Create a cross-reference to an external file or web site

You can insert links to web pages, remote locations, FTP sites, or files outside the repository.

About this task

You can use absolute or relative paths to cross-reference documents outside the repository; however, make sure that the path will work when the link is clicked from its published location. For example, if you are inserting a cross-reference to a file, the file must be in a location that can be accesses when someone clicks the link in your published output.

To create an external link:

Procedure

  1. Open the topic in your XML editor.
  2. In Author mode, right-click where you want to insert the link and click one of the following:
    • To insert a link to a web page, click Link > Web Link, and then type the URL or key.
    • To insert a link to a file, click Link > File Reference, and then type the path to the file's location or the key.
    Use the following syntax for the URL depending of the type of external document:
    Location Syntax
    Web site http://sitename
    Secure web site https://sitename
    FTP site ftp://sitename
    Secure FTP site ftps://sitename
    Local file file://driveletter/filename
  3. Click OK.