Hi,
I am working with MS Word documents (Word 2007 in Windows XP environment) with links to files and to web pages. I convert them into pdf files and publish them onto our corporate intranet.
When converting to PDF (Acrobat Standard 8.1.3) the links to the web pages are translated into pdf links with associated action "Open a web link": they are fully working when published on Intranet;
the links to files or folders are instead converted into links with associated action "Open a file": they are not correctly opened when published as the Intranet server/engine add a "base URL prefix" to the file name (when the pdf file is opened "normally" from disk, and not within Exporer, the links are ok).
So far I had find a manual workaround by manually editing the action: I add a "Open a web link" using as URL a "file://server/share/folder/filename.ext" parameter, I then remove the "Open a file" action and things work ok.
This process is ok for a "once in a lifetime" publishing, but for heavier maintenance is a real nightmare.
I would like to know if and how I can configure Word and/or Acrobat to force during the conversion from Word to PDF the production of links to files having the "Open a web link" action with "file://..." associated URL.
Thanks in advance
Luca
Just me nattering a bit this eve...
What is the specific syntax of the "file" links that are made in MS Word, as seen in the dialog for create/edit a Word Hyperlink?
In "file://server/.... is "server" the fully qualified name of the server on which the file(s) reside?
Not mapped drive letter or alias? From your post, I think not; but, asking to be sure.
Using the "file:" scheme -
Snippets from the applicable RFCs.
Form to use is file://host/path
"host" is the fully qualified domain name of the system within which the "path" is accessible.
If "host" is omitted the default (per standard) is the "localhost" (computer - server or client) from which the URI is being interpreted.
i.e., the "base URL prefix"
What I've experienced with MS Office Hyperlinks is that a "file:...." link is treated, by MS Office, as a UNC link. Not a URI/URL.
That's what's passed to the Adobe product and processed into the PDF.
So, result is not a URI using the "file:" scheme but rather, it is a UNC link.
Consequently, the PDF link being a "file" vice "web" link is consistent with what the Adobe product has been "told" by the MS Office product.
While in the MS Word file does use of a Hyperlink like -
file:\\\\path\targetfile.ext
function (in Word & PDF)?
Coming back to "file://server/share/..."
I'm just wondering if "server" isn't the crux of the issue.
Starting with the server's fully qualified name and working down?
Be well...
Be well...