How to Use Hyperlinks in BricsCAD

Quick answer: Hyperlinks associate a file or web page with an entity in your drawing. HYPERLINK adds or edits one through the Edit Hyperlink dialog, using either a full path (the complete path to a file) or a relative path (a partial path).

Adding and Editing Hyperlinks

1. Run HYPERLINK; the Edit Hyperlink dialog opens.
2. Either link to a file: click Browse, select the file in the Select file dialog, and click Open to add it to the Link to file or URL field, or link to a web page: type its URL directly into that same field.

Click Remove link to detach an existing hyperlink from an entity.

Using Relative Paths

Once the Link to file or URL field is filled in, manually erase part of the path, including the drive letter, to make it relative. Doing so automatically ticks Use relative path in the dialog. Relative paths only work for file paths, not web pages.

HYPERLINKBASE sets the path used as the base for every relative hyperlink in the drawing; every file linked with a relative path needs to sit in the same relative location to that base path.

Displaying and Accessing Hyperlinks

Via the context menu: expand the Hyperlink option. This requires SHORTCUTMENU set to 4, a specific value worth noting beyond the general context menu behaviour covered on this hub’s context menus page, and also requires HYPERLINKOPTIONS to be enabled, which simultaneously sets ENABLEHYPERLINKMENU and ENABLEHYPERLINKTOOLTIP on. From there: Open hyperlink opens the linked file or page, Copy Hyperlink copies it to the clipboard (paste it elsewhere with Ctrl+V or PASTECLIP), and Edit Hyperlink opens the Edit Hyperlink dialog.

Via the Properties panel: select the entity and double-click the hyperlink in the Hyperlink field to open it, or click Browse next to it to open the Edit Hyperlink dialog instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn’t the Hyperlink option appear in my context menu? Check that SHORTCUTMENU is set to 4, and that HYPERLINKOPTIONS has been run to enable the hyperlink menu and tooltip.

Can I use a relative path for a hyperlink to a web page? No, relative paths only work for file paths; web page URLs always use the full address.

How do I copy a hyperlink to paste it elsewhere? Right-click the entity, expand Hyperlink, and choose Copy Hyperlink, then paste it with Ctrl+V or PASTECLIP.

What does HYPERLINKBASE actually control? The base path that every relative hyperlink in the drawing is measured against; all relatively linked files need to sit in the same relative position to it.