* Individual Narrative PDF Reports & URLs

[Glenn Webby]

Hi folks,

I was pleased to find that URLs I'd embedded in my source citations (for specifically Individual Narrative Reports) were converted to working links in the PDF version of the report. Big smile!

But then I observed that the majority of links didn't actually work without some finessing of the URL address. Smaller smile! What appears to be happening is that within the URL string:

tt is replaced by 􏰁 ... meaning http becomes h􏰁p
ti is replaced by 􏰁 ... meaning text such as information within the string becomes informa􏰁on

Also extra spaces are inserted. These effects when added together means the segmentation of the URL into unhelpful shards.

Looking at the RTF and HTML outputs of the Narrative Reports which appear to reflect the strings as typed in, I'm wondering if it's the 'Family Historian PDF' engine that is adding the corruption.

BTW, in the citation I generally underline the string of type URL to format it in the report.

Have other's seen this? Am I doing something wrong? I must admit I wasn't necessarily expecting the URL strings to be converted to links in PDF so this is a bonus, but since it's so nearly there, I want my cake and eat it

Any thoughts, guidance much appreciated.

[tatewise]

Hi Glenn,
How are you formatting your URL?

Have you defined Source Template metafield with a URL data type?
If so then take a look at Source Template Format Definitions (20618) that might explain extra spaces.

In fields such as Notes or Text From Source have you used the Add Web Link format option highlighted below?
That produced a blue underlined active hyperlink shown below. This should be better than the next option.
OR
Have you just used plain text and used the U option to underline it as shown below?

However, I am not seeing the problem you describe with any of the above formats.

FormatUrl.png (31.13 KiB) Viewed 599 times

[Glenn Webby]

Thanks Mike,

It’s the former: ‘Source Template metafield with a URL data type’.

Looks like a really useful thread I hadn’t spotted. I’ll have a read and try out the suggestions.

Many thanks.

[Glenn Webby]

Hi,

I've played around a bit with the thread Mike pointed me at which was really useful in removing superfluous spaces. But that still leaves me with a problem in denoting URLs in FH and then their representation as weblinks in PDF.

To simplify the problem I've reduced it to this:

1. In a Note record (of any type) copy and paste a URL such as:

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/informat ... epQ&scan=1

2. Add a Web link by selecting the whole URL and 'Add Web Link', pasting the URL into into the Web address box.

We now have a HYPERLINK with
"web:https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/informat ... epQ&scan=1"
We can click on the hyperlink on the notes page and the web page on your default browser appears. All good.

3. Take this Note associated with an Individual and Publish an Individual Narrative Report.

4. Click on the URL as it appears in the published PDF report and what I consistently see is:
freebmd.org.uk/cgi/informa%ED%AF%80%ED%B6%9Fon.pl?cite=ytFpGfHpFaZS3pQTc0RepQ&scan=1

where the tt of http and ti of information are replaced with symbols that corrupt the line and hence the address is not found.

For smaller length addresses such as https://www.family-historian.co.uk/ ... well it just works.

For my sanity, is anyone else seeing this or I'm I overlooking something really daft.

Many thanks.
Insane of Worcester

[ColeValleyGirl]

Clutching at straws... might it be a font issue?

[tatewise]

Glenn, I'm being picky but you first said you used a Source Template metafield with a URL data type, but now have given an example of a Note using the Add Web Link format.

However, I tried exactly the URL you posted and it works without any problem in both Adobe Acrobat Reader and Nitro Reader.
Which PDF viewer are you using?
Try the free standard Adobe Acrobat Reader. Does that have the same problems or not?

[Glenn Webby]

Hi Mike,

yes. I first encountered the problem with the URLs embedded in my Source Templated citations which were then output in my Individual Narrative reports. I tried to simplify the repeatable tests so that I could isolate where the problem originated. I found I could consistently repeat the fault with a simple web link in Notes, far easier than changing source templates.

I use Adobe Acrobat Reader too. But having changed font to Arial I'm consistently not getting an issue.

Thanks for working on this with me, much appreciated.

[Glenn Webby]

Helen, that's some mighty good clutching!

I converted those links to Arial font and they now work!

Thank you ever so much. I guess you get so close to a problem you don't question some of the core principles. I wouldn't have immediately thought the PDF engine would be font sensitive, but that's clearly a factor.

Many thanks Helen!

[tatewise]

What was the problem font?
Maybe CP need to know about that and possibly fix the problem.

[gosforthian]

I still have that problem with long URLs such as
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by ... ht=BingHyb
even in Arial font. I used to have the same problem with .RTF files but reported it to CalioPie and they have fixed it in RTFs. My impression at the time was that they had not fixed it with PDFs. I will log another error report with my own examples and see what they say.

[gosforthian]

CalicoPie have replied and confirmed that this problem has already been logged for their developers to fix.