Inserting Links

• Link to a page by typing or pasting its URL manually
• Link to a page a by browsing to it
• Link to a page already in your web folder
• Upload and link to a Word or PDF document
• Create an email link
• Change a link
• Remove a link

For how to insert "jumps" within documents, see Adding Rules, Jumps (Anchors), and Special Characters

Link to a page by typing or pasting its URL manually

1. Select the text on your page you wish to link, right-click and select Insert Link. . .
2. Click the Advanced button to reveal the Advanced input options.
3. Type or paste (Ctrl-v) the address of the page you wish to link to in the HREF box.
   
4. Click OK to insert the link.

Link to a page a by browsing to it

1. Select the text on your page you wish to link, then in the objects tool bar above click Link > Browse to Web Page. The "Insert Link" dialog will open.
2. Click the Browse button. A mini browser-window will open, allowing you to surf to a page on the Oviatt Library web site. You can surf at another site by typing another URL in the Address box and pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
   
3. When you find the right page, click OK. Contribute will copy the appropriate web address into the HREF box in the "Insert Link" dialog.
4. Click OK again to create the link on your page.

Link to one of your own pages already on the web server

1. Select the text on your page you wish to link and click Link > Browse to Web Page in the objects toolbar. The "Insert Link" dialog will open.
2. Click the Choose button. A file browser will open, revealing the contents of your personal web folder (see below). ( TIP: If you don't see your own web materials, you can browse to your folder quickly by clicking the "Up One level" icon next to the Look in box:)
   
3. Browse to the page you want to link to. When you find the right page, click Open to copy the web address into the HREF box in the "Insert Link" dialog. Click OK again to insert the link.

Upload and link to a Word, PDF, PowerPoint, or other type of document

1. Select the text on your page you wish to link, then in the objects toolbar above click Link > File on My Computer. The "Insert Link" dialog will open.
2. Click the Browse button to open the "Select File" browser. Browse to the Word, PDF, PowerPoint, or other document you wish to upload and click Select. Contribute will upload your document.
3. Click OK in the "Insert Link" dialog to upload and link to the file. (FYI: Contribute will create a documents folder in your personal web folder, where it will save your uploaded document once you've published the page.)

Accessibility TIP: Word and PDF documents, and especially PowerPoint presentations, tend to be very large, resulting in longer download times. While some browsers may be able to read these non-HTML files, users may need the additional software installed in order to access them. To reduce user frustration, it is polite to

• let the reader know what type of file you are linking to (e.g. MS Word, PDF, or Powerpoint in parentheses after the link)
• if possible, indicate the size of the file in MB (especially for PDF and PowerPoint)
• for PDF files, provide a link to the free downloadable Adobe Reader (formerly the Acrobat Reader). The download is at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
  

  The PDF resources on this site require the Free Adobe Reader

  
  You can insert code for the linked Adobe icon the same way you insert the validation and accessibility icons.

Insert an E-mail Link

1. Select the text on the page you wish to link, then in the object toolbar above click Link > E-mail Address. The "Insert Link" dialog will open.
2. Type the full e-mail address (e.g. elizabeth.altman@csun.edu) in the E-mail address box.
3. Click OK.

Edit a Link

To change a link, place your cursor on the linked text, right-click, and select Link Properties. You can then edit in one of four ways:

• Type a different URL in the Web Address window and click OK.
  OR . . .
• Browse to the page you'd like to link to. Click OK.
  OR. . .
• Choose a page from your folder. Click OK.
  OR. . .
• Link to a specific point (anchor) in the page: If you don't see the "Section anchor" window, click the Advanced button. Select an anchor point from the "Section anchor" window and click OK.

Remove a link

You can remove a link by right-clicking on it and selecting Remove Link.

Accessibility Tips

• Accessibility checkers such as WebXact may complain that your "links need to be separated by more than whitespace." Acceptable link separators include non-linked text and the beginning of a new list item. Try inserting a vertical bar ( | ), a slash, or other punctuation between adjacent links on the same line.
• Linked text should make sense out of context. Don't use the words "click here" by themselves as a link.
• Accessibility checkers may complain that you have the same linked text pointing to different links. If you cannot make the linked text more specific (e.g. Academic Search Elite on EbscoHOST rather than just EbscoHOST) contact Elizabeth for assistance.

Important terms:

Absolute address:

A link with an absolute address contains its complete URL, beginning with http://. You need to use an absolute address when linking to pages outside the library web site.

Relative address:

A link with a relative address refers to the linked page by its position in the web folder relative to the page containing the link. You can use relative-address links to point to other pages in your personal web folder.