Hyperlinks in PDF files exported from Numbers 3.1

Question

Hyperlinks in PDF files exported from Numbers 3.1

The new Numbers is slooowly starting to rock. The new ability to sort and rearrange ranged area is awesome.

I work with PR and we make reports to our clients. These reports are delivered in PDF files.

I have a serious problem with Numbers 3.1 and the hyperlinks included in my report - an exported PDF file. The hyperlinks seems to be randomly mixed up. If I press a certain link for a URL, the PDF might redirect me to the correct page or .. might redirect me another page from the report.

When I work in Numbers 3.1 sheet everything works just fine, all the hyperlinks are opened correctly. The problem only occours when it's exported as PDF.

My current procedure is to work in Numbers 3.1 and once a report is ready to be handed over to the client, I export it in Numbers 2.3 format and then export it as PDF - where all the hyperlinks work correctly.

But it would be sooo much more professionel and cool if everything just worked perfectly with Numbers 3.1.

- Has anyone experienced this as well?

- Does any one know if it's a bug - or if it me who's doing something silly?

Thanks for all ears.

Jakob

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Feb 18, 2014 11:57 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Badunit

Level 7

31,056 points

Feb 19, 2014 4:50 AM in response to jakob.joergensen

For me, no hyperlinks work in exported PDFs from 3.1, they are all dead (they act like plain text). I use Preview to look at PDFs. In 2.3 they worked. In 3.0, some worked but others were dead (it depended on the method used to enter the URL in Numbers). In 3.1, all are dead.

Reply

Answer 2

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 19, 2014 5:08 AM in response to jakob.joergensen

Hi Jakob,

Numbers 3.1.

The link in Column B works in Numbers 3.1 as you said 🙂

Clicking on Open takes me to that Website.

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/tamworth.shtml

Exporting to PDF gives me a *picture* with no active links as you said 😐.

However, in Numbers 3.1, Menu > File > Print, then click on Print (bottom right of the Print Preview window)

(Yes, click on Print again!)

Save as PDF

Here is the PDF with an active link

And here is the weather forecast from that PDF link

Very welcome rain in Australia!

Regards,

Ian.

Reply

Answer 3

Badunit

Level 7

31,056 points

Feb 19, 2014 6:22 AM in response to Yellowbox

What is Apple up to. Exporting to PDF implies creating a document that has features of the original, such as links that work. Printing implies creation of a static version. Apple has it totally bass ackward.

Reply

Answer 4

Feb 19, 2014 7:00 AM in response to Yellowbox

Hi Ian,

Super thanks for the dedicated and long reply. Much appreciated.

Unfortunatly it doesn't work for me. One hyperlink redirected me to the main page of the media, and not the nested one, which the link directs too.

I've tried two reports.

Also, it's not very handy to print to PDF. One of the forces of spreadsheet is it doesn't use paper size. If your report is 6 colums or 60 colums your client will have a quick and single-sheet-overview with export PDF as in Numbers 2.3. But with print PDF you'll have the choice of chopping up the report into pages OR for every report make an imaginary page size especially dedicated to the length of the specefic report.

Unfortunatly ... it was an easier work around than revert to Numbers 2.3 for the export.

Too bad, cause Numbers 3.1 otherwise tops 2.3 for me now.

Jakob

PS: You need to update some apps via App Store 🙂

Reply

Answer 5

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 19, 2014 7:18 AM in response to jakob.joergensen

Hi Jakob,

PS: You need to update some apps via App Store 🙂

Well spotted!

Those are for

Digital Camera Raw (I don't care)

Pages 5.1 (no thank you)

iMovie (I don't use it)

But thanks for the hint.

Back to your question...

One hyperlink redirected me to the main page of the media, and not the nested one, which the link directs too.

Please explain nested hyperlinks.

Regards,

Ian.

Reply

Answer 6

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 19, 2014 7:20 AM in response to Badunit

Hi Badunit,

bass ackward.

Nice way around the auto censorship of Aunty Apple!

Regards,

Ian.

Reply

Answer 7

Feb 19, 2014 7:51 AM in response to Yellowbox

Hi Ian

Thanks for respons. Guess it's lack of better English.

By nested I mean everything beyond the root of the page:

www.apple.com/ - root

www.apple.com/iwatch - nested

Pages 5.1 is not soo bad. You can use it for ... for ... erhm, for ... reci.., no wait you can't. No graphics in tabels. Hmmm...

No guess it's good old Pages from iWork 09 then 🙂

When I make newsletters I use Pages 09. Good app.

Thanks

Badunit

I had the same feel. Ackward bass - well why not? 🙂

Jakob

Reply

Answer 8

SGIII

Level 8

37,622 points

Feb 20, 2014 5:56 PM in response to jakob.joergensen

I have some questions. What is the meaning of this talk of donkeys going backwards?😉

I'm wondering if the links work ok when the document is "shared"? The implementation of links in Numbers 3 is pretty crude so far, but sharing seems to be the direction Apple is trying to push us .

SG

Reply

Answer 9

Feb 23, 2014 12:04 AM in response to SGIII

Any more work done on this issue? I have am still having this problem using Numbers 3.1. I have tried the print to PDF workaround suggested, but had no luck with that either. The PDF still contains dead hyperlinks.

Reply

Answer 10

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 23, 2014 12:21 AM in response to Johnfdooley

Hi John,

This may help (by BlackPlum)

Re: Exporting to a PDF with multiple page format.

Regards,

Ian

Reply

Answer 11

Feb 23, 2014 2:56 AM in response to Yellowbox

Thanks again Yellowbox

BlackPlum suggets: "Thankfully, I noticed that in the Export... dialog box, (from the File Menu), you can select "Current Sheet" in the Layout field (this field defaults to "All Sheets", it's easy to miss). So select Current Sheet, and voila, you now have a pdf with multiple pages (and clickable hyperlinks!)."

Though my Export To ... PDF does not have such an option.

Hope a solution will come soon.

All the best

Jakob

Reply

Answer 12

Feb 23, 2014 3:27 AM in response to jakob.joergensen

jokb.joergensen is absolutely corret. There is no such dialog box.

I am really hoping for a solution.

Reply

Answer 13

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 23, 2014 4:22 AM in response to jakob.joergensen

Hi Jakob,

BlackPlum suggets: "Thankfully, I noticed that in the Export... dialog box, (from the File Menu), you can select "Current Sheet" in the Layout field (this field defaults to "All Sheets", it's easy to miss). So select Current Sheet, and voila, you now have a pdf with multiple pages (and clickable hyperlinks!)."

Though my Export To ... PDF does not have such an option.

Hope a solution will come soon.

Numbers 3.1 with a very long table (will not fit on one page when printing) and two sheets.

B2 contains an active hyperlink.

B32 contains an active hyperlink.

Menu > File > Print >

And on the right,

Now click on Print...

Now click on PDF (bottom left)

Save as PDF

Here is the PDF opened in Preview (zoomed out to make a smaller screen shot)

Two pages 🙂.

Both of those hyperlinks are active.

Clicking on this one:

takes me to

apple.com/sitemap.

(Proof coming in my next reply. Having trouble with posting the screen shot.)

Regards,

Ian.

Reply

Answer 14

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,987 points

Feb 23, 2014 4:25 AM in response to Yellowbox

Game, set and match 🙂.

Regards,

Ian.

Reply

Answer 15

Badunit

Level 7

31,056 points

Feb 23, 2014 5:39 AM in response to Yellowbox

Yellowbox,

I wish I could say that this was the solution. It sure isn't for me. I made a table very similar to yours and went through the same steps to print. The link I had on my second page worked but no links on the first page worked. There was nothing special about the one versus the others excpet the page it was on.

On a separate but related subject: My links do not appear in blue like they used to. I have an older converted Numbers '09 document that turns them blue with an underline but my newer documents only put the underline, no blue. All the Numbers 3 templates I tried do this same thing. I don't use links very often so maybe it has been this way the whole time but yours are blue so I am wondering what is going on.

Reply