Who this article is for: Authority users
Overview
When you save a web address on a site or an investigation, the web app shows it as a clickable link. Clicking the link opens it in a new browser tab, so the site or investigation stays open in the tab you were using.
Links appear in two places:
Sites: web addresses in the site profile's custom text fields, shown in the Program Info card on the site's Site Info page.
Investigations: the Reference Link field, plus web addresses in the text fields of the investigation's form.
This article covers the web app.
Before You Begin
For sites: links appear only in custom fields on the site's profile. Which custom fields a site profile has is set up for your organization, so the fields you see vary.
For investigations: the Reference Link field is built in. No setup is needed.
Adding a Link to a Site
Open the site and click More Info (on a narrow screen, Info) to open the Site Info page.
Click EDIT SITE INFO.
In a custom text field on the form, enter the full web address, starting with
http://orhttps://(for example,https://example.com/plan.pdf).Save your changes.
Go back to the site's Site Info page. In the Program Info card, the web address now shows as a link. Click it to open it in a new tab.
A text field can hold more than one web address, mixed in with other text. Each address becomes its own link. Punctuation that ends a sentence right after an address, such as a period, comma or closing parenthesis, stays outside the link.
đ Note: In a site's custom fields, an address must start with http:// or https:// to become a link. An address typed as www.example.com or example.com/page shows as plain text.
Adding a Reference Link to an Investigation
Create a new investigation, or open an existing one and click Edit.
Find the Reference Link field, next to Reference Point.
Enter the web address. Both
https://example.com/photosandexample.com/photoswork in this field.Click SUBMIT to save the investigation.
On the investigation page, Reference Link appears in the top block of details, between Reference Point and Tags. Click the link to open it in a new tab.
If you enter an address without http:// or https://, such as example.com/photos, the link opens https://example.com/photos. The link text still shows exactly what you typed.
Links in Investigation Form Fields
Web addresses typed into the text fields of an investigation's form also show as links on the investigation page, in the Report Details card. These follow the same rules as site custom fields: the address must start with http:// or https://.
FAQ
Q: I typed a web address on a site, but it isn't clickable.
A: In site custom fields, only addresses that start with http:// or https:// become links. Edit the site and enter the full address, for example https://www.example.com instead of www.example.com. The same rule applies to text fields in an investigation's form. An investigation's Reference Link field works differently: it also links an address typed without http:// or https://.
Q: I added a link in Site Notes, but it shows as plain text.
A: Links appear only in the site profile's custom fields, in the Program Info card. Built-in details in the Site Info card, such as Site Notes, show as plain text.
Q: I don't see a Program Info card on the Site Info page.
A: The Program Info card appears only when the site's profile has custom fields. If the profile has none, there is no place on the site for a link to show.
Q: Does a link open in the same tab?
A: No. Every link opens in a new browser tab, and the site or investigation stays open where you left it.
Q: Why does my Reference Link show as text instead of a link?
A: The Reference Link field links web addresses (with or without http:// or https://). Anything else, such as an ftp:// address or a value that isn't shaped like a web address, shows as plain text.
Q: Is the Reference Point a link too?
A: No. In the investigation's top block of details, only Reference Link turns a web address into a link. A web address in Reference Point, or in the extra field your organization can add and name in the investigation settings, shows as plain text. To make it clickable, put the address in Reference Link, or in a text field of the investigation's form.