Links Overview 2 (external Links)
External Links Types-
External Scrivener Links are links to files that exist outside your current Project.
You can use these links to link between projects. If use the link for a document from another project, then clicking on the link will open both the other project and then the specific file or folder in this other project. This is designed to work locally only on your computer.
You can also use external links to refer to resources on the web, or various files such as PDF’s, email information, or images to access inside Scrivener or via use of a web browser or external viewer. These can even function as shortcuts to large files which allow to have access to the information, but keep the size of the project smaller.
This capability is accomplished via the use of a special type of URL (similar Web address, but designed to work locally on your machine. These links will instruct Scrivener to launch, open the target project, and then display the requested resource in the editor or as a Quick Reference Panel, depending on the options you choose in the Options panel. If the project is already open, then clicking the link will open the requested file with the same speed as though it was an internal link.
External Link Facts:
1. External Links will not show a Bookmark’s information in the Inspector. Instead, you will see below the Bookmark the Phrase External Link with an underline.
2. Clicking on a Bookmark once displays the Internal Bookmark information in the Inspector Pane below the Bookmark.
3. Clicking an External Link twice will open the Bookmark in the form you set in the Options Panel. The default is as a Quick Reference Panel (QRP).
4. External Scrivener Project Bookmarks hyperlinks placed inside text using the copy Document link method CANNOT be edited.
5. External Links cannot be added thru the Right-click menu.
6. Changing the name or location of an External Link will break the link.
These External Links can be created two ways:
1. As Bookmarks
These links can be created via dragging the other Project’s document into the Inspector Bookmark Panel, or the Bookmark Panel itself. This will then appear as an External [Scrivener Project] Link (see below).
** A more tedious method involves using the Menu command Edit > Copy Special > Copy Document as External Link after you click on a Document in another project’s Binder. Now, you can paste this into another project’s Bookmark List by right clicking on the Bookmark list and choosing Add External Bookmark. This link could be repeatedily pasted into multiple locations in one project or multiple other projects. You will see the interface below and you will paste in the External link and add a title for this file.
#1 Right click in the Bookmark window.
#2 Paste (Ctrl + V) the copied External Bookmark link into the URL window.
#3 Give it the title of the file (or rename it if you want).
2. As Hyperlinks in text:
There are two ways to add an External Scrivener Project Hyperlink directly into a document’s text.
Method 1
A. Select a document in an external project.
B. Use the Menu command Edit > Copy Special > Copy Document as External Link
C. Now paste this link directly into text by Keyboard shortcut or Menu command.
This type of link will appear as a complex text "URL" (see an example below). This link CANNOT be edited.
Method 2
A. Select an external Bookmark from the Bookmark Panel or the Inspector’s Bookmarks (Document or Project Bookmarks)
B. Simply drag the external Bookmark into the text to create this text bookmark. (It will appear identical to the one created by the first method.)
C. IF you drag this external bookmark onto a highlighted word, then this link is placed inside the word and still displays as the complex text "URL".
[Example of a full External Bookmark Link.]
x-scrivener-item://C:/Scrivener Export File/Scapple Learning 2024.scriv?id=8603D3C5-9891-4F95-A3C1-E8767CF8FBC0
If you want this type of hyperlink to appear identical to Internal Bookmark hyperlinks as underlined text, do the following:
1. Choose any external project’s Document and use the Menu command Edit > Copy Special > Copy Document as External Link.
2. Now in the destination document highlight a word(s) and use the Menu command Edit > Add Link and click ok. (You may also use the Keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + L) The word(s) becomes a hyperlink to this external project document. (see below) which will mimic the appearance of the Project’s internal hyperlinks.
This will bring up the Link panel.
A. You will see the full link above as if pasted into a blank space.
B. However, the highlighted word(s) will become a hyperlink to this external document when you hit ok. (This specific Link will remain in this panel till you choose another link.) Hovering the mouse over the word(s) will show the full External Bookmark Link "URL" address.
Creating External Bookmarks:
Method one (Edit > Add Link)
1. Highlight a word(s) inside the Editor.
2. Use the Menu command Edit > Add Link (or the Keyboard shortcut CTRL + Shift + L) to create a link to a web address or computer file. If you create a link to a file Scrivener cannot open, then Scrivener will use the file’s native program to open that file when clicked.
3. Type/Paste/Drop your link into the blank slot
#1 Is the Address location of the File, Email (files end in eml), or a Web Site. Choose the correct option for the link. On the computer, every file location path begins with a forward slash. For Web sites/pages there path is an URL address. (The best practice is to copy and paste the URL into this line to avoid typing errors in creating the Web Link.)
Or simply dragging a file or web page into the address bar (#1) will paste the link destination to the file into the Link Panel.
#2 Clicking the Browse button will open the Windows File Explorer to find the file location to link to. Moving the file on your computer will break this link. (This button only appears when choosing the (add) File option.)
#3 Web indicates a link from the internet and you must enter/type in the URL. (The best practice is to copy and paste the address into the open area (#1) to avoid typing errors.)
#4 If you work from multiple locations, then consider using a cloud account on your computer to store files you intend to import/use on Scrivener will be more useful when working from multiple locations. Using this method, then different machines will have access to the same files at identical locations. (The best practice is save these files on a cloud service and save a local copy of their files on your computer in case you do not have ready internet access when working from a portable device. Consider having one main folder to store computer files you to intend to link to various Scrivener Projects. Storing all these files in one location makes it easy to backup these materials and fix any broken links. Note if you work with multiple devices with Scrivener consider having this folder on a cloud service. However, you must create links to files on EACH device. The links for computer #1 will not be valid on computer#2 even if you are using the same cloud folder for both. Links are BOTH device and location specific.)) If the file is from a program that Scrivener cannot directly open, then it will open the link by using a program that can open the file.
#5 Email (see below)
When finished, the highlighted word(s) will be a hyperlink to the external file/web page, email, etc.
Remember, there are limits to what type of files can be dragged into the Draft Folder. For example, Media files or PDF files must be placed/dragged into the Research folder.
Scrivener Tip- Link Hubs:
A collection of links in one Scrivener document to multiple Project or external resources to use when you need it. Examples would be a Character or Location Hub link with lists of all major or minor (could make separate Link Hubs for major and minor characters) characters or locations so the information or links to that information exist in one single document.
An example of how I have used this is with an Editing Hub. This page will have multiple Editing resource links arranged by Topic. In this way, those resources are at my fingertips when I start editing. If I put this in Project Bookmarks, then this file is available from ANY document within the Project.
Method two- Type/Drag/Copy and Paste address into the Link Panel’s address bar.
1. Type, drag the address from your browser’s address bar, or copy and paste the address from the web file or your computer.
2. Hit OK to enter the URL in a document. Links with a web, a file or a mail prefix are all supported. If all you want is to add an external link into your text, dragging a URL from a browser's location bar works just as well.
It’s a pretty simple tool
Method three- Drag the file directly into Link Panel
You can drag computer files or web addresses directly into the link destination box (#1 below) and have these become functional External Bookmarks. Scrivener will automatically set the prefix based on the file/web address you drag into the window. However, these will only work if you choose the correct option. If you have clicked file (the Browse button will appear), you cannot drag in a web address and have it function or if you have clicked the web option, you cannot drag a file location and have it function correctly.
If you click the no prefix option, then you can drag in either a web address or a computer file and both will function. (See below)
Adding an outside Scrivener file as an External Link.
Use the Menu command Edit > Copy Special > Copy (a Scrivener) Document as External Link
You can then paste this link directly into text, but only the Scrivener URL will be visible (see below). When clicked, both the external project and the file itself will be opened.
x-scrivener-item://C:/Scrivener Export File/One_Horror_2023.scriv?id=D89CC397-77C6-4069-9A72-EE2AD6246E32
If you use the same method but then highlight a word(s) and use the Edit > Add Link function this external Project Link will appear identical to an Internal Project Link and the highlighted word becomes the link.
The Scrivener manual discusses advanced URL Options that can be used to modify the address above.
Method four (File > Import > Research Files as Shortcuts)
Using the Menu command File > Import > Research Files as Shortcuts.
Remember, some files such as PDF’s can only be imported into the Research Section. If you try to import these type of files into the Draft Folder, then you will find this option grayed out or unclickable.
This commands places the External Bookmark in a new file below the current one, which contains a viewable form of the imported file.
Using external files this way will have minimal impact on the size of your project. This method can be used to limit the size of your project even when adding extensive research material. The key is not moving or renaming files after linking them or the Link will be broken and useless. PDFs, Multimedia, and Web files can only be viewed inside the Research folder.
What breaks External Links:
1. Changing a file name- If you change the name of an image file or other content then the external link to this in your Scrivener project will be broken.
2. Moving a file’s location- If you move the file, then the link will be broken.
(The best practice is save these files in one unified location/folder on a cloud service which is configured to save a local copy on your computer as well. This allows use to continue using this material without internet access.)
External Links CANNOT be added thru the Right-Click Menu.
Copying to a New Project and preserving your Internal Project links:
If any files/folders being dragged into the new Project contain internal links, then those file’s internal links will be preserved in the new Project with one caveat.
**If the internal links refer to files/folders outside of the group being imported into the new Project, then they will be discarded.
If you have a set of links between internal files, these can be preserved in various ways:
1. Drag the documents with links AND the files you are linking from together into a new project and Scrivener’s internal UUID numbers will update when imported into the new project.
2. File> Save as Template… Here save a group of files (that you will link from) and documents you will link to in a project and strip out anything not needed. Now if you save this "Link (Project) Template" then every time you use this template for new projects those links are already functional in the Template and will function inside the new project created by this Template.
3. Repair Broken Links. If in moving documents, some links are broken, you can repair this by:
A. Using the Menu command Edit > Edit the Link… and reconnect documents by clicking on the link and choosing the edit link option. Now, choose Link to Existing Document and choose the correct document to repair the broken link.
Note: Renaming an Image will break the image link and necessitate a repair as well.
B. Repair the broken link by dragging the correct document inside the project onto the currently highlighted word(s) representing the old broken link and this will replace the broken link with a newly created correct link to the Document.
C. Copying Document Links
You can RIGHT Click on any folder or text file and you will see an option to copy the document link (to this file) and then paste this in another location to link back to the original document. (See below) Now select the broken link and choose paste to attach the newly copied link onto the old broken link.
Note: You can paste this copied Document link directly into an empty space in a text file, but you will get a Scrivener "URL" Link to that document file when you add a link this way. (You will get an unwieldy link which does not identify the Binder location of the file. [See below])
x-scrivener-item://C:/Users/Lee/Desktop/Scrivener Export File/Scrivener_Review_August_2021.scriv?id=A628CDEF-5A90-499C-92BF-C32E4302EEB3
You can Right click on "URL" Link and edit the Link name you see when you hover the mouse over the link. This will help identify which Scrivener Binder document the link is connecting to.
However, the better solution than these unwieldy links is to:
A. Use copy and paste to copy an existing link inside the Project and paste this copied Link into another document or different document location where the link would be appropriate.
B. You can drag a file/folder title onto a highlighted word(s) which will create a link to that file just as you would do for any other internal document. [Remember, all hyperlinks can be removed at the time of Compiling.] Any link created this way will show the Binder Path to the link in the current project and give the destination file’s or folders name when you hover the mouse over it.
Combining Links with Placeholders
You can use placeholder text to link to a document. If you do, then when you print/compile the document, the link will supply dynamic information based on the placeholder. You can demonstrate this using the Print Preview Function. This example was with a modified Date placeholder, but any type of placeholder will work.
For this to work, you must include the whole placeholder within the document link. The placeholder refers to the target document being linked and NOT the current document it is in. If the placeholder is plain text, then it will match the surrounding text formatting.
Compiling and Exporting Projects with Hyperlinks
Points to remember about this process:
Scrivener’s RTF engine may not be fully supported in other word processors, and you may need to adjust Compatibility settings in the Compile Format Designer for your chosen export format. See below for where to adjust and options you can choose.
Note the setting for Indented lists and Links.
External Web Bookmarks and Navigation of their Hyperlinks
How these behave is controlled in the Options Panel under Behaviors > Navigation
1. Checking automatically load web pages in the Bookmark preview area of the Inspector when you click on any bookmark linked to the Internet. If this is unchecked, then you must click Load Web Page to see the bookmark content.
2. Checking this option will allow Scrivener to attempt to navigate the web page from within the program if possible.
Creating Cross-references for Readers:
In a compiled output you may need certain hyperlinking to work inside the output to allow readers to reference other sections of the product while reading. You may need to add prefix and suffix settings for chapter and page number to a title or section. There is a setting to allow this in the Compile Format Designer.
Link Hubs
These are a Document containing lists of links in one place. This allows you to quickly reach resources such as any character card in your project from one file. If you keep this in Project Bookmarks this can be opened from any Document. You can also keep this hub file open as a Quick Reference Panel. If open it is simple to drag any document’s icon into the QRP hub. Either to add documents fitting a subject list like Characters, Locations, or Editing Issues. This method allows one file serve as a sorting destination to quickly find the needed information without leaving the current document. This is exceedingly helpful for people with mulitple monitor setups
This could be for novel information such as characters, locations, world building, or for links to editing, grammar, dialog modules, etc. I have created editing and grammar modules with groups of files I have found useful in this process. It becomes easy to drag these modules in when you reach that part of the process and the Link hub allows you to find the needed information without leaving the document the information is needed for.