Hyperlinks in ePub files exported by InDesign

[MikeT999]

I'd like the table of contents of the ebook I'm working on to give the reader the option of clicking on a chapter, which would jump into the one he wants.

It looks like this works well for a book created in InDesign and then exported to PDF. (I'm ignoring SWF; I can't it use for this project).

But I can't get it to work correctly when the same book file is exported to ePub instead of PDF. Hyperlinks that point to a URL (

http://www.abc.com)

work just fine. But those that point to another location in the book -- either a page or to an anchored object -- don't work in ePub. In fact, they're not even hyperlinks; they look just plain text.

Does anyone know if InDesign's ePub files can contain workable hyperlinks that jump to other locations in the same files?

If so, how are they inserted?

Thanks.

-- Mike

 

[MarcusStringer]

Yes.
It with everything it all depends on what version of InDesign you are using.

CS5 then check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS6mZaksmIs&feature=fvw

If CS3-4 then create the epub normally.
unzip it.
open the folder containing the xhtml files and edit them in Dreamweaver, adding Hyperlinks to the relevant files.

Then pack up the folder back to an epub and check in Adobe Digital Editions

Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[MikeT999]

Thanks, Marcus. I'm using CS5.

The YouTube video was informative, but it doesn't answer my specific question.

I'd like to create an ePub book that includes "internal" hyperlinks that allow the reader to jump from one page of the book to another.

My tests show that such hyperlinks work in interactive PDF files exported from CS5.

But they don't work (actually they don't even seem to exist) in ePub files exported from CS5. "External" hyperlinks *do* work. (External hyperlinks = those pointing to URLs on the Web.)

Do you know if this is a limitation of CS5 and/or the ePub file format, or am I not creating the hyperlinks correctly?

Thanks again. --Mike

 

[apepp]

...there are known bugs in CS5 export to epub:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/3038927?tstart=0

http://forums.adobe.com/message/3053759?tstart=0

...also according to the white paper from Adobe for CS4 (I imagine CS5 is not much different) cross references are needed. That being said CS5 has bugs:

http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/epub/howto/

Are hyperlinks and cross-references preserved?
When you convert a document to an EPUB file, InDesign preserves all the hyperlinks that jump to URLs, files, email addresses, and text anchors, but hyperlinks that reference specific pages are discarded. Cross-references are converted into hyperlinks upon export to EPUB. However, some eBook readers don’t support every type of hyperlink destination, and a few don’t support hyperlinks at all.

andrew

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http://www.apepp.info

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[apepp]

...and here is more info on the CS5 bug issue with regards hyperlinks and cross references:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/676261?tstart=1

andrew

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http://www.apepp.info

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[apepp]

...so with that, keep an eye out for updates from adobe:

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/

andrew

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http://www.apepp.info

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[MikeT999]

Thanks, Andrew; useful info.

"When you convert a document to an EPUB file, InDesign preserves all the hyperlinks that jump to URLs, files, email addresses, and text anchors, but hyperlinks that reference specific pages are discarded."

This has been my experience so far. (My IDD file has hyperlinks that jump to specific pages.)

I haven't yet delved into cross references.

At this point, I may opt to omit hyperlinks in the final epub file. They'd be nice to have, but not essential.

Your post saved me a lot of futile work. -- Mike Truffer

 

[MarcusStringer]

That makes sense that it doesn't hyperlink page numbers as epub is a continuous display, insofar as it doesn't have page numbers or pages, because of the various ereaders and different screen sizes and because of it's ability to resize the type etc.

You have to hyperlink to certain words or images etc.

Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[MikeT999]

>>>>You have to hyperlink to certain words or images etc.

Understood.

The book is actually quite static as each page is a full-page image (from a PDF page!).

Perhaps I could put key words on a non-viewable layer on those pages I want to jump to, and then attach anchors/cross references to those words.

-- Mike

 

[MarcusStringer]

If you make you images Inline insofar as they are pasted into a text thread then you could hyperlink to the Paragraph that the image is pasted onto.

That would work

Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[MikeT999]

I agree.

That the epub format allows text and images to flow dynamically as the reader changes text size, etc., is generally a good thing.

But for various reasons, the pages of this book will be static.

-- Mike