Within a topic, you can link from any frame to one or more attachments. Attachments linked at this level provide information to your users as they view a topic. For example, you might link from a frame to a spreadsheet listing department codes or other reference information that users need at a particular step in a procedure. Like concept and bubble text links, links to attachments from topic frames become part of the parent document. If you then move the topic or reuse it elsewhere in your content, the linked attachment remains associated with that frame of the topic. Conversely, deleting the link to an attachment from a topic frame in one location removes the link in all places where the topic is used.
The Frame Link toolpane of the Topic Editor provides the tools for linking to and managing the links to attachments from topic frames. When linking to a package file or web page, you can filter the display to include packages or web pages only and navigate through the Library folders to the specific file you want to link. When linking to a URL, you can type or paste a base URL and then follow links in the preview displayed in the results pane of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to reach your desired target.
Note: An absolute URL represents the fixed location of a piece of content without regards to its context. A Relative URL is a shortened version of the full URL that only makes sense when used in context. The full URL is constructed by taking a Base URL (set in the General Content Defaults) and appending the Relative UR set when creating a hyperlink). Here is an analogy to help clarify. Let's say you asked me where my brother lives and I said "right next to my house". If you didn't know where I lived, this information would not be useful. However, if you did know where I lived, then you could find my brother's house by locating my house and then find his next door. In this case, my house is an example of the Base URL and "right next to my house" is an example of the Relative URL.
Relative URLs are useful when the content developer is not sure of the location where the content is to be deployed. They allow the content developer to link to content outside of the Library in the Developer.
The Base URL can be set in the Developer and can be changed, if necessary, in the Player Package after publication.
Note: If a Base URL is set in the General Content Defaults, you can enter a Relative URL (beginning with../) when inserting a hyperlink for a URL on the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
The procedure for linking to an attachment from a topic frame differs slightly from that for concepts and bubble text. When you link to an attachment from a topic frame, you can select an icon for the link and add a tooltip. The icon appears in the frame bubble when the user views the topic in the Player, and the tooltip appears when the user rests the mouse pointer over the link icon. The icon and tooltip are stored with the link itself, rather than with the attachment. Therefore, when you link to the attachment from another location in your content, you can choose to add a different icon and/or tooltip, if desired.
A single frame can link to multiple attachments. You manage all of the attachments linked at the frame level from the same dialog box, but you can assign a different icon and/or tooltip to each of the links. You can also change the order in which multiple attachments are linked to a single topic frame. As you navigate among the frames in a topic with the Frame Link toolpane open, the display updates dynamically to show the links for each frame. This provides a simple means of managing all frame links in a topic and analyzing the overall topic layout.
To link to an existing package file or web page from a topic frame:
Note: You can repeat steps 3-10 to link to additional package files or web pages from the same frame or click to close the Frame Link Properties toolpane.
Note: At step 4, you can also click Create new web page to create a new web page and link to it in one step. When creating a new web page, you first specify the name of the web page and the Library folder in which it should be saved. The Web Page Editor then opens a tab where you can create the new web page. After completing the web page, you can return to the topic by reactivating the Topic Editor tab.
To link to a URL from a topic frame:
Note: You can repeat steps 3-10 to link to additional URLs from the same frame or click to close the Frame Link Properties toolpane.
To create and link a new package from a topic frame: