump to a specific location within a Web page after inserting the URL, click the Bookmark button. PowerPoint displays a list of all bookmarks found in the Web page (see Figure 15.9). Select a Bookmark in the Web Page and choose OK. PowerPoint adds the pound sign (#) and the bookmark name to your URL.
Figure 15.9. If you need to link to a bookmark, PowerPoint can connect to the Web site and return a list of bookmarks in the target Web page.
Creating Links to Other Slides
In addition to Web sites—and perhaps of more practical use—you can also create links that enable you to jump to other slides within your presentation, or even to a slide within another PowerPoint presentation.
Creating links to other slides helps you customize your slide show so that you can go quickly to those slides you need. For example, after your opening title slide, you might want to include a table of contents slide, with hyperlinks from each topic to a specific location in the slide show. On the last slide for each topic, you could include a link back to the table of contents slide. To create this type of internal link, follow these steps:
Select the object to be linked and access the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
Click the Place in This Document button. PowerPoint displays a list of slides in the current slide show (see Figure 15.10).
Figure 15.10. To link to a slide in your current presntation, click Place in This Document and select the slide you want.
Select the slide to which you want to jump.
Click OK.
To create a link to another slide show:
Select the object to be linked and access the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
Click the Existing File or Web Page button.
Click the Recent Files button.
Choose the PowerPoint slide show you want to jump to. Use the Browse for File button if necessary.
Expand the list of Slide Titles (see Figure 15.11).
Figure 15.11. You can link to a specific slide in an entirely different PowerPoint presentation.
Select the slide to which you want to jump.
Linking to Another File
PowerPoint also enables you to create a hyperlink to another document, either on your own computer or on the network, if you are connected to one. When you jump from your PowerPoint presentation to another file, the application that displays that file automatically starts. Other PowerPoint files display, of course, in PowerPoint. But Word documents display in Word, HTML files display in your browser, and so on.
To link to a file, you can
Type the name of the file, including its full path name (for example, c: my documents sales.xls).
Click the Recent Files button to display a list of recently accessed files.
Click the Browse for File button and browse your computer or your network files for the file you want.
Creating Other Types of Links
Finally, you can create links to files you haven't even created, as well as links to send electronic mail (see Figure 15.12).
To create a link to an electronic mail address, click the E-mail Address button. Type the address in the E-mail Address box and enter a Subject. You can even select the email address from a list of recently used email addresses (see Figure 15.13).
Figure 15.12. You can even link to a yet-to-be-created document.
Figure 15.13. Create a link to an email address, enabling a viewer to send a message.
Note
Traditionally, PowerPoint presentations were designed to be presented to an audience by a speaker. PowerPoint is now designed so that viewers can also be allowed to run the presentation by themselves. PowerPoint presentations placed on a company network or on a Web site can be designed so that the viewer can navigate and even interact with the presentation at his or her own pace.
Changing the Screen Tip
When you point your mouse at a linked object during a presentation, a ScreenTip (p. 24) appears detailing the location of the link. You can customize the ScreenTip to make it easier for you (or the audience) to know just where you will go if you click the linked object.
To change the ScreenTip:
Select the object to be linked and access the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
Click the ScreenTip button. PowerPoint displays the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box (see Figure 15.14).
Figure 15.14. Customize the ScreenTip that appears when you move the mouse pointer to a linked object.
Type the text you want to appear in the ScreenTip in the ScreenTip Text box. The note about ScreenTips in Internet Explorer refers to slide shows viewed in the browser, not to normally presented slide shows.
Removing Hyperlinks
After inserting a hyperlink, you may decide you don't want that link or that you need to link it to another object on the screen. To remove a hyperlink, simply select the object, access the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, and click the Remove Link button.
Changing a Hyperlinked Object's Action Settings
The most important action for a linked object is to jump to the desired location. However, using PowerPoint's Action Settings (p. 329-330) feature, you can control how you activate the hyperlink, and also add some pizzazz to the linked object.
To access the Action Settings dialog box:
Select the linked object.
Right-click and choose Action Settings, or choose Slide Show, Action Settings. PowerPoint displays the Action Settings dialog box.
If you've created a hyperlink, Hyperlink To is already selected, and the location of the link is listed. Note that the action is displayed on the Mouse Click tab, which means that you have to click the linked object to activate the hyperlink. The Mouse Over tab offers the same options, but actions are activated merely by passing the mouse pointer over the linked object, without clicking.
Tip
You may be able to save some time by selecting an object and using the Action Settings dialog box both to create the hyperlink, and also to set any actions you want.
Caution
You don't want surprises during your slide presentation. Unfortunately, the Mouse Over option for activating hyperlinks can take you places before you're really ready to go there. Generally, you should activate hyperlinks only by clicking the mouse.
You can add some pizzazz to your presentation by creating actions that produce sound effects or that highlight linked objects. For example, you can require a mouse click to activate a hyperlink, but can highlight the object (graphic objects only) or add a sound effect when the mouse pointer is passed over the object.
To add Mouse Over sound and highlighting effects:
Select the object to which you want to add the effects.
Right-click and choose Action Settings, or choose Slide Show, Action Settings. PowerPoint displays the Action Settings dialog box.
Click the Mouse Over tab (see Figure 15.15).
Click the Highlight When Mouse Over check box (you cannot select this option if the object you have selected is text).
Click the Play Sound check box.
Click the Play Sound drop-down list, and select the sound effect you want to use (see Figure 15.16).
Figure 15.16. Add pizzazz to your presentation by adding sounds or highlighting to a link.
Tip
You can associate any .WAV–formatted sound file with the object. Simply choose Other Sound from the drop-down list, and browse until you find the sound you want.
Note
If you add Action Settings to an object, when you try to access the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, you see instead the Action Settings dialog box. You can still edit the URL, but you have to remove any Action Settings if you want to access the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
Testing Hyperlinks
More likely than not, you will test your hyperlinks as you go. Nevertheless, before you take your presentation before an audience, you'll want to test all your hyperlinks to verify that you set them up correctly.
Note
Don't forget that you must be connected to the Internet, either via a network or through a dial-up connection, if you want to test links to the Web.
To test a hyperlink:
Go to the slide you want to test.
Click the Slide Show view. Choosing Slide Show, View Show (or pressing F5) starts you at the beginning of your presentation, not at the currently selected slide.
Move the mouse pointer to the linked object.
Check that the ScreenTip displays properly.
Note whether Action Settings work properly (such as sound effect on Mouse Over).
Click the linked object and verify that you are taken to the appropriate Web location, slide, or file.
Return to your slide show by closing the linked location. Usually, this involves closing the application, although you can also just minimize the application if you want it to start more quickly the next time you use it.
When you complete your slide show, you should test all the links in the entire presentation. This means starting the slide show at the beginning and trying out each hyperlink. (We'll talk about how to do that in the next section.) Stop and fix any hyperlink that doesn't work the way you expect it to.
Navigating a Hyperlinked Presentation
You would probably never get lost in a sequential slide presentation, but in a hyperlinked presentation, you can become disoriented—and even get lost—very easily.
You can minimize the likelihood of getting lost by rehearsing your presentation many times, trying out various links, and learning what will happen and how to get back on track.
Some typical techniques for returning to the right place in your presentation include:
If you go to a browser, you can use the browser's "Back" button to return to PowerPoint. Generally, this doesn't close the browser, but keeps it open in case you need to use it again during the presentation.
If you jump to another PowerPoint presentation, you can right-click the slide in the new presentation, and choose Go, Previously Viewed to return to the original presentation. If your browser was open prior to opening a second slide show, the browser may get closed.
If you link to another document that opens up another program, such as Word, you can switch back to PowerPoint without closing the application you jumped to by pressing Alt+Tab.
If you are linking primarily to other slides within your own presentation, you can also add navigational links, such as linked Action Buttons, that help you stay on course.
Linking to the Web During a Presentation
The more elements you add to your presentation, the more complex it becomes, thus increasing the chances that something will go wrong. This can be particularly true when you link to the Internet during a presentation. Try to determine what parts of your presentation are most critical, and have a backup plan in case things don't work the way you hope they will. Make allowances that minimize your risk, and consider the following:
Test links thoroughly. Remove dead links and update incorrect ones.
Consider the time of day you'll be giving the presentation. Internet traffic tends to be heavier in the afternoon. Morning Internet connections are usually a bit faster.
Test your links for speed relative to other sites. If the linked URL contains a lot of graphics, uses Java, or is served by a slower Web server, you may not want to patiently wait during your presentation for the site to display.
Always evaluate and reevaluate just how important the link is. If you don't need it, don't use it. What takes a few seconds to load in your office will seem like an eternity when you're standing in front of your audience.
Have a backup plan, in case your hyperlinks don't work. One method is to copy the files from the URL to your local computer (or network) and display them from there. However, the complexity of some sites, as well as copyright considerations, may make this impractical.
Consider creating other slides that convey the same information as the Web site you wanted to connect to. They may not measure up to the actual Web site, but then again, you won't stand there waiting for the URL to come up, only to find that network congestion prevents you from doing so.