Family Historian User Group

I know the answer is likely "no", however, I figure there's no harm in asking.

Is there any way in a research note to include a link to a file on my computer hard drive?

Thanks

Teresa

Yes.

Use a web link and format it as follows:

file://C:\path\filename.txt

Just substitute the correct path and filename.

Thanks, Harold - great tip!! I really appreciate your help.

Teresa
(born and bred in Ottawa, now living in Coastal BC )

harold wrote: ↑

04 May 2022 15:10

Yes.

Use a web link and format it as follows:

file://C:\path\filename.txt

Just substitute the correct path and filename.

Does it matter what type of file it is? For example Word doc, spreadsheet, PDF

If your browser can open the file, it will do - things like text files, images, PDFs (probably) will open in a browser with no problem. Other files like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, etc., are like to "download" to your Downloads folder, which is probably not the desired behaviour, but I don't see how it could be overcome.

satyricon wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 07:48

If your browser can open the file, it will do - things like text files, images, PDFs (probably) will open in a browser with no problem. Other files like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, etc., are like to "download" to your Downloads folder, which is probably not the desired behaviour, but I don't see how it could be overcome.

Some browsers (e.g. Firefox, but I suspect the other main ones as well) have settings which determine how particular types of file are handled - downloaded or opened in the (chosen) appropriate application. I am wary of doing this because it cannot distinguish between files of internal source (likely to be safe) and files of external source - which should be treated with a bit more caution, so I like to get a prompt as to what I want to do with a file.

Ideally FH would have a set of settings as to how to handle different linked files - perhaps V7 does have such a set of settings somewhere. If not, can that functionality be achieved by plug-in or do we have a wish list item?

You can do that in Chrome - the first time you try it, it will download to your Downloads folder and you can click on the down arrow in the taskbar notification and choose "Always open files of this type" - in future, the file will then open directly in Excel, Word, etc. However, be aware that the file will FIRST be copied ("downloaded") to your Downloads folder AND THEN that copy opened - NOT the original. So any edits will not be made to the original file. I have not been able to see a way around this, in Chrome at least.

satyricon wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 07:48

If your browser can open the file, it will do - things like text files, images, PDFs (probably) will open in a browser with no problem. Other files like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, etc., are like to "download" to your Downloads folder, which is probably not the desired behaviour, but I don't see how it could be overcome.

I don’t understand why a browser would be involved. See OP. If I am adding a link to a file on my computer, in my case it would most likely be in Documents, why would FH, which is also on my hard drive, need to utilize the browser?

It opens in a browser because the rich text option you are using is Add Web Link... and requires a Web Address which by definition opens using a web browser.

To persuade FH to open a file directly, then use one of the Media tab options, but Research Notes do not have a Media tab.

I not totally sure that that is the case - it may be called a Web Link because it is anticipating that it will be used to access a file (probably but not necessarily html) over the web.

That it opens in a browser is due to CP implementing it that way - (from what is being reported - I am on V6) all links have to be opened by the system default browser.

If I set up a file:// link to a pdf or text file etc. in say zim (a personal wiki), clicking on the link will open the file in the system default pdf or text file application etc. (which, depending on the application) can directly edit a local file) - the browser only gets involved when I am genuinely trying to access something over the web (or accessing a local html file - but then the browser is the system default application for those files).

I suspect experimenting in Word with file:// links to various file types will show similar behaviour (I don't have Word).

So do we have a wish list item that linked files should be opened by the system default application - or that the choice should be configurable within FH preferences?

As Mike has explained, if you add the file link into a Media tab, FH will open the file with no problem in the native application. I just tried it with a spreadsheet. However, the OP is asking about inserting a link (therefore, a hyperlink) into a Research Note, which will (I believe) always want to open in a browser. I wouldn't see it as a wishlist priority myself, but I guess if it helps someone's workflow, then why not.

The OP asked about

fhtess65 wrote: ↑

04 May 2022 14:49

...
Is there any way in a research note to include a link to a file on my computer hard drive?
...

and it was suggested

harold wrote: ↑

04 May 2022 15:10

...
Use a web link and format it as follows:
file://C:\path\filename.txt
Just substitute the correct path and filename.

Now I suppose it depends on what you mean by hyperlink - I understand it as an active link in a document that when clicked on takes you to another place within that document or to another document altogether. (Let's ignore whether javascript:// etc are protocols relevant to this discussion!).

So I come back to the fact that it seems to be a CP choice that such links should default to the browser - which is fair enough if you are linking to the internet; but is that what the OP wanted?

I think it is a pity that a coding choice has made these links "restrictive". Normally a file is passed to the operating system for opening (according to default applications), unless there is coding to make it do otherwise (i.e. always use the default browser)

With the Media tab open you can Add -> Other Media (change media type to all files in bottom right corner) to create a media record.
Then the Research Note can be linked to that

Good morning.

I am running FH7 on the latest version of Windows 11. Up until I actually tried it on my machine a moment ago, I was in full agreement that the CP choice was that these links would default to the browser.

In reality what I am observing is the links are actually defaulting to my system settings and appear to be bypassing the browser. Perhaps the browser is invoked in the background but I am not seeing evidence of that. The result is that each file type I have tried (*.txt, *.docx, *.pdf) appears to be passed to the OS and handled natively, in the same way as if I opened the file from Windows Explorer. If I open the same files using the file:// syntax from within the browser (Chrome), the browser uses it own settings to display the file.

Mileage may vary on other browsers, FH or OS versions.

That makes more sense! "Web link" is actually "hyperlink"!

I'm convinced that this is nothing to do with any programming decision by Calico Pie. IME external 'documents/files' launched via a Family Historian link will open in whatever external application is designated in Windows as the default (using the appropriate file extension). For example, with the launch of Microsoft Edge (Chromium Version) MS defined 'Edge' as the default app for viewing PDFs, but that can be changed if an alternative default is defined in Windows Settings. Most other modern Browsers can also now 'display' PDFs as well as many other forms of media, so that is often the the primary choice for most users, as it removes the need to install additional dedicated software, i.e. it removes the need for bloated applications such as the Adobe PDF Reader.

Mervyn

I have to agree with Harold, I have just actually tried inserting a "Web Link" (as CP call it in FH7) into a research note, using the format "file://D:\Documents\MySpreadsheet.xlsx" as suggested by Harold in the second post in this thread. Much to my surprise, the spreadsheet does actually open in Excel, not in a web browser, which I expected it to. Perhaps we all should have done what Harold did, and actually tried it before posting

You don't even need the file:// prefix as D:\Documents\MySpreadsheet.xlsx works just as well.

satyricon wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 12:54

... Perhaps we all should have done what Harold did, and actually tried it before posting

Yes (although I plead my version in defence M'lud)

Harold's first two posts have been spot on contributions rather than newbie questions - so no one has actually welcomed him - unless Mike beats me to it!

Welcome Harold and thanks. We await the hat-trick.

Thanks, David, for pointing that out...the link worked, but being able to add a file as Other Media is another tool in my toolkit...I'm still exploring the depths of FH

Teresa

David2416 wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 12:09

With the Media tab open you can Add -> Other Media (change media type to all files in bottom right corner) to create a media record.

Then the Research Note can be linked to that

I asked before trying as I have a healthy fear of something going wrong and mucking things up...

Teresa

satyricon wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 12:54

I have to agree with Harold, I have just actually tried inserting a "Web Link" (as CP call it in FH7) into a research note, using the format "file://D:\Documents\MySpreadsheet.xlsx" as suggested by Harold in the second post in this thread. Much to my surprise, the spreadsheet does actually open in Excel, not in a web browser, which I expected it to. Perhaps we all should have done what Harold did, and actually tried it before posting

Thanks for that tip, Mike! This is how it works in my word processor (which isn't Word) and I use it all the time. Good to know it will work just as easily in FH

Teresa

tatewise wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 13:22

You don't even need the file:// prefix as D:\Documents\MySpreadsheet.xlsx works just as well.

Thanks for this additional information, Mike However, when I entered the address using the file// prefix, it did indeed open my document in its native program.

Teresa

tatewise wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 10:59

It opens in a browser because the rich text option you are using is Add Web Link... and requires a Web Address which by definition opens using a web browser.

To persuade FH to open a file directly, then use one of the Media tab options, but Research Notes do not have a Media tab.

Yes - thanks to Harold and welcome! Also glad to see my question prompted such a detailed discussion I hope it helps others in the future.

Teresa

davidf wrote: ↑

05 May 2022 13:32

Harold's first two posts have been spot on contributions rather than newbie questions - so no one has actually welcomed him - unless Mike beats me to it!

Welcome Harold and thanks. We await the hat-trick.

Thanks for the welcome.

I have been a member of this forum for a few years but just popped in infrequently to see what was happening. I began regularly lurking here and seriously playing with FH7 for the past couple of months. It takes some getting used to. I come from the Rootsmagic and FTM world and really like the power FH7 puts in the hands of the user.

I export all of my data regularly to a TNG website for sharing. The website has suffered recently from my obsession with FH7 and the updates it is prompting me to make to my data. Will be re-focusing on the website soon.

In the meantime I am finding this forum invaluable for information.

Again Thanks for the welcome.

H.