Create Hyperlink
Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group File and Print → Menu File Tools
Command ID: btnCreateHyperlink
What it does
Turns cells that already hold a path written as plain text into clickable hyperlinks. This is the fast way to finish a drawing register, a document index, or an inspection-record tracker where one column stores the path to a PDF or DWG on the site server.
After the command runs, every linked cell shows one common caption (for example "Open drawing") instead of a long unreadable path, while still opening the correct file when clicked.
How to use
- Select the cells that contain the paths — a single column, several columns, or any block.
- Go to tab DVD Addin → group File and Print → menu File Tools → click Create Hyperlink.
- Excel shows an input box, "Enter display text", pre-filled with a suggested caption. Type the caption you want for all links and click OK.
- The command walks every cell in the selection: empty cells are skipped, and each non-empty cell gets a hyperlink pointing at the value it already holds.
- A short toast reports how many links were created, for example "Created 24 hyperlinks."
Example
A construction drawing register where column File path holds network paths:
| Before (column D) | After (column D) |
|---|---|
\\SERVER\ProjectA\IFC\AR-01.pdf | Open drawing |
\\SERVER\ProjectA\IFC\AR-02.pdf | Open drawing |
D:\Records\Inspection\IR-045.pdf | Open drawing |
Select D2:D40, run the command, type Open drawing — all 39 cells become links, and the site engineer opens the drawing with one click.
Notes
- Every cell in the selection gets the same display text; run the command per block if you need different captions.
- The original path text is replaced by the caption, so keep a helper column with the raw paths if you still need them.
- If a cell already has a hyperlink, the old one is deleted before the new link is added.
- Ctrl+Z will not undo this — save the workbook before running it on a large register.
- The command does not verify that the path exists; a wrong path still becomes a link and only fails when clicked.
- You must select a range first, otherwise the command just reports "Please select a data range."
Related
- File List — produce a list of files with full paths to feed this command.
- File Tree — build a file/folder tree that can attach hyperlinks automatically.
- Rename Files — batch-rename files before linking so names stay in sync.
- Folder Tree — folders only, handy when building a document index.