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Links to PDF files with relative paths from a Captivate 4 project

New Here ,
Apr 01, 2010 Apr 01, 2010

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I'm creating a presentation in Captivate 4 (I'm making an exe file) with some links to PDF files; the links are buttons with the 'open URL or file' set. The presentation will be distributed in CDs and obviously the links will not work for they point to an absolute path in my PC. Is there another way to display external files? thanks

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Community Expert ,
Apr 01, 2010 Apr 01, 2010

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Hello,

Please could you check the version number of Captivate? Perhaps you did not install the update (May 2009) yet? Try menu Help, Updates. One of the issues resolved was about paths.

Lilybiri

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New Here ,
Apr 02, 2010 Apr 02, 2010

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Hi Lilybiri

My Captivate is version 4.0.1 build 1642. I installed the Italian version of the product and no updates are available.

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Engaged ,
Apr 03, 2010 Apr 03, 2010

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Do not use relative paths in the "url or file" field. Simply type the name of your file you want to link to.

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New Here ,
Apr 08, 2010 Apr 08, 2010

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Maybe the problem is that the file I want to link to is always interpreted as an URL: the link opens a browser that cannot find my file (it tries to open http://my_file).

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New Here ,
Apr 20, 2010 Apr 20, 2010

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Can anyone list the steps to take when using a button to open a file? I have Word, Exel, and PowerPoint files I want to link to. Do I need to convert to html and put them in the project folder? Please help. Captivate 4 Help is no help with this.

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New Here ,
May 08, 2010 May 08, 2010

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I have encountered the same problem.  I created a project that had buttons linking to multiple external assets, in multiple file formats (pdf, swf, doc, and xls). When publishing the file to CD-ROM (using an exe output format with an Autorun), I could not get Captivate to recognize the "relative" paths to the asset files. Paring down the file path to the file name only, as some forums suggested, did not help--in such instances, Captivate couldn't recognize a file name without a path; assumed that I must want a URL; and added "http://" to the file name so when I clicked on buttons in the exported project I instead got a browser window with an error message.

After hours of trial and error, I figured out that adding "file:/" before the name of the file seems to tell Captivate to look in the root directory. I know this because when I tested the project within Captivate, I was able to confirm that button clicks were now pointing to files in the root of my C: drive, so the project worked when I copied files there. However, this success didn't translate to a published exe file that now should be looking within the root of D: (or whatever letter your CD/DVD drive is).

Adobe, if anyone is listening, my own suggestion is that there be independent choices for "Open URL" OR "Open File" under the "If the user clicks on the button" pull-down menu, rather than "Open URL or file," as Captivate seems to incorrectly assume URL as the default.  Secondly, the program should be able to intuitively recognize the relative paths to external assets accessed as a result of button clicks.

In the meantime, if anyone else has a better workaround than I was able to come up with, I'd love to hear it.  Thanks.

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New Here ,
May 08, 2010 May 08, 2010

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Correction to my last messsage:  it should have been "file:\" with a back slash rather than a forward slash.

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New Here ,
Jul 22, 2010 Jul 22, 2010

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In CP5 trying to link to multiple PDF files (articles) have not been able to get CP5 to locate these PDF resources in the project folder so

will try the file:\  convention and see if that resolves the issue

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Participant ,
Sep 27, 2010 Sep 27, 2010

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I've done my Portfolio in Captivate, output .exe and burn into CDrom (with a lot of link pdf and avi need to be opened).

Before Adobe Captive 4,
We use a very complicated method to let our "Open File(pdf,doc...)" work when we output to .exe and burn into CDrom.
We used "MENU BUILDER" to do a swf which embedded a relative path of the file, and add the swf into Captivate.
(If u are a new user begin from Captivate 4, just ignored the History, just toooo complicated. BUT IT WORKS FINE.)

Now the MENU BUILDER missing from Captivate 4,
after searching the forum,

I've tried to put the file name only (no path at all, example: "leaflet_03.pdf) under "Open Url or file" and get the results:

1. It could not open when i test to preview in IE in my computer.
2. It works fine when I upload the swf ouput and pdf files (put all in same folder) to website.
3. It won't work when I Output to .exe (put all file in same folder), burn into CDrom also failed to open! The pdf file is opened in Internet explore with "http://leaflet_03.pdf/" in address bar.

I've tried to put "file:\" infront of the link (example: "file:\leaflet_03.pdf"),it won't work too!

Please tell me how to solve this problem!
Thanks~!

Lulu
Malaysia

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New Here ,
Jan 12, 2011 Jan 12, 2011

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I am having the same trouble!  It only works when i have the absolute path.

I am new to all of this so please forgive my basic questions. In one of teh posts it said to use "file:\name of file" are the quotes around the path needed?

Thanks!

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Community Expert ,
Jan 12, 2011 Jan 12, 2011

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No, do not put those quotes,

Lilybiri

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New Here ,
Jan 12, 2011 Jan 12, 2011

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Ok.

I have a word document named "test.docx"

The document is saved in this directory "c:\TEMP"

The project is saved in the same directory and it is named menu.cptl

here is the path i have set up in my project for a button: "file:\TEMP\test.docx" (no quotes as you specified)

when i run it and click on the button nothing is happening.

So what am i doing wrong?

Thanks for any help!

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New Here ,
Jan 12, 2011 Jan 12, 2011

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i figured it out. i had a slide in there that was a copy of teh 1st slide with the old path in it. somehow it was trying that one

first. thanks for the help on this!

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New Here ,
Jan 14, 2011 Jan 14, 2011

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The paths are working on if i have it local. i burned the project to a CD and any links go directly to my

home page. i copied all of the files from the CD to the hard drive of another computer and it works just fine. Any suggestions?

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Community Expert ,
Jan 14, 2011 Jan 14, 2011

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It sounds like your issue is due to absolute link URLs.

Have you tried using relative links instead of absolute links?

E.g. "c:\TEMP\myfile.pdf" is an absolute link, whereas if you placed the PDF file in the same directory as the HTM file and just used "myfile.pdf" that would be a relative link.  If you placed the PDF inside a directory called "pdf" which was in the same directory as your HTM your relative link would then be "pdf\myfile.pdf".

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New Here ,
Jan 17, 2011 Jan 17, 2011

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Rod,

I am using relative paths. i am now practicing using a flash drive.

all the paths are "file:\file folder\filename"

there is no drive name associated. It worked when i had the folder on the C: drive but when i put it on teh flash drive it doesnt work...

screen1.jpg

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Community Expert ,
Jan 17, 2011 Jan 17, 2011

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"file:\file folder\filename" is not a relative path.  It's still an absolute path because you're specifying the path all the way from the root drive, whether you used a drive letter or not.

A relative path shows where to find the other file in relation to the file that is calling it.

Relative paths look like this:

  • myDoc.doc (if the file is in the same directory as the file calling it)
  • folderName/myDoc.doc (if the file is inside a folder in the same directory as the file calling it)
  • ../myDoc.doc (if the file is located in the parent directory above the file that is calling it)
  • ../../myDoc.doc (if the file is located two levels above the file that is calling it)
  • etc

Here's a tutorial that explains it better: http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?cid=230ad

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Participant ,
Jan 18, 2011 Jan 18, 2011

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I've tried to set every kind of link, but the problem still cannot solve:

1. when output to EXE, cannot open a file, when we click the button, no software (ie or acrobat reader) running.

2. when we output to SWF, with HTML, we can open the file under ie.  But if we lauch the SWF directly (not using html or ie), the button have same problem just like output to EXE, nothing happen when we click the open file button.

So I think the problem is related to IE or any other web browser,

the web browser cannot generate to run acrobate reader or microsoft word to open those file!

So any other suggestion?

I've uploaded the testing CP file and output exe/swf file into this link:

http://designcall.me/goh/Captivate_5_Testing.zip

I think we should solve this problem,

otherwise we cannot take a risk to get a job from clients...

Thanks again for your help!

Lulu

Malaysia

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Guest
Jan 17, 2011 Jan 17, 2011

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Hi There,

If your issue is still not resolved, I would advise you report this issue and send us.

-Manish

blogs.adobe.com/captivate

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New Here ,
Jan 17, 2011 Jan 17, 2011

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it works when i export to an SWF and run the htm file. but its the export to executable that isnt working now...

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 06, 2011 Feb 06, 2011

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Hi LuLu,

did you ever solve this problem. I have the same problem, although I'm using Captivate 5.

I can link to an external file on the CD with a relative path ../../../filename.htm when I export to a Mac executable file, but not a .exe file.

(It took some trial and error to work out with the Mac the path had to go up three times, but no amount of guess work with relative paths seems to work for the .exe

Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

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New Here ,
Feb 07, 2011 Feb 07, 2011

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I hate to tell you this, but I went through this same situation over a year ago when we purchased CP4.  Unless you have Menu Builder, or Adobe develops something similar to resolve this issue, you will not be able to open pdf or other files when a project is burned to a CD, regardless of the path.  If someone can prove me wrong, that would be great, but it was a very frustating process for me as well, and after spending endless hours trying all types of paths, it was obvious that it was not happening.  I reported this to Adobe when I discovered it, and the adjustment was not made in CP5.  Apparently Menu Builder was included in the earlier versions of Captivate when it was still a Macromedia product and when Adobe acquired it, they thought that Aggregator would replicate Menu Builder's capabilities.  Unfortunately, they were not aware of how critical it is for those of us who are still required to burn projects to CDs for our clients to open other files.  That "Open URL or file" option is a joke when it comes to EXE file publishing.  Hopefully if more people complain this issue will finally get resolved and a solution will be provided in CP6.

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New Here ,
Feb 07, 2011 Feb 07, 2011

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Too bad! I wonder why they dont build it in to Flash

Catalyst? Seems like the logical way to go...

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 07, 2011 Feb 07, 2011

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Thanks! That will at least save me some time!

It does work when I create the Mac version of a .exe, so I'm not sure why it won't with the .exe

I'll make mention of it to Adobe.

Cheers!

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