Export PDF maps with Hyperlinks active

10791
40
01-24-2011 10:41 AM
Status: In Product Plan
Labels (1)
BrianJohnson
New Contributor III

The ability to link features by using hyperlinks is great.

 

GPS cameras have made taking photos with geographic location and orientation very easy.  Making a point feature with this information, as well as a hyperlink to the photo file location is a great way to create an interactive map.  Clicking on a point can bring up the photo - just like the Panoramo feature on Google Maps.

 

However - you have to have a copy of the ESRI software to use this feature.  I think it would be a great tool to be able to export a map to PDF format and have the PDF retain these hyperlinks.  This would allow you to send a PDF maps with a folder of photos to a client - and they could use the map to view the photos quite easily.

 

Making a mapbook with an overview map, with hyperlinks to the inset maps within the same PDF would also be useful.  The PDF would appear to be an interactive map - clicking on areas to zoom in, with 'click here to go back to the overview map' links on each inset map.

40 Comments
BrianJohnson
This has been a feature request since maybe June 2001, March 2005, or April 2006.

Article ID: 28792 - NIM002169

Let's get this done!
TomErkert

I too would dearly love to see this feature implemented.  Currently i have a need to produce several map books in pdf format.  There is a overview map with links to several hundred detail maps.   This could easily be automated with hyperlinks from the overview map to each detail map.  These mapbooks need to be in pdf format for us at this point as the audience does not have ArcGIS nor do we have the ability yet to use ArcGIS server.

Tom Erkert
GIS Coordinator, Western Federal Lands, FHWA

LoriLuo
I would love to see this feature in 10.1 too. When we have a mapbook created into PDF, it will be great if we can click some features, and bring up a webpage or documentation associated with the geographic features. Thanks!
RockRunEnterprises
More support for this!
SarahGreenlaw
great idea! and thanks for noting that it's been around for SO LONG!!! oh my goodness, what is UP with this? is it really that hard to create???  I also wrote a similar idea, before seeing yours - Create a hyperlinked KEY MAP for Data Driven Pages!!!

let's rack up the votes and GET THIS DONE!!! Seriously, what good is a PDF map book without a hyperlinked index map? Data driven pages is awesome, but it needs to be kicked up a knotch for full functionality. 
JurajKrumpolec
@ESRI: When implementing this idea, please don't forget about simple external hyperlinks in the layout (link to web page or email as requested in Layout Text Enhancements). Please take inspiration from Office applications, their automatic creation and management of external hyperlinks. It's a shame that ArcMap lacks such a basic functionality.
RossJenkins1
this would be a great enhancement - bring it on!
BrianJohnson
Just got an update on this.  It is going nowhere.  Looks to me like passing the buck to Adboe - they are the problem, not ESRI programmers.

From a support call/email today:
"As per our discission over the phone, here are the deatils of the status of bug ID : NIM002169 Allow export of PDF and SVG to include hotlinks aka hyperlinks.
 
It specifically states that the request for the ability to export maps to PDF with hyperlinks, cannot be addressed until Adobe provides PDF support of hyperlinks for marked content. The details section of this report was updated this year and the status of this bug remains, "as designed". This is an indication that Esri development is still waiting on the word from Adobe, that they need to address this request.
 
Unfortunately, it is not clear whether Adobe plans to support hyperlinks for marked content in PDFs, as Esri development has been waiting on this information since 2007. However, should any updates be made to the bug report for NIM002169, you will have access to these changes since I have added this incident to the bug. For updates on this issue, please see the ESRI Customer Care Portal by going to https://customers.esri.com or contact ESRI Support Services.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.  "
KimMcAndrews1
Time for this to happen!
ChrisGray3
cmon ESRI - crew up and bring it!