OpenURL and launching a new browser window from clickable link

[Vaughan]

You could make the field into a button (in Layout mode, select the field object and format as a button) to run the script. The script would have to check whether the field was empty before opening the url...

code:

---

Allow User Abort [off]

If [Not IsEmpty(URLfield)]

Open URL [urlfield]

End If

---

I'd also validate the field to make sure it is a good URL -- no spaces, begins with http:// etc.

---

Err, there is a problem with this scheme: it will be difficult to edit the field contents! Maybe put a little button next to the field that says "open url" that runs the script.

[ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: Vaughan ]

[FreedomFighter]

Hmmm...hadn't looked at it like that. Yes, I'll try it.

[FreedomFighter]

Yup, it works, with a slight modification:

Allow User Abort [off]

If ["not IsEmpty(Web Address)"]

Open URL [No Dialog, "Web Address"]

End If

Of course, it doesn't quite spawn a new Explorer window for each web address, but I guess I'm 99% of the way toward what was intended.

IMHO, this is the sort of thing that should be incorporated into FM to start.

Many Thanks!!!!

[Vaughan]

Err, it is implemented in FMP! That's how come you can do it.

Don't forget FMP is a *development* tool -- a box of spanners and pliers and hammers and nails and stuff. It's got everything you could possibly need (almost) but the developer has to know how put it together.

Nothing is done automatically -- thank goodness: we'd end up a tool like MS Word where the longest part of the installation is turning off all the "features".

[FreedomFighter]

OK,

I've gotten the basic OpenURL command to work out of the manual, using CTRL-1.

OPENURL [no dialong, "Web Address"]

Is there a way of making a clickable hyperlink from an "http://sampleaddress.com" entry into a field?

One that automatically launches a new browser window, so you don't have to hit ctrl-1?

You just click on the link as it appears as data in the field?

Thanks.

[ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: FreedomFighter ]

[FreedomFighter]

I understand what you're saying, but I think it's too limited, since it forces you to write-out the entire hyperlink as "http://samplehyperlink.com" and go through the separate script, as well as have a browser window already launched. Hyperlinks are so common now you should be able to write:

The NY Times or http://www.NYTimes.com

...as you can in HTML, word processing, e-mail, and most other software. I don't really understand why you can't do that directly in FM and spawn a new Explorer document.

I imagine it would be VERY easy for them to implement, using a few tags, as bulletin board software does.

This is particularly crucial in a database, where real estate for text in a particular field is very limited.

Since I am making databases with links to client sites (rolodex), as well as sources of research material, this is a fundmental need. I am being forced to consider laying everything out in HTML tables just to have that capability.

Maybe this is implemented in FM developer or FM server (which I don't use), but seems like it should be standard.

[ January 24, 2002: Message edited by: FreedomFighter ]