Hyperlink Address Changed by Word - How reset the address link

[Michael]

All the hyperlink addresses in a document changed when the document was
opened. Why did this happen and how do I get the addresses back to the
original value?

I use a Word document to hold a list of hyperlinks to several other files on
in a subfolder. (All the links have addresses in context of the same folder
and subfolders; not across folders or drives.) I kept a copy of the document
in a separate directory as a back up. When I copied the backup into the
original working folder where the file was created, the hyperlinks all
changed to a root to the archive folder.

1. I create a link on a document that points to another file in a sub
directory and save the document to the root.
Master Link File is in c:\process\
A supporting document is in c:\process\artifact
Link in the master link file is c:\process\artifact\xyz.doc (good)

2. I make a copy of the process folder and its contents as a back up. I
rename the backup to
c:\process 20071029

3. Now I need to retrieve the back up of the master link file, so I copy the
master link file from c:\process 20071029 to c:\process

4. When the file is opened in c:\process, all the links are hard coded to
c:\process 20071029 (very bad)


Since the links were created while the master link file was in c:\process,
and the recovered file was opened in c:\process - how did the links get
changed from ..\process\artifacts\xyz.doc to ..\process
20071029\artifacts\xyz.doc?

There are many hundreds of links and since the hyperlink edit dialog takes
several minutes to open (frustrating) and several more minutes to navigate
down one folder (even more frustrating) for each correction, it will take
days maybe weeks to fix the addresses.

Under what circumstances does Word feel it is necessary to alter the
hyperlink address? How do I prevent it from happening?

 

[FredFred]

I don't know the direct answer to your question. But as a veteran of
avoiding and undoing damage by such Microsoft "false intelligence" such as
this in their designs, a couple notes:

1. Did you open the backup copy when it was in the backup folder? I was
going to say to avoid doing that. It would be hard to imagine that they
found a way to have MS false intelligence mess up a document where the file
was never even opened.

2. Could you fix your Word document fast by using global "find and replace"
for the piece of the path that has changed?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Michael,

Word changed hyperlinks that were already absolute links, not relative
links?

There is discussion of how Word handles links here--see the FilePaths
and Update Links on Save section.
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/includetextfieldscontent.htm#FilePaths
It focuses on how Word will change relative links, though--but maybe you
can experiment with the info there to trick Word into undoing the damage.

Perhaps the Help topic "Guidelines for managing Web files and
hyperlinks" will offer more?

I do think that if you Show Field Codes, you should be able to do a Find
and Replace on the hyperlinks as FredFred suggests. Even if you can't,
showing Field Codes will let you directly edit the link path by typing
instead of dealing with the dialog, which should be quicker and allow an
easy copy and paste.

 

[Michael]

Thanks FredFred, it never occurred to me (after using Word long enough to be
called an old fart) that hyperlinks were field codes. I use field codes
extensively, but I simply did not think of it.

Using field codes, I can see that the in an older older version, the
hyperlinks were relative. In the most recent backup version they were
hardcoded to the backup directory. I think you are right that somewhere along
the line the file was opened while in the backup directory.

A simple find and replace fixed of the problem.

 

[Michael]

Thanks Diaya

Hi Michael,

Word changed hyperlinks that were already absolute links, not relative
links?

There is discussion of how Word handles links here--see the FilePaths
and Update Links on Save section.
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/includetextfieldscontent.htm#FilePaths
It focuses on how Word will change relative links, though--but maybe you
can experiment with the info there to trick Word into undoing the damage.

Perhaps the Help topic "Guidelines for managing Web files and
hyperlinks" will offer more?

I do think that if you Show Field Codes, you should be able to do a Find
and Replace on the hyperlinks as FredFred suggests. Even if you can't,
showing Field Codes will let you directly edit the link path by typing
instead of dealing with the dialog, which should be quicker and allow an
easy copy and paste.