Joomla! Documentation™

The aim of this document is to show how links can be added to Articles. It is one of four documents with hands-on instructions about editing Articles in a series introducing Joomla! version 1.5.

Who is it written for?

• Everyone

Introduction

One of the key features of documents on the web that they can have links to other web sites, making any one web page part of a large network which extends beyond the text on the screen - thus the term hypertext. Links are also used to navigate within a Web site and even within the same page.

There are two main options:-

1. A link within the current site to another article or menu
2. A link to a page on another website, that is to say an external website

A link to a menu within the current web site

The menu and article details will vary from site to site and the detail depends on the editor used.

Using a simple editor You need to know the address of the menu or article that you want to link. The best way to do this is:-

Open the menu/artilce you want to link to.

Copy (Ctrl-c does this) the address in full from the top of the browser screen.

If you have sample data on a localhost web site, link something to the Menu 'More about Joomla!

Open an article for editing

Highlight the words to appear as an underlined link in the finished page

Click the "Insert/edit link" icon (a chain which became active when text is selected)

This opens a dialogue box

The Link dialogue box for the Tiny editor

Link URL:Paste the URL of the part of the website you want to link.

Target: choose 'Open link in a new window'

Press Update

When the article is saved - check that the link works.

Another editor Some editors allow for choosing menus and articles within the current web site, as the illustration shows.

The Link dialogue box for the JCE editor

The initial process is the same:-

Open an article for editing

Highlight the words to appear as an underlined link in the finished page

Click the "Insert/edit link" icon (a chain which became active when text is selected)

This opens a dialogue box. To choose the right menu:-

Click the + next to Menu

Click the + next to Main Menu

Find the menu that you want to link.

Click the + next to that menu

This shows all the options below that menu item.

Highlight the one you want to use

To open it in a new window (rather than in the same page):-

Click Target - there is a list of choices.

Choose Open in New Window

Finally - to insert the link -

Click on the Insert button

A link to an external Web site

You need to know the address of the page you want to link. The best way to do this is:-

Open the page you want to link to.

Copy (Ctrl-c does this) the address in full from the top of the browser screen

In your article:-

Enter the text to be linked if it is not there already. (This is what appears as an underlined link in the finished page.)

Highlight the text to be linked

Click the "Insert/edit link" icon (a chain which becomes active when text is selected - in the bottom row of icons)

This opens the dialogue box

Paste in the address of the destination page in the Link URL box (Ctrl-v)

To open in a new window (rather than in the same page) - this is often helpful for external sites:-

Click Target - there is a list of choices.

Choose Open in New Window

Finally - to insert the link -

Click on the Insert button

---

Lorna Scammell December 2010