Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks cause the selection of an object to result in a move to a new
location or the performance of an action. This action can be any of the
following:
Activate a hyperlink: this action causes a different slide in the
current presentation, different presentation altogether, a non-PowerPoint
document, or even an Internet Web page to appear.
Run a program: this action opens another program such as Microsoft
Word or Excel.
Run a macro: this action opens a program written in Visual Basic
for Applications.
Play a sound: this action plays a built-in sound or a sound from
file (see section on adding sound)
You may turn any object or text on a slide into
a hyperlink as follows:
Right-click on the object and select Action Settings
(or Select the object, then choose Slide Show menu > Action
Settings)
In the Action Settings dialog box, choose either Mouse Click or Mouse
Over. Select the button "Hyperlink to" and then select the
destination or action (to link to the internet, choose "Hyperlink
to URL" and type the web address starting with 'http').
Note: if you create a hyperlink to another slide
of the same presentation, remember to include another hyperlink that will
allow you to return back. Always preview your action buttons on
the slide show to make sure everything works as you want it to.
As explained above, any object can be turned into a hyperlink. You can,
however, create an object to be used specifically as an action button.
PowerPoint provides a selection of built-in shapes that can be used for
this purpose.
Select Slide Show menu < Action Buttons or click on the Autoshapes
menu from the drawing toolbar:
Click one of the button faces and draw the button on the slide using
the mouse (see section on drawing for more
details). The Action Settings dialog will then appear.
Follow the instructions above for turning an
object into a hyperlink.
Use the white box handles to resize the button and the yellow diamond
to change the depth of the button:
Right-click on the button or select Format menu < AutoShape
to change the fill color, line, and other characteristics of the action
button.
To create a custom button, choose the blank button from the AutoShape
menu. After you draw the button, right-click on it and choose 'add
text' to add a label to it.
A well-planned arrangement of action buttons scattered throughout a
presentation can make it easy for someone to view the presentation in
any order he or she wants.
