So Cindy,
Am I correct to understand that this new version of Word makes all links
absolute and there is no way to change it? These hyperlinks are to other
pages in my manual-all Word docs saved as HTML. Since I have many folders for
the particular subjects in the manual, using the Hyperlink Base is useless,
unless I don't understand how to use it properly.
"Cindy M -WordMVP-" wrote:
Hi Lostinspace,
The terms relative and absolute when attached to the
term "link" are established terms.
The procedures for implementing these types of links should NOT be dependent
on how a specific software decides to apply them. (Contrary to what MS
believes.)
Their use is not even Windows specific, rather the relative and absolute
terms are applicable across multiple OS.
Any idea why Word, Office or MS have a compulsion to create their own
methods?
I can't speak for any Office application except Word, here... Whenever
something seems odd, and contrary to "standard practice", it always helps to
take a step back and remember that WinWord's core behavior was designed over
fifteen years ago. Back then, in the early days of Windows-on-top-of-DOS,
Windows was mostly standalone, or only very loosely coupled to a network.
Things were so compartmentalized that even the idea of *linking* something in
from another application was revolutionary. (Am I dating myself, here g?) The
tools to actually do it didn't really exist, and were developed gradually, from
the MS side starting with DDE, which was eventually replaced by OLE. In
addition, Word picked up the ability to display information from files it could
open using converters (documents, text, simple spreadsheets, graphics).
For these last, relative paths are supported (but only in relation to Word's
current "active" folder, not the document), but until recently, you ALWAYS had
to edit the field code to create them. Since Word 2000 (or maybe 97?), Word
will create a relative path for you, under certain circumstances.
For OLE (LINK fields), an absolute path is always required. I don't know the
reason why, but I suspect it might have something to do with performance hits
if Word needs to start looking for the file.
As to Hyperlinks and this particular absolute vs. relative option, I've
discussed this a couple of times with MS folks, but have never heard a clear
answer as to why this rather confusing behavior exists. What I think I know:
- Word should create a relative path if the files are in the same folder
- But if you then use Save As on the document, and the file it references is
not in the new location, Word will switch to an absolute path (if this option
is activated)
- This can also happen if you move the document (but not the referenced file),
then open the document
- Getting it to switch back automatically is "iffy"
- Originally, this behavior was designed only for saving as HTML, but in Word
2002 someone decided it really should apply to ALL links in a document. So it
was changed without documenting it, and without putting the option in a more
obvious place.
- The "hyperlink base" (File/Properties) is supposed to help with sorting out
relative/absolute situations, allowing you to specify a particular path for
links, no matter where the document resides.
===
The moving force behind the design decision is almost always "lots of people
(may = big corporation customers) want it that way".
And lastly, one always has to keep in mind that the people who make these
decisions rarely work with Word at a "professional" level. They rely on
feedback from various sources for their decisions, and sometimes they don't
listen to the right people (or a wide enough range of people) :-)
Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org
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