Draw: How can i use/trigger a hyperlink added to a rectangle?

[palm3r]

When i add a link in some text inside a rectangle, i can use/trigger that link in Draw: clicking on the hyperlink (blue) marked text part will open the linked web page in a web browser.

However, when i add a link not to text within the rectangle but at the level of the rectangle itself, i can’t use/trigger that link inside Draw because clicking (and double-clicking) on the rectangle keep their usual functions

… and that makes sense. After all, the rectangle still has to be editable like before. But i would have hoped/imagined to have some (any) possibility to use/trigger the link from within Draw, e.g. some entry “use/trigger hyperlink” in the right-button context menu for that rectangle? or some general mode switch for clicks on objects (normal edit mode vs link browsing mode)? or whatever other way.

I don’t see any. When i export the Draw document to SVG and open that in a web browser, the link defined at that rectangle works. But is there any way to use/trigger the hyperlink in Draw itself after adding it to the rectangle?

Edit: LibreOffice Versions 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 (on Linux)

[ROSt53]

I made a test in LibO 4.3.6 on XP.

In Draw I could not create a link being connected to a rectangular shape but in Impress. Thus I am of the impression that you found a bug.

May I propose to file a bug report here: https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/
Please note that for selecting the LibO version you need to scroll the Version list up

[palm3r]

Ahm i forgot to mention: my problem is with LibO 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 (and i’m using Linux).
As for the problem you describe (that you can’t add a link from a rectangular box in Draw on LibO 4.3.6/WinXP), i can’t say anything to that or reproduce it: that works fine here. So it would seem that feature has been added to Draw between 4.3.6 and 4.4.1 (?) and now works.
In any case, my problem is not with adding the link from the rectangle to a web page (works in 4.4.1 and 4.4.2) but with triggering it

[PYS]

Hi - As @ROSt53 said on windows 7 & 4.4.3 select a shape then Insert Hyperlink does not give an error message but it does not work either. Is it not precisely the object of your question?

It is an old Issue (inherited from OOo). I can suggest you several workarounds:

1. Image button

• View Toolbars Form Controls
• In this toolbar, click More Controls
• In the new toolbar use Image Button to draw your shape. Right clik the shape then Control to define background color, Border and Action: Open document/web page then give the url.
• In the Form Controls toolbar click Design Mode On/Off to enable the button

2. Instead of an Image button insert a conventional Push button (Form Controls toolbar) if it is desired to have the button depressing effect.

3. Same color for hyperlink

• Insert the hyperlink inside the shape with alternate text
• Enlarge its size so that it fills the rectangle, use the same color as the background so that it is no longer visible.

[ROSt53]

@PYS - Thanks for the information of the workaround.

Historical information is also interesting. Hope this can be fixed soon.

[palm3r]

Hi
No, the problem described by ROSt52 is not the object of my question - unless there’s some misunderstanding on words(?)
Insert Hyperlink does work in Draw in LibO 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 on Linux: I can insert a http link to the shape (my rectangle) and not only is there no error message but that part works fine:

• the link is indeed correctly added and stored, as can be seen when selecting the shape and clicking on the “hyperlink” button in the toolbar

[palm3r]

• the added links get correctly saved and restored when saving/loading the file
• the added links are correctly exported to svg or pdf and can be used in the corresponding browser/viewer just as expected (by clicking on the shape).

So i don’t have or see any problem with adding the link nor with triggering it in external progs after SVG or PDF export. What i don’t see though is how to trigger the added link from within Draw

[palm3r]

thank you for your workaround suggestions. Unfortunately the Form Controls based methods are quite cumbersome compared to the simple “insert hyperlink” and the 3rd isn’t really an option either since my goals is not to have a link on an empty shape but to use the rectangle shape with normal (content) text.
So in the end my compromise solution for now is to abandon the idea of having the link working for the whole shape surface and just use “add hyperlink” to a symbol at the beginning of the text