12.2 Linking Information

Since linking and embedding are different features of your application, they can be discussed separately in the user documentation. Additional information on the linking feature can be provided before presenting the step-by-step procedures on how to link objects.

This section of your user manual can have the following topics:

Creating Links

Updating Links

Editing Linked Information

Canceling a Link

Sample text presenting an overview of linking is shown in Figure 42.

Linking

By creating links in <your_application_name>, you save time and ensure consistency in your documents. You can share information from one document with several others, and you only need to maintain the original; the others are updated automatically. For example, if you store sales figures in a worksheet, you can use that data in several different reports created with <your_application_name>. As long as you update the worksheet, <your_application_name> updates the reports.

Creating links is as easy as copying and pasting. You copy a selection from an application or document called the source and paste it where you want to appear in the container document. You can create links between two <your_application_name> documents or between a <your_application_name> document and a file created by another application.

Once you’ve established links, you can check for new data and retrieve it with a single keystroke; or you can specify that new data is sent as soon as it is available.

You can link information in a variety of presentation formats—for example, as unformatted or formatted text. You can create links between <your_application_name> and other applications that support linking.

Figure 42. Sample overview of linking objects