Hyperlink and mailto link

Links can be added to any template but they only work in electronic output (web pages, email and PDF files). They can be a regular hyperlink pointing to a web page or a mailto link that will open the default email client when clicked.

HTML element: a

When you add elements, such as text, images or a table, to the content of a template, you are actually constructing an HTML file. It is possible to edit the source of the HTML file directly in the Designer; see Editing HTML.

The HTML tag of a hyperlink or mailto-link is <a>. This is sometimes called an anchor tag. For a list of attributes, see https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_a.asp.

Adding a hyperlink or mailto link

  1. Select text or an image.
    Although it is possible, it is not advisable to add a Hyperlink to other elements, such as a Paragraph or Div. HTML 4 specifies that hyperlinks and mailto-links may only contain inline elements. Block elements, such as a Div, may not appear inside a link. HTML 5 states that the link "may be wrapped around entire paragraphs, lists, tables, and so forth, even entire sections, so long as there is no interactive content within (e.g. buttons or other links)"; see https://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html.
  2. Click the Insert hyperlink button on the toolbar, or on the menu, select Format > Hyperlink > Insert.
  3. Select URL to create a regular hyperlink pointing to a web page, or select Email to create a mailto-link that will open the default email client when clicked.
  4. For a URL:
    • URL: enter a valid, well-formed URL to link to. It must start with the protocol, such as http:// or https://.
    • Target: use the drop-down or type in the target for the link.When the target is _blank the link will open in a new browser window or tab.
    For a mailto link:
    • Email: enter a valid email address that appears by default in the To: field of the email client.
    • Subject: type a default subject that appears in the Subject: field of the email client.
    • Message: type a message that appears by default in the Message field of the email client.
    Note that all these can be changed within the email client once the link is clicked.
To quickly change the text of a hyperlink, position the cursor on the link and click ~contents in the Breadcrumbs. Now you can start typing the new text.

Dynamically inserting or modifying a hyperlink

You may wish to adjust a hyperlink depending on a value in a record that is merged to the template when generating output, for example, to provide a different mailto link for different customers.

How to add or modify a hyperlink is described in a how-to; see How to dynamically insert a hyperlink. This implies writing a script. For information about scripts, see Writing your own scripts.

Adding a personalized link

Personalized URLs (pURLs) are links that are tailor-made for a specific purpose, generally for individual clients. Typically, a pURL in a Connect template takes the user to a personalized landing page, for example, to download an invoice or get access to specific products or services. For more information, see Personalized URL.