How to Hyperlink Non-HTML

Hyperlinks between HTML pages are the heart and soul of any website. Without them, pages would be unnavigable and visitors would rarely find your site. Hyperlinks are not limited to other HTML pages. If your site provides downloads or uses non-HTML documents, such as text or Word documents, you can link directly to them using the same hyperlink format you use to navigate between pages.

Instructions

1. Locate the URL of the non-HTML file or document. If you discovered this link on the Internet, the URL is the same as the one you used to find the file. If the file is located on your server, the URL can be absolute or relative to the linking page. As an example, you may use "http://www.yourdomain.com/subfolder/videofile.avi" to link directly using an absolute reference, or you may use "videofile.avi" to link from a page residing in the same folder as the file.

2. Open the HTML file in a text editor, such as Notepad, and click where you want the link to appear. The HTML file does not have to be straight HTML; you can also use this method with ASP, XHTML, PHP, CFM and other scripting formats.

3. Type the following code on the page:

   <a href="URL">Linking Text</a>

   Change "URL" to the actual address for the non-HTML file. Change "Linking Text" to the text that you want to use for the link. In the examples, the code may be written like this:

   <a href="http://www.yourdomain.com/subfolder/videofile.avi">Download AVI</a>

   or this:

   <a href="videofile.avi">Download AVI</a>

4. Save the changes in your HTML or scripting page and upload it to your server to make it live.