Division of Student Affairs

The Online Editor Tool: Edit: MainContent

Creating Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are what the web is all about. By linking from one page to another, you can make your pages more lively and interactive for the user. Here's how to do this:

1. Navigate to the page where you want to create your hyperlink. From there, login to the Online Editor Tool (OET). Once you see the tools on the left, click on the link for Edit Main Content.
2. Open a second web browser and fine the link you want to use. With your mouse, highlight and copy the link so the link is ready to paste into the OET window.
3. Go back to the OET window where your text is displayed. Type the text or label for your link, or highlight the word — or words — that you want to hyperlink with your mouse. (When creating your hyperlinks, only highlight one to three words of text, which is usually standard for the Web.)
4. Click on the icon that looks like a world with a link around it. It is the first button to the left, in the middle column of available tools.
5. Paste the full web address you just copied after the section for URL:. The address must begin with http://.
6. If you are linking to an external site or a site outside of the Student Affairs domain, you'll need to create your link so it opens in a separate window. To do this, look for the "Target" pull-down menu in the hyperlink dialog box and select "New Window." This will add the HTML code needed, so your linked page will open in a new window.
7. Click OK.
8. Scroll down to the bottom of your web page and click Save Changes. Bring up a new page and navigate to the page you just worked on. Test your link to make sure it works. Your external link should now open in a new window.

Creating Hyperlinks to E-mail Addresses

E-mail addresses generally work the same way as hyperlinks above, except you will need to select a different choice in the menu of online tools that are available:

• After adding your text to the content editor, highlight the word "e-mail" or the name of the person you want to hyperlink with an e-mail address.
• Click on the icon that looks like a world with a link around it. It is the first button to the left, in the middle column of available tools.
• The window automatically defaults to the "hyperlink" menu option. From the top tabs, choose "e-mail" instead.
• Next to the "Address:" window, paste the e-mail address for the employee's e-mail address you want to link to. Next to "Link Text" type the employee's name. Click OK when you are finished.