Links to Elements in this File (Local Links)

Local links link to elements in the same topic. You can use this option to redirect readers to a different section in the same topic.

Remember:

We recommend structuring your topics in a way that guides users through the content without the need to excessively jump to different elements.

Overview

The element that you directly link to must have a unique ID attribute assigned. Heretto CCMS enables you to assign the ID attributes to elements while inserting a link.

Use Cases

Consider using local links in the following scenarios :

When you want to mention a step element in another step element.
Figure 2. Local Links to a Step Element.
This PDF example shows that:
A local link to step four in step five is inserted.
The local link, when clicked, takes you to step four.
The link is print-friendly because the on page # text is automatically added to the link.
Where, # is the name of the page
When you want refer to another element in a longer topic.
Figure 3. Local Link to a Section Element.
This PDF output example shows that:
A local link to the “Safety Features” section element is inserted.
The local link cross-reference, when clicked, takes you to the “Safety Features” section.
The link is print-friendly because the on page # text is automatically added to the link.
Where, # is the name of the page

Maintenance Guidelines

Local links require little maintenance and don't limit reuse because they don't link to peer topics or external resources.

Keep the following guidelines in mind when using local links:

If you link to an element with a title element, for example a section or example element, the title element is used as the link text. To reduce maintenance, we recommend not entering custom link text, because it will be unique to only that link-instance.
If you link to an element with no title element, you enter the link text manually. To reduce maintenance, we recommend making the link text generic.
If you delete the linked content, you need to delete the link, too. Heretto CCMS informs you about broken links.

Publishing Guidelines

Keep the following guidelines in mind when publishing content with local links:

If you publish to a print-friendly output (for example, PDF), local links include a page number.
In some short topics, clicking a local links won't take you to another place in the topic because the topic is too short (for example, when your topic fits on a single PDF page). As a result, the link may seem broken.

Insert Local Links

Direct your users to a specific location in the same topic by inserting a local link to an element in the same topic. For example, you can use local links to refer to a step element in a task topic or a section element in a concept topic.

Open a topic and place your cursor where you want to insert a link.
In the Content Editor toolbar, click Insert Link .
In the Link dialog, from the Link To drop-down menu, select An Element in this file (Local link).
Click Select Element.
Select the element that you want to link to:
1. In the Create/Edit Link dialog, click an element.
2. From the list that appears, select the element.
3. If prompted about an element ID value, click OK and Save.
  
  Tip:
  Heretto CCMS generates ID attribute values automatically, but you can modify them. ID attribute values must be unique. Assigning customized, meaningful values may boost consistency in your documentation.
4. Click the Insert Content button.

You inserted a local link to an element in the same topic.

local link example — Figure 4. Local Link in the PDF Output

Set Element IDs

You can only link to the elements with a unique ID assigned.

Tip: If you link to elements by using the Content Editor, Heretto CCMS enables you to easily assign an automatically generated ID or custom ID. You don't need to assign IDs to elements that you want to link to firsthand.

You can assign IDs to elements before creating links to take control over the ID values' naming convention and boost your documentation consistency. For example, if multiple users collaborate on the same content, to ensure that the values are consistent, you can assign the ID values beforehand.

Open a topic and place your cursor in the element for which you want to create an unique ID.
Click the Attributes tab.
In the id field enter a unique ID.

Tip:
We recommend assigning an ID name related to the element so it's easy to identify later.

Set the ID for a short description element as sample_id

Under maintenance

Heretto Help

Links to Elements in this File (Local Links)

Overview

Use Cases

Maintenance Guidelines

Publishing Guidelines

Insert Local Links

Set Element IDs

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