Scientific Word/Workplace ⇒ Hypertext

[hphjalm]

I have been using version 5.5 of Scientific Workplace (SWP). I can't install a working version on a new computer. Now I'm switching to Lyx. I'm having various problems.

One problem is the ability to to do a hypertext display of a PDF file from a latex *.tex document. This document contains notes about various publications for which I have downloaded the PDF file. For example, it could be article1.pdf.

By clicking on the hyperref statement in the *.tex document and selecting "action," the PDF file would be displayed.

If I import such a file into Lyx, I obtain the hyperlink popups but there is not a display of the PDF file. There are no error messages. I can make it point to a file instead of a web site or email.

I am a physicist focused solely on the science instead of latex, bibtex and float details.

[MjK]

Scientific Workplace has had several proprietary extensions to TeX. I do not know, how the hyperlinks has been made with it. So I cannot say, whether this is the problem here. I'm also not a LyX user. So I cannot say, what are the issues when importing a TeX file made using SWP into LyX.

However, hyperlinks can be obtained with LaTeX very easily using package hyperref, which is also available with LyX. To use it, you have to activate the “Use Hyperref Support” in the “PDF Properties” of the “Document → Settings”. Here is a real small and very basic working example:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{hyperref}

\begin{document}
You can find this thread at \url{https://latex.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=34945}.
\end{document}

or as lyx file

Code: Select all

#LyX 2.3 created this file. For more info see http://www.lyx.org/
\lyxformat 544
\begin_document
\begin_header
\save_transient_properties true
\origin unavailable
\textclass article
\use_default_options true
\maintain_unincluded_children false
\language english
\language_package default
\inputencoding auto
\fontencoding global
\font_roman "default" "default"
\font_sans "default" "default"
\font_typewriter "default" "default"
\font_math "auto" "auto"
\font_default_family default
\use_non_tex_fonts false
\font_sc false
\font_osf false
\font_sf_scale 100 100
\font_tt_scale 100 100
\use_microtype false
\use_dash_ligatures true
\graphics default
\default_output_format default
\output_sync 0
\bibtex_command default
\index_command default
\paperfontsize default
\spacing single
\use_hyperref true
\pdf_bookmarks true
\pdf_bookmarksnumbered false
\pdf_bookmarksopen false
\pdf_bookmarksopenlevel 1
\pdf_breaklinks false
\pdf_pdfborder false
\pdf_colorlinks false
\pdf_backref false
\pdf_pdfusetitle true
\papersize default
\use_geometry false
\use_package amsmath 1
\use_package amssymb 1
\use_package cancel 1
\use_package esint 1
\use_package mathdots 1
\use_package mathtools 1
\use_package mhchem 1
\use_package stackrel 1
\use_package stmaryrd 1
\use_package undertilde 1
\cite_engine basic
\cite_engine_type default
\biblio_style plain
\use_bibtopic false
\use_indices false
\paperorientation portrait
\suppress_date false
\justification true
\use_refstyle 1
\use_minted 0
\index Index
\shortcut idx
\color #008000
\end_index
\secnumdepth 3
\tocdepth 3
\paragraph_separation indent
\paragraph_indentation default
\is_math_indent 0
\math_numbering_side default
\quotes_style english
\dynamic_quotes 0
\papercolumns 1
\papersides 1
\paperpagestyle default
\tracking_changes false
\output_changes false
\html_math_output 0
\html_css_as_file 0
\html_be_strict false
\end_header

\begin_body

\begin_layout Standard
You can find this thread at 
\begin_inset CommandInset href
LatexCommand href
target "https://latex.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=34945"
literal "false"

\end_inset


\end_layout

\end_body
\end_document

Note: In the LyX editor URLs do not work as hyperlinks. If you click to the link in the LyX editor, it shows hyperlink settings dialog. But after exporting the PDF, the link will work as usual.

Note: For links to local file you have to use either file:// or run:// instead of http://.

Note: If you import a LaTeX document to LyX, the hyperlink support is usually activated, but the hyperlinks are not managed by the hyperlink settings dialog, but shown as highlighted text. If you then click on it, the URL is shown.

[hphjalm]

I thank MJK for a very clear and helpful response to my post about hypertext in latex documents. Using that information, I'm thinking about the best way to proceed.

I modified the simple example from MJK to produce a PDF document with working hyperlinks. I learned much from that process.

My goal is to open the PDF files from the TEX document. I seek this capability because the TEX document is very large. I have more than 12K documents in my primary bibtex file. I only seek hyperlink capability for a fraction of them, but the PDF file is no longer a goal because it is very large. Also, the TEX file is one that I search and edit frequently during my workflow.

I noticed that I can use Notepad++ to open the PDF files in the example file that I created, a simple extension to include hyperref links to FILE objects.

My main missing step is something like a PATH variable that points to the actual location of the PDF files. In my big TEX file, the location within a PDF folder is stated, but Scientific Workplace somehow captured the absolute location information. That information simply shows up as "../../../../". For example, in "/href{../../../../scans_reference/articles_numbered_electronic/6819bergmann.pdf}". However, in some cases the full information is captured.

Now I'm wondering if my first entries had the absolute information and the later entries that were located in a different folder had relative locations captured in the "../" notation.

The edit that I'm considering now is to edit within Notepad++ to convert all the "../" notation to absolute locations. I think it is one edit task.

The problem with this approach is that all new entries will need the absolute location.

I'm also considering the use of the Windows PATH information. However, it isn't clear that this method would work. I use the PATH variable on Unix/Linux computers, but I've not used it on Windows computers.

Thanks again.