Inserting Hyperlinks Into an Access Object
There are two ways to add a hyperlink to an Access database. The first is to create a field in a table and set its Data Type as Hyper-link. Then any text that you enter into that field becomes a hyperlink that you can click to open a specified Web page. For instance, in Figure 27.3 I'm setting up a Breeders Home Page field in my Dogs table, to hold the URLs for the home pages of the breeders from which I bought my dogs. Then, as you can see in Figure 27.4, I can enter URLs into that field that immediately become underlined hyperlinks.
Figure 27.3. By setting the Data Type to Hyperlink, I'm telling Access that any data entered in this field is a URL.
Figure 27.4. Any data entered into a field with a Hyperlink data type becomes a hyperlink.
Not for Web Use Only
You can hyperlink to a document on your hard disk or on your LAN instead of a Web address, if you like. For instance, if you have a supporting document for a record (such as a contract in Word for Windows), you can enter the path to the document in a hyperlink field (for instance, c:mydocumentscontract1. doc).
The other way to set up a hyperlink is to add it to a form or report. This way, it's not associated with any particular record, but rather with the entire form or table. To do this:
Click the Insert Hyperlink button on the toolbar. The
Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears (Figure 27.5).Figure 27.5. Specify the URL for the hyperlink in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
Enter the file or URL to hyperlink to in the Link to File or URL text box.
Click OK. Access inserts the hyperlink in the active section. You can drag it to move it to any position on the form you like, just as you can move any object on a form (see Lesson 14).
The previous method inserts a simple text hyperlink that lists the URL. If you want something fancier, you can create a picture and assign the hyperlink to it. Follow these steps to create a picture that serves as a hyperlink:
Insert a picture in the report or form, as you learned to do in Lesson 16.
Right-click on the picture and select Properties from the shortcut menu that appears.
In the Properties box, click the Format tab.
Type the URL in the Hyperlink Address text box (see Figure 27.6).
In this lesson, you learned how to connect your Access data with the World Wide Web. In the next lesson, you will learn how to keep your data safe from various perils, such as system crashes, viruses, and intruders.