Help with links to PDF files

[Guest]

I need to show a PPT show on a variety of machines. My show was done in
PPT2003. All files in same directory. Movie, sound files and slide links
all work. On one page I need to link to PDF files, also in same directory. I
have a jpg graphic of the directory listing the pdf files (to avoid the end
user's display of their hard drive contents with explorer launches) I
overlayed clear boxes over various areas on the jpg graphic (with no
overlaps) and linked them to the pdf files. Here's the rub:

On my PPT2003 machine: all links work
On PPT 2000 machine: all links work
On machine with 2003 Viewer only, all links EXCEPT the pdf links work.

I have packed this presentation with Secure Pack to make an .exe file. Does
anyone know if the PPT links, which are apparently VERY fragile, are getting
broken in Secure Pack? (I wrote to them also.)

I also tried pack to CD with same results.

This is very frustrating. Have I missed something simple? Help please!

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I need to show a PPT show on a variety of machines. My show was done in
PPT2003. All files in same directory. Movie, sound files and slide links
all work. On one page I need to link to PDF files, also in same directory. I
have a jpg graphic of the directory listing the pdf files (to avoid the end
user's display of their hard drive contents with explorer launches) I
overlayed clear boxes over various areas on the jpg graphic (with no
overlaps) and linked them to the pdf files. Here's the rub:

On my PPT2003 machine: all links work
On PPT 2000 machine: all links work
On machine with 2003 Viewer only, all links EXCEPT the pdf links work.

I have packed this presentation with Secure Pack to make an .exe file. Does
anyone know if the PPT links, which are apparently VERY fragile, are getting
broken in Secure Pack? (I wrote to them also.)

First: on the machine where the links do NOT work, check to see if Acrobat
Reader 7 is installed and if so, verify that it's been updated and isn't the
original 7.00 release, which wouldn't work with PDF links from PPT.

Next: on your PPT2003 machine, consider downloading the free FixLinks demo at
http://fixlinks.pptools.com

Use the demo's Link Report tool to generate a report of the links in your
presentation. Verify that the links to the PDFs do not have full paths ... that
is, the link points to just Whatever.PDF, not c:\folder\whatever.pdf

If the links include a full path, that'd account for the failure.

For a nearly automatic fix, there's the paid-for version of FixLinks. As the
author, I'd be the last to stand in your way should you choose to wave the
credit card. <g>

But one of the pages on http://fixlinks.pptools.com explains how you can edit
and repair links manually, no need to buy anything.

 

[Guest]

Steve:
Thanks for the fast reply. The short answer is: Absent our discovery of an
easier solution, we're happy to wave credit card if you can guarantee the
desired result... to get presentation to play on "reasonably" modern windows
computers with requisite "current" adobe reader and ms media player 10.

Here are some answers to your questions:

First: on the machine where the links do NOT work, check to see if Acrobat
Reader 7 is installed and if so, verify that it's been updated and isn't the
original 7.00 release, which wouldn't work with PDF links from PPT.

---------YES updated with same result. Don't think it points to Adobe,
because the links aren't even active on non PPT machines (no change of cursor
when hovering).

Next: on your PPT2003 machine, consider downloading the free FixLinks demo at http://fixlinks.pptools.com

-------ahead of you on that one... already did

Use the demo's Link Report tool to generate a report of the links in your
presentation. Verify that the links to the PDFs do not have full paths ... that
is, the link points to just Whatever.PDF, not c:\folder\whatever.pdf\

--------hold onto your hat for this one.... the links to movies (which work)
are full path links. I changed mp3 files to wav and embedded them. The
links to the pdf files are just to the filenames.pdf and they won't work on a
machine without PPT.

But one of the pages on http://fixlinks.pptools.com explains how you can edit

------ assembled the presentation based on this info and I'm still in the
soup.

Wondering if there's a MRU situation? Can it possibly matter if I click on
the ppt file first (and have the file association in windows open PPT) or use
the file-open proceedure after loading PPT?

One thing we want to try is putting the pdf file content onto a slide and
linking to that. The goal is to print it out, which can be done with the
Ctl-P combo then selecting one or more slides to print.

Thanks, again, for your help. As a Microsoft stockholder I am very
disappointed in this PPT link frailty problem. They could very easily have
fixed that, especially after all these years.

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Steve:
Thanks for the fast reply. The short answer is: Absent our discovery of an
easier solution, we're happy to wave credit card if you can guarantee the
desired result...

Money back guarantee ... can't do better than that. <g>
But let's see if we can work out a way of testing manually first, make sure that
it really will work.

Snippage and summarization liberally applied ...

Latest version of Reader in use
PDF links don't even appear to viewer to BE links ... you don't get the pointing
hand cursor.

Because the viewer doesn't support some kinds of links, I created a few quickie
PDF links here, opened the file in Viewer 2003 and verified that they did indeed
work as expected. Not exactly as desired ... I get the "HONK HONK BEWARE, THIS
COULD BE A VIRUS! DIVE!DIVE!DIVE!" nonsense each time I click a link but the
things do work.

--------hold onto your hat for this one.... the links to movies (which work)
are full path links.

As long as the links point to the right place, it won't matter whether they're
pathless or fully pathed; it's when the path changes that it gets to be a
problem. For example, if it points to D:\mymovie on your CD, but my CD is E: ...
urp.

I changed mp3 files to wav and embedded them. The
links to the pdf files are just to the filenames.pdf and they won't work on a
machine without PPT.

The PDF links here are also pathless and work in the Viewer, but since all my
computers have ... wait, there's one that DOESN'T have PPT. Hang on, I'll
install the viewer on it. OK, did that, moved the PPT and linked PDF to a
network drive, doubleclickd the PPT and I still get the pointing hand cursor when
hovering over the link. Some odd side effects when clicked, due to it being an
old version of Reader, but let's ignore that for now. Not relevant.

Wondering if there's a MRU situation? Can it possibly matter if I click on
the ppt file first (and have the file association in windows open PPT) or use
the file-open proceedure after loading PPT?

I don't think so. In my experience, the MRU only bites when you choose File,
then pick one of the files from the numbered list on the file menu.

So what's different here?

I'm not running from a CD and haven't used Package for CD to make any link
changes.

Or wasn't. But just tested with a Packaged for CD version and that worked ok
too.

Ah. But the docs included in a Package for CD set mention "The PowerPoint Viewer
does not support ... opening linked or embedded objects"

Ah, for instructions written with the target audience in mind rather than geeks.

By this I think they mean "objects" like what you get when you Insert, Object or
when you copy/paste from some other apps. How are you creating your links to
PDF?

I'm selecting a shape and adding a Link To action setting or inserting a
hyperlink to the file. This creates a link but not of the type alluded to in the
MSian quoted above. One that works.

But if you insert an object, it's not going to fly in the viewer.

Have we achieved "AHA!" with that? ;-)

One thing we want to try is putting the pdf file content onto a slide and
linking to that. The goal is to print it out, which can be done with the
Ctl-P combo then selecting one or more slides to print.

If you can't beat it otherwise, this might be a reasonable workaround. And saves
all the "LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! WE"RE ALL GONNA DIE" chickenlittle foolishness when
clicking links.

Thanks, again, for your help. As a Microsoft stockholder I am very
disappointed in this PPT link frailty problem. They could very easily have
fixed that, especially after all these years.

Apparently there's some reason why it can't be as easily fixed as we both agree
it SHOULD be, else I do believe they'd have done it. Easy or not, it should have
been fixed long long ago.

 

[Guest]

OK Steve:

Can't argue with money back guarantee. Just want to reiterate: we need pdf
links to work on "reasonably modern" PC's with requisite adobe and media
viewers, whether or not they have PPT on the machine. Absent PPT, they will
use the included 2003 viewer. By linking to pdf, it permits easy printing of
one or more pages.

This morning we converted a pdf to jpg and insert-picture from file onto a
slide. This works on the non PPT machine and comes up in the windows photo
and fax viewer, which is machine dependent on file association. But it
permits Ctl-P print.

The above setup does not work on PPT machines.... the slide plays fine, but
no ability to print it. In this case, Ctl-P changes cursor to pen.

I think if you are in agreement, we'll buy the program and try it. We
prefer to just link to pdf files.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

OK Steve:

Can't argue with money back guarantee. Just want to reiterate: we need pdf
links to work on "reasonably modern" PC's with requisite adobe and media
viewers, whether or not they have PPT on the machine. Absent PPT, they will
use the included 2003 viewer. By linking to pdf, it permits easy printing of
one or more pages.

I think if you are in agreement, we'll buy the program and try it. We
prefer to just link to pdf files.

First, let's see if we can sort out why the links don't work.

Again, we can easily do manually, or with the help of a little macro code (to one or
two links) what FixLinks will automate.

If the manual approach doesn't fix it, the problem lies other than in the links; if
the links ain't broke, we can't fix 'em <g>

And again, how did you create the links to the PDFs? It's important.

 

[Guest]

Steve:

If the manual approach doesn't fix it, the problem lies other than in the links; if
the links ain't broke, we can't fix 'em <g> ------ understood and agreed.

And again, how did you create the links to the PDFs? It's important.

-------------We inserted a clear box, which overlayed a jpg graphic, ordered
the box to the front, then right click.. hyperlink.... browse for files...
entered *.* to show all files then clicked on the pdf file. It occurs to me,
maybe PPT doesn't like that as it does not offer pdf in the list of numerous
possible file types to select!

After the above process, if you right click-action settings it shows the pdf
file in the "hyperlink to" area.

as an aside, the Nuclear Alert Claxon like virus messages to which you so
eloquently previously alluded, are a no-go...

you mentioned, and I hesitate to use the words, "macro code". What did you
have in mind?

Again: goal is to link to pdf files from presentation and have adobe reader
startup with pdf file loaded on machines with PPT and machines with 2003
viewer only.

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

-------------We inserted a clear box, which overlayed a jpg graphic,

!GNIHCAHC

That'd be a nice, loud Anti-CHACHING!

There's the problem. PowerPoint understands links in shapes that are unfilled,
but the Viewer doesn't get it. Try filling the shape with any color, then
setting transparency to 99%.

ordered
the box to the front, then right click.. hyperlink.... browse for files...
entered *.* to show all files then clicked on the pdf file. It occurs to me,
maybe PPT doesn't like that as it does not offer pdf in the list of numerous
possible file types to select!

I'm betting that brings the Fickle Finger of Linkage back into view.
And the klaxons with it, but what can you do?

After the above process, if you right click-action settings it shows the pdf
file in the "hyperlink to" area.

as an aside, the Nuclear Alert Claxon like virus messages to which you so
eloquently previously alluded, are a no-go...

you mentioned, and I hesitate to use the words, "macro code". What did you
have in mind?

Again: goal is to link to pdf files from presentation and have adobe reader
startup with pdf file loaded on machines with PPT and machines with 2003
viewer only.

Jeff

:

 

[Guest]

Steve:

Thanks once again for sticking with this.

There's the problem. PowerPoint understands links in shapes that are unfilled,
but the Viewer doesn't get it. Try filling the shape with any color, then
setting transparency to 99%.

------ My experience is that doesn't work.... we even tried putting in an
action button right click hyperlinked to the pdf file.... works (for us
anyway) if you have PPT, not with viewer only

Tonight we implemented plan Q (at least)... which is.... since the pdf's are
there so they can be printed out as handouts, we have (so cleverly after
weeks of angst) put two links on the page: "click here if you have PPT" and
"click here if you only have the viewer". The PPT links to the pdf files,
the Viewer links to the jpg files. Yeah, it's nasty, but there's a limit as
to how much of our lives we are willing to spend beating ourselves in the
head because it feels so good when we stop.

And guess what: TADAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Not only did it work on both machines,
but the pdf links began working on the machine with the 2003 viewer only.
What's different? (I can hear you screaming) We got rid of the graphic links
all together and went with text links. Since I am a dinosaur from the era
where we said: if it feels good do it, I can modify that here to : if it
works, use it..... and it did and we are.

I hope that maybe this can be a work around that others in our situation can
use to force an apparently well intentioned, but poorly linking PPT program
to do what we all paid for it to do.

Experience: What you get when you don't get what you thought you were going
to get in the first place.

Thank you again for your help, suggestions and inspiration.

Jeff

ordered
the box to the front, then right click.. hyperlink.... browse for files...
entered *.* to show all files then clicked on the pdf file. It occurs to me,
maybe PPT doesn't like that as it does not offer pdf in the list of numerous
possible file types to select!

I'm betting that brings the Fickle Finger of Linkage back into view.
And the klaxons with it, but what can you do?

After the above process, if you right click-action settings it shows the pdf
file in the "hyperlink to" area.

as an aside, the Nuclear Alert Claxon like virus messages to which you so
eloquently previously alluded, are a no-go...

you mentioned, and I hesitate to use the words, "macro code". What did you
have in mind?

Again: goal is to link to pdf files from presentation and have adobe reader
startup with pdf file loaded on machines with PPT and machines with 2003
viewer only.

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

What a struggle, eh?

Glad you were able to work out a solution that ... uh ... worked out.