Custom Link Text in Cross Reference

[Evetsm]

Hi,

Is it possible to insert a cross reference and change the actual link text to be other than the default?

Example:

Code: Select all

<MadCap:xref href="Some Topic File.htm">Default text that I want to change</MadCap:xref>

I've run into situations where the default text is not what I want to be displayed.

I found that if I simply change the text (in the Text Editor tab of the topic editor), then in the generated output the text reverts back to what it originally was.

Thanks.

[jasonsmith]

xrefs have a defined content, such as (see Figure X). If you want to link from custom text, I would suggest that you would be better off using a Hyperlink, <a href="Some Topic File.htm">Default text that I want to change</a>

[Evetsm]

Thanks, Jason. I'll give that a try.

[ChoccieMuffin]

That's not necessary, and having a hyperlink rather than a cross-ref is a step backwards.

When you insert a cross-ref, you can choose which class of cross-ref you use. I have several. My main one has "[topic title] on page x" in the Print medium and "[topic title]" in the on-screen medium. I keep the word "see" as part of the regular text in the topic.

You can create classes of cross-ref that say whatever it is you want it to say, but be careful to adjust all your mediums.

[Evetsm]

Thanks, Choccie. I just reviewed the built-in classes and could not find one that appears to do what I want.

I also went through the available commands in the New Cross-Reference Style Class but to no avail. Could you please give an example? I seem to be missing something basic.

To rephrase my question (and I probably was not clear), I would like to do the following:
1. Insert a cross-reference.
2. In the Text Editor, change the default link text to something other than the default.
3. Build the HTML and see the new text.

Example:
I have a cross reference that reads "Copying Files" and I want to change it to "Copying Files Introduction"

Here are the steps I go through:
1. Insert a cross reference.
At this point in the XML Editor, the cross-reference text is "Copying Files"
In the Text Editor, it looks like this:

Code: Select all

<MadCap:xref href="<some file>.htm#Copying_Files_">Copying Files</MadCap:xref>

2. Change the link text so it reads "Copying Files Introduction"
In the Text Editor, I change the cross-reference so it looks like this:

Code: Select all

<MadCap:xref href="<some file>.htm#Copying_Files_">Copying Files Introduction</MadCap:xref>

When I do the above and build the HTML, the cross-reference text reverts back to "Copying Files"

Thanks -- I hope that made more sense.

[NorthEast]

You'd have to use a hyperlink.
You can't edit the text in an individual cross-reference - the text is generated at build time according to your xref format.

[Evetsm]

Thank you, Dave (and also ChoccieMuffin and Jason)
I'm using hyperlinks and they work perfectly.