Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.
Hyperlinks
Description
You can place a Hyperlink element onto a diagram. This element is a type of text element, but one that can contain a pointer to a range of objects such as associated document files, web pages, Help, model features and even other Enterprise Architect model files. When you double-click on the element, Enterprise Architect executes the link.
To add a Hyperlink element, drag the Hyperlink icon from the Common page of the Toolbox onto the diagram.
(Alternatively, click on the Hyperlink icon in the UML Elements toolbar and then click on the diagram.)
Configure the Hyperlink:
When you add the Hyperlink to the diagram, the Hyperlink Details dialog displays. If you want to display the information in a more readable layout, you can resize the dialog.
You first select the type of object to link to; click on the drop-down arrow in the Type field and select a type. The Hyperlink Details dialog then displays the appropriate fields, prompts or dialog to enable you to specify the object to link to. For example, if you intend to hyperlink to:
| • | An attribute, the Set Attribute dialog displays to enable you to select that attribute |
| • | A file, the Action field displays to enable you to specify whether to Open the file in read only mode, or Edit the file; in either case the file is opened within Enterprise Architect if possible or, if not possible, with the Windows default viewer/editor for the file type For example, if you hyperlink to a .rtf file, you can view it in whichever viewer is appropriate; however, you cannot edit .rtf files in Enterprise Architect, so the file always opens in the Windows default .rtf editor |
| • | A diagram, the Select a Diagram dialog displays, which enables you to select the diagram from anywhere in the project; you can filter the selection to diagrams of certain types |
In most cases you define the location of the hyperlinked object in the Address field, either by overtyping the field or by clicking on the ( ... ) (Browse) button. You can use full paths or local (path substitution) paths.
If you select EA Command as the link type, the Address field is replaced by a drop-down list of Enterprise Architect commands. You can select LocalPath and click on the ( ... ) (Browse) button to display the Local Paths dialog, which you complete as required. Subsequently, when you click on the hyperlink the Local Paths dialog immediately displays and you can apply, switch, expand or update the current path.
In the Alias field, type the text to display in the hyperlink. If you do not provide an alias, either the text defaults to the link itself, or (for certain link targets such as a matrix profile) the dialog generates a simple text instruction.
If you prefer to display only the hyperlink text, without the icon, select the Hide Icon checkbox.
Notes
| • | If required, you can create a number of empty hyperlinks to complete later; if you then double-click on an empty hyperlink, the Hyperlink Details dialog displays and you can enter the details |
| • | Once you have created the hyperlink, you can also edit the hyperlink text by clicking once on the field and once on the text, then right-clicking and selecting the Edit Selected context menu option |
| • | You can add notes to the hyperlink, which display in the Hyperlink Details dialog when you right-click on the hyperlink and select the Properties context menu option; you can format these notes using the Notes toolbar |
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