Creating, Modifying, and Troubleshooting Links

Links provide a simple but powerful way to quickly and easily open a Web site or Notes object such as a database, view, or document. A link can either be a text link or a graphical link; Domino automatically converts the links to hytertext links that work on the Web.

There are several types of links you can create and several ways to specify how a link will work. The following is a list of the types of links you can create:

• Named Element— Named elements that can be linked include forms, framesets, folders, navigators, pages, and views.

• URL Link— Link to a hard-coded URL.

• Hotspot link— Domino objects that can be linked include anchors, documents, views, and databases.

Create a Named Element Link

To create a Named Element link, follow these steps:

1.	In the Domino Designer, select the design element (see list in the preceding section) to which you want to link.
2.	Choose Edit, Copy as Link, Named Element.
3.	Open the Form, Subform, or Page that will contain the link.
4.	Select the text or image that will be linked and choose Create, Hotspot, Link Hotspot.
5.	In the Hotspot Info tab, click the Named element from the Type drop-down. Then select the appropriate design element.
6.	Optionally, specify a target frame for the link.
7.	Optionally, select Show Border Around Hotspot if you want to display a border around the link. This is not supported on the Web.

Create a Hotspot Link

Hotspot links are powerful and easy to use. They enable you to link to a document, view, or database by using the unique ID of that object and, consequently, do not fail if the name of an object changes.

To create a link to a document, view, or database, follow these steps:

1.	Open the element (Anchor, Document, View, or Database) to which you want to link.
2.	Choose Edit, Copy as Link.
3.	Select the appropriate link type.
4.	Select the text or image to act as the link.
5.	Choose Create, Hotspot, Link Hotspot.
6.	Choose Link for the hotspot type on the Hotspot Info.
7.	Click the paste icon.
8.	Optionally, enter a target frame for the link and select Show Border Around Hotspot.

Create a URL Link

A URL link uses a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) as a link to a resource. Keep in mind that if the URL changes, the link fails. To create a URL link, follow these steps:

1.	Open the form, subform, or page that contains the text or graphic to use as the URL link.
2.	Select the text or graphic to link.
3.	Choose Create, Hotspot, Link Hotspot.
4.	Select URL as the link type on the Hotspot Info tab in the Hotspot Resource Link properties box.
5.	Enter the full URL (including protocol specifier) to link to. For example: http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com.
6.	Optionally, select Show Border Around Hotspot if you want to display a border around the link. (This is not supported on the Web.)

Modifying Links

To modify a link, follow these steps:

1.	Open the form, subform, or page that contains the link.
2.	Locate and double-click the link.
3.	Optionally, modify the link's attributes, including the link target.
4.	Save and test the hotspot.

Troubleshooting Links

The following is a list of common link problems and their resolution:

• Link appears/disappears when it should not— Check and verify the hide-when formula of the link.

• Link does not perform as expected— Check and verify link target.