# Hypertext Links > Insert external and internal hypertext links and targets in Visual Basic 6 with FieldType and TargetInsert, and jump on FieldLinkClicked with TargetGoto. - **Product:** TX Text Control ActiveX - **Section:** Documentation - **Kind:** Topic - **Path:** TX Text Control ActiveX > Document Editor > Marked Text Fields > Hypertext Links - **3752 words** - **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/hyperlinks/ - **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/hyperlinks/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/hyperlinks/llms-full.txt --- Hypertext links in a `TXTextControl` document are marked text fields of a special type, and so are the targets they jump to. In four steps, a Visual Basic 6 program grows from a single inserted link to a small hypertext editor: it inserts and edits links in a dialog box, adds targets, and responds to the events that TX Text Control fires when the user clicks a link, including jumps to targets in other files. The source code of the steps is in the subfolders *Step1* to *Step4* of the *Samples\\vb6\\Hyperlnk* sample source directory. Each step extends the program of the one before. ### How Hypertext Links Work A link is inserted with [FieldInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldinsert-method/llms-full.txt) like any marked text field. The [FieldType](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtype-property/llms-full.txt) property then makes it a link, and [FieldTypeData](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtypedata-property/llms-full.txt) holds the place it points to: | Link | `FieldType` | `FieldTypeData` | |---|---|---| | External link, to a web page or a file | `txFieldExternalLink` | The address, for example `http://www.textcontrol.com` | | Internal link, to a position in the same document | `txFieldInternalLink` | The name of the target | The positions that internal links point to are called *targets*. HTML editors call them anchors, word processors bookmarks. Hypertext links are usually associated with HTML files, but they can also be stored in RTF and Microsoft Word files and in the proprietary format of TX Text Control. ### Insert a Hypertext Link The first program inserts a hypertext link into a document and saves the document as an HTML file that you can view in a browser. ![The Hypertext Links - Step 1 sample window with the link text Text Control Web Site in the editor.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/hyperlink-sample-window.10e69209.webp) The link is a field inserted with `FieldInsert`, whose type is then set with `FieldType`: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.FieldInsert "Text Control Web Site" TXTextControl1.FieldType(TXTextControl1.FieldCurrent) = _ txFieldExternalLink ``` `FieldTypeData` stores the target the link points to: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.FieldTypeData(TXTextControl1.FieldCurrent)=_ "http://www.textcontrol.com" ``` The following line saves the document with the new link as an HTML file in the sample folder: ```vbscript TXTextControl1.Save App.Path & "\step1.html", ,4 , 0 ``` The third parameter of [Save](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/save-method/llms-full.txt), 4, is the HTML format. When you open the file in a web browser, the browser displays the link as its settings specify. Clicking the link takes you to the Text Control web site. ![The file step1.html in Microsoft Internet Explorer, showing the underlined link Text Control Web Site.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/hyperlink-html-browser.1eeb1657.webp) The program has no code for the click events yet, so clicking the link inside `TXTextControl` has no effect. The link is also neither underlined nor colored. ### Add a Dialog Box for Hypertext Links The second program adds a dialog box in which the user inserts hypertext links more conveniently. It also edits and modifies links that were inserted before or loaded from a file. ![The Hypertext Link dialog box of step 2 with the boxes Linked text, set to Visit our homepage, and Link to, set to www.textcontrol.com, and the buttons OK and Cancel.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/hyperlink-dialog.35e0d387.webp) The dialog box has two text boxes: the first holds the text that represents the link in the document, the second the address the link points to. In step 1, the text was *"Text Control Web Site"* and the address *"http://www.textcontrol.com"*. The same dialog box inserts new links and edits existing ones. If the current input position is inside an existing link, the dialog box modifies that link. Otherwise, it inserts a new one. The properties *tx* and *bShowHyperlinks* of the dialog form pass it a reference to the `TXTextControl` and the information about how to display hypertext links: ```vbscript Public Sub do_mnuInsert_Hyperlink_Click(tx As _ TXTextControl, bShowHyperlinks As Boolean) Set frmHyperlink.tx = tx frmHyperlink.bShowHyperlinks = _ (mnuView_Hyperlinks.Checked = True) frmHyperlink.Show 1 End Sub ``` When the form is loaded and the current input position is inside an existing link, the text boxes are filled with the link's text and address. Otherwise, the selected text becomes the linked text: ```vbscript Private Sub Form_Load() If CaretInsideHyperlink(tx) <> 0 Then txtLinkedText = tx.FieldText txtLinkTarget = tx.FieldTypeData(tx.FieldCurrent) Else txtLinkedText = tx.SelText End If End Sub ``` The user can change the displayed information. When the user clicks *OK*, the program transfers it to the document, either by modifying the existing link or by inserting a new one: ```vbscript If tx.FieldAtInputPos <> 0 Then ' editing an existing hypertext link tx.FieldText = txtLinkedText tx.FieldType(tx.FieldCurrent) = txFieldExternalLink tx.FieldTypeData(tx.FieldCurrent) = txtLinkTarget Else ' insert new hypertext link tx.FieldInsert txtLinkedText tx.FieldType(tx.FieldCurrent) = txFieldExternalLink tx.FieldTypeData(tx.FieldCurrent) = txtLinkTarget HighlightHyperlinks tx, bShowHyperlinks End If ``` The code works as follows: - [FieldAtInputPos](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldatinputpos-property/llms-full.txt) is not 0 when the input position is in a field, so the existing link gets the new text through [FieldText](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldtext-property/llms-full.txt), and its type and address are set again. - Otherwise, `FieldInsert` inserts a new field, which becomes an external link with the address from the dialog box. A menu item switches the character format of the link texts to blue and underlined. It calls the function *HighlightHyperlinks*, which is defined in the file *HyperlinkFunctions.bas*. ### Add Targets Steps 1 and 2 only handle references to external resources, the addresses of web pages or files. The third program adds internal links, which point to targets in the same document. To try it, type some text, add some targets with the *Insert / Target...* menu item, and then add links to them with *Insert / Hypertext Link...*. #### Insert a Target ![The Insert target dialog box with an empty Target name box and the buttons OK and Cancel.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/insert-target-dialog.9cfdb812.webp) The [TargetInsert](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/targetinsert-method/llms-full.txt) method inserts a target: ```vbscript Dim targetName As String targetName = InputBox("Target name:", "Insert target") If targetName <> "" Then TXTextControl1.TargetInsert targetName, True End If ``` A target needs only one text box for its name, so a plain **InputBox** statement is enough. The second parameter of `TargetInsert`, `True`, lets the user delete the target while editing the document. #### Link to a Target To insert links to these targets, the program extends the *Hypertext Link* dialog box with a list box that shows the names of all targets in the document. The [TargetNext](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/targetnext-method/llms-full.txt) method fills it: ```vbscript Dim targetId As Integer List1.Clear targetId = tx.TargetNext(0) While targetId <> 0 List1.AddItem tx.targetName(targetId) targetId = tx.TargetNext(targetId) Wend ``` `TargetNext` returns the identifier of the next target, the first one for 0 and 0 after the last one, and [TargetName](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/targetname-property/llms-full.txt) returns its name. When the user selects a target, the *Link To* box is filled with the target's name. ![The Hypertext Link dialog box of step 3 with Linked text set to Goto 1, Link to set to target1 and a Targets list with target1 and target2.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/hyperlink-dialog-targets.0f98eabd.webp) After the user types the text of the link and clicks *OK*, the link is inserted. An internal link is inserted the same way as the external link of step 1, but `FieldType` is set to **txFieldInternalLink** and `FieldTypeData` to the name of the target. #### Jump to a Target With internal links and targets in place, the program has to carry out the jump. When the user clicks a marked text field that represents a hypertext link, TX Text Control fires a [FieldLinkClicked](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/fieldlinkclicked-event/llms-full.txt) event. The [TargetGoto](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/targetgoto-method/llms-full.txt) method uses the information the event provides to jump to the target: ```vbscript Private Sub TXTextControl1_FieldLinkClicked( _ ByVal FieldId As Integer, _ ByVal FieldType As Integer, _ TypeData As String) If FieldType = txFieldInternalLink Then TXTextControl1.TargetGoto TypeData End If End Sub ``` `TargetGoto` handles targets in the same file. Links to external targets need different treatment: when `FieldLinkClicked` occurs and its *FieldType* parameter says that the link is external, what to do depends on the type of application. External links can point to files on the local hard disk or to addresses on the internet, for example. The events only have to be handled to make the links work while the text is edited in `TXTextControl`. When the text is saved to a file and displayed in a browser, the links work as the browser supports them. ### Add Jumps to External Targets The fourth program adds jumps to other documents and to targets in these documents. #### Choose a File and Its Targets The program extends the *Hypertext Link* dialog box again, this time to choose an external file. A *Choose File...* button on the form opens a common dialog. ![The Hypertext Link dialog box of step 4 with Linked text, a Link to box with a file path and target, a Choose file button, a list of named targets and the options Current page and Selected file under Show targets in.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-activex/hyperlink-dialog-external.a762de72.webp) After the user chooses a file, the text box displays its name and the program searches the file for internal targets: ```vbscript Private Sub CheckFileForTargets(file As String) tx(1).LoadSaveAttribute(txEnableLinks) = True tx(1).Load file, 0, 4 FillListboxWithTargets (1) optSelFile.Value = True loadedFile = file End Sub ``` The program loads the file into a second, invisible `TXTextControl` and then lists all of its targets in the same way as in step 3. #### Jump to a Target in Another File To jump to an external link, the program extends the `FieldLinkClicked` handler of step 3. The following code doesn't handle jumps to internet addresses; it only jumps to targets in other files. TX Text Control separates the name of a file from the name of a target with the `#` character. The code splits the two, loads the file with the [Load](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/load-method/llms-full.txt) method and jumps to the target with `TargetGoto`: ```vbscript ElseIf FieldType = txFieldExternalLink Then 'This sample does not feature links to www sites, 'so exit sub If Left(TypeData, 7) = "http://" Then Exit Sub End If TXTextControl1.LoadSaveAttribute(txEnableLinks) = True pos = InStr(TypeData, "#") 'File name includes an internal link If pos > 0 Then 'Ask the user to save changes, if any If bDocDirty Then ret = MsgBox("Save changes?", vbYesNoCancel, _ "Question") If ret = vbYes Then mnuFile_SaveAs_Click ElseIf ret = vbCancel Then Exit Sub End If End If 'Extract file name & path from full path str = Left(TypeData, pos - 1) TXTextControl1.Load str, 0, 4 'Extract file position from full path str = Mid(TypeData, pos + 1) TXTextControl1.TargetGoto str Else 'File name doesn't include an internal link TXTextControl1.Load TypeData, 0, 4 End If End If ``` The code works as follows: - An address that starts with `http://` ends the procedure. - If the address contains `#`, the program asks the user to save changes, if there are any, loads the file named before the `#` and jumps to the target named after it. - An address without a target only loads the file. The third parameter of `Load`, 4, is the HTML format. ### Load and Save Documents With Hypertext Links When an HTML, RTF or Microsoft Word document is loaded, TX Text Control has to convert the hypertext links it contains to marked text fields as described above. To make it do so, set [LoadSaveAttribute](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/txtextcontrol/loadsaveattribute-property/llms-full.txt) with `txEnableLinks` to `True` before calling `Load`, as both procedures of step 4 do. Otherwise, hypertext links and target fields are not converted. When a document is saved, marked text fields that represent hypertext links are always converted to the appropriate format. In the proprietary format of TX Text Control, you don't need to set `LoadSaveAttribute`. ### Next Steps - [Special Types of Marked Text Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/special-types/llms-full.txt): all field types and the members for hypertext links. - [Link Targets and Bookmarks](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/link-targets-bookmarks/llms-full.txt): the target properties and methods that replaced link target fields. - [Hypertext Links](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/reference/categories/hypertext-links/llms-full.txt): the programming category with every member for links and targets. - [Using Marked Text Fields in Visual Basic](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/tutorial/llms-full.txt): insert fields, respond to clicks and build bookmarks. --- ## Nearby - **Previous:** [Using Marked Text Fields in Visual Basic](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/tutorial/llms-full.txt) - **Next:** [Using Microsoft Word Fields](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-activex/document-editor/fields/microsoft-word/llms-full.txt)