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By Jim Cerny

The Saratoga Users Group

www.thestug.org

One of the really fun and easy things technology
has brought us is hyperlinks. You probably use
them all the time and don’t even realize how cool
they really are. Click on a hyperlink and PRESTO
you are instantly somewhere else – tele-transported
like Star Trek to another planet.

You may know hyperlinks by other names such as
“hotlinks”, “hypertext”, or simply as a “link”. Most
often a hyperlink text is in blue and underlined, but
not always. Let’s see how they work when we are
using our web browser (Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Sa-
fari, or whatever internet browser you use) to ex- Or they may just open a small box or window on your
plore the internet. On almost every web page you screen, such as when using menus. It is up to the per-
will see some words underlined and in blue – if you son who created the web page to put in any hyper-
click on them with your mouse (or touch them on a links and to determine what happens when you click
touchscreen) you will go to another web page. (The on them. Almost anything is possible.
web page address will change in the address bar at
the top of your web browser window). This is real
magic. The people who have created that first web Sometimes clicking on a hyperlink will create a new
page put in a hyperlink that will take you someplace “tab” on your web browser and keep your previous
else. On your web browser, if you click on the back- web page on a previous “tab.” Each “tab” may have its
ward arrow at the top you will return to the previous own chain of web pages you have visited.
web page where you started. As you explore the
web you are creating a “chain” of web pages you
have viewed in this session one web-page link after Yes, you can create your own “hyperlinks” in your
another. You can go backward or forwards along documents or spreadsheets. Ask Google how to do
this chain by clicking the left or right arrows at the this and watch some good videos on how to do it. It is
top. not difficult. It is, basically, assigning a web page ad-
dress to a word or photo in your document.

If a web page (or any file such as a document or
Here are some helpful things about hyperlinks: spreadsheet) contains hyperlinks and you COPY it,
A hyperlink can be text, an icon, or a photo. It can the hyperlinks will go with it. Sometimes you may get
be indicated as a link by a different color (such as a text box asking if you want the active hyperlinks to
blue), underline, highlight, or by nothing at all. If you be there or to copy “just the text” without any links as-
“hover” your mouse over a hyperlink without clicking sociated with them.
on it, it may change color or be highlighted, and
your mouse pointer may change to a hand.
But most of the time we don’t care how hyperlinks
work or who put them in there – we just explore all we
Hyperlinks are used to instantly take you to another want by just clicking on whatever strikes our fancy.
web page but they also have many other uses. Think of a hyperlink as a free ticket to someplace
They can, for example, take you to a different place else! Enjoy your surfin’ safari, dude!
on the same web page, document, or spreadsheet.

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