Utilizing links in an Office document can do so much more than simply take your end users to a website. Links are also a great way to help people navigate around a document. Below is a great example… let’s check it out.
Exercise File
Feel free to follow along with today’s Exercise File:
This is a special file full of (fictional) information; there are a variety of sheets at the bottom of the document: a Home sheet, a Management sheet employee information, a sheet with a Class List, and last but not least, Dessert Sales.
You would like to share this document with a group of people who may or may not be very proficient with Excel. Just like we saw with slicers, creating buttons for people to press can be a huge help if people are not familiar with navigating around an Excel document.
Assigning Links
Linking within the Document
We want to assign links to the icons on the Home sheet.
1. Click on the icon of people to select it.
2. Right Click on top of the image, and select Link. (note: this may be called Hyperlink in your version of Office)
3. Notice on the left side of the screen there are a variety of location options. For the icons, we are going to select Place in This Document.
4. Select the Management sheet and press OK.
5. Test out your link by deselecting the icon (click on any cell), then click on the icon.
6. Follow the same process to link the Backpack image to Class List, and the Cake Slice to Dessert Sales.
7. Notice each additional sheet (besides Home) has some arrows in an icon to the right of content. Click on this icon to select it, then link this to the Home sheet.
Test out the icons you just created! You should be able to navigate to a sheet by pressing on an icon in the Home sheet, then go back home by pressing on the Arrows on any other sheet. How cool!
Linking Outside the Document
We have created all sorts of links inside our document. Let’s take a look at linking outside the document.
1. On the Home sheet, press on the WSU Logo to select it.
2. Right click on top of the logo, and select Link (or Hyperlink).
3. On the left side of the screen, press Existing File or Web Page.
4. In the Address box, type http://wichita.edu
5. Press OK.
Test out your newly created link by clicking on the WSU Logo.
Additional Notes
- Linking to Documents: When you linked to the webpage, you might have noticed the contents of your computer pop up underneath. You can link to an existing document, but remember that the only people who can open the link will be people who have access to the location you are linking to. If you link to something on your desktop, probably you are the only person who can open the link (and only on that machine).
- Cell Reference: When linking to a place in this document, you can have the link go directly to a specific cell. Enter the cell name in the field provided, otherwise it will default to A1.
- Removing a link: At any time, links can be removed or edited by right clicking on top of the link and selecting Remove Link or Edit Link.
Thoughts?
What do you think? Will you use links to navigate within your shared documents?
Congratulations, Power Users!
Congratulations to our newest Power Users! For the full gallery, and more information about the WSU Microsoft Office Power User Program, please visit: wichita.edu/poweruser