linking pictures to files

[Guest]

I tried to create several presentations using many common pictures, therefore
I decided to link the pictures to the corresponding files instead of
embedding them. I realized soon that Powerpoint 2002 uses the full path when
creating the links, therefore everything should be in the same folder. Even
doing so, when copying the full presentation to another computer it fails to
work - usually only broken links can be "seen". The whole linking process is
UNRELIABLE. After much experience I have to suggest that NEVER USE the
linking to files method, if you want to avoid unpleasent surprises - except
when it is absolutely unavoidable (certain multimedia files). Again a typical
Microsoft solution: a program with many bells-and-whistles but basic
procedures fail to work.

 

[Geetesh Bajaj]

Well, you know it all now! <g>

My suggestion: start thinking folders rather than presentations. Every time
you create a presentation, begin by creating a folder that will contain the
presentation. Thereafter, just copy the folder - and don't forget to place
all linked files within that folder even before you insert them inside the
presentation.

Have a nice day!

 

[Guest]

I did exactly the same, in vain.

 

[Ute Simon]

I tried to create several presentations using many common pictures,
therefore

I decided to link the pictures to the corresponding files instead of
embedding them. I realized soon that Powerpoint 2002 uses the full path when
creating the links, therefore everything should be in the same folder. Even
doing so, when copying the full presentation to another computer it fails to
work - usually only broken links can be "seen".

Did you copy the pictures together with the presentation? If they are
linked, they are not "inside" the presentation, but have to travel along
with it and have to be saved to the same folder as the presentation.

Kind regards,
Ute

 

[Guest]

Now I checked everything again from the scratch:

1) Presentation has been created with linked picture files in the SAME
folder. Everything works.

2) The folder and the files together has been copied to a flash drive -
everything works fine when starting the presentation from the flash drive.

3) The flash drive is put into ANOTHER PC and the presentation is started -
DOES NOT WORK, the links ARE BROKEN!!!

4) ditto after copying the files into the other PC.

So I repeat what I wrote in my frist letter:

*Again a typical Microsoft solution: a program with many bells-and-whistles
but basic procedures fail to work.*

tgunda73

 

[Guest]

Added to my letter above:

I checked the ppt file with a binary editor. All links are included in the
file as full paths in spite of the fact that they were originally in the same
folder as the presentation file itself. So the above behaviour is fully
understandable.

Thus, unfortunately, this link feature of Powerpoint is unusable, when
making a presentation and want to give a lecture in another corner of the
world.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I tried to create several presentations using many common pictures, therefore
I decided to link the pictures to the corresponding files instead of
embedding them. I realized soon that Powerpoint 2002 uses the full path when
creating the links, therefore everything should be in the same folder. Even
doing so, when copying the full presentation to another computer it fails to
work - usually only broken links can be "seen". The whole linking process is
UNRELIABLE. After much experience I have to suggest that NEVER USE the
linking to files method, if you want to avoid unpleasent surprises - except
when it is absolutely unavoidable (certain multimedia files). Again a typical
Microsoft solution: a program with many bells-and-whistles but basic
procedures fail to work.

Startling when you first discover it, no?
It's worse when you know that this same silly feature's been broken since Office
'97.

This drove me to distraction and then worse, to VBA. One of the first things I
ever wrote was a little routine to fix links to images so they work on other
computers. Basically, if the link points to the file itself, no path, then
PowerPoint will look in the current directory (usually the directory where your
PPT's located) for the image files. It's not 100% reliable but in most cases it
works.

It's a free part of our FixLinks demo at http://fixlinks.pptools.com

The free FixLinks demo will give you a report of all your linked files, fix the
image file links so they don't break or optionally, embed the linked image
files. Enjoy!

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

My suggestion: start thinking folders rather than presentations. Every time

you create a presentation, begin by creating a folder that will contain the
presentation. Thereafter, just copy the folder - and don't forget to place
all linked files within that folder even before you insert them inside the
presentation.

Works with media files but not with linked images.