Adding Hyperlinks to the Graphics Pane

You can also add Hyperlink objects to the graphics pane. When you double-click on a hyperlink in the graphics pane, it can open another application (e.g., a website, a PowerPoint presentation, an email program, a Word document, a graphics image), or jump to a specific location in your model (which can be useful for navigation of complex models).

To insert a hyperlink, press the Hyperlink button on the Drawing Tools toolbar:

Alternatively, you can select Graphics|Insert|Hyperlink… from the main menu.

The following dialog will be displayed:

The Label appears below the Hyperlink object in the graphics pane. Note that unlike element IDs, the label can have spaces (but it cannot be completely empty).

The Type field contains the type of hyperlink you wish to make in the Address field. GoldSim provides the following options:

• Web or local document: Opens a website or a document (e.g., a Word or PowerPoint document);

• Email to…: Opens your default email program and inserts the specified email address in the “To” field. ;

• FTP: Opens an FTP site;

• Execute Command: Opens a specific program;

• Go to Element: Jumps to a specific element and selects it. This is useful for navigating a model.

• Open Container: Jumps to a specific Container. This is useful for navigating a model.

• Open Dashboard: Jumps to a specific Dashboard. This is useful for navigating a model.

In the latter three cases, after selecting the option, you must specify the element, Container or Dashboard that you wish to link to:

You can also enter a Tooltip. This is displayed when you place your cursor over the Hyperlink object in the graphics pane.

If the Editable check box is checked (the default), you will be able to move the Hyperlink object around the graphics pane (and resize it). If this checkbox is cleared, the object will be “pinned” to the location where you placed it. You can make the object editable by right-clicking on it in the graphics pane and checking the Editable menu item. Likewise, you can lock (make uneditable) an editable hyperlink by right-clicking on it in the graphics pane and clearing the Editable menu item.

After entering the Hyperlink’s properties in the dialog and pressing OK, you will be presented with a "placement cursor". When you click with the cursor, the Hyperlink object is inserted at that location. The Hyperlink object looks like this:

You can access the dialog for editing the Hyperlink’s properties by selecting Properties… from the context menu for the object.

When you double-click on a Hyperlink object, GoldSim will immediately open the application associated with the link (e.g., Internet Explorer, Word).

You can move a Hyperlink object by selecting it and dragging it around the graphics pane. You can resize a hyperlink by selecting the object and dragging one of the "handles" (there are eight handles - one on each corner and one on each side). Note, however, that these operations are only available if you have checked the Hyperlink as being Editable.