• Attachment Considerations
  • Attachment Considerations
  • "8a222468-8b67-4b59-8a35-f79848b6fa8d
  • One question you must consider when using attachments is the type of attachment you want to use in each case. The three general types of attachments you can use, namely, package files, web pages, and URLs, have different characteristics that affect which might be more appropriate in a given situation. The following discussion provides a comparison of several aspects of the different types of attachments and a summary of their relative capabilities.
  • Purpose/Complexity
  • Packages allow great flexibility, because they can contain essentially any type of file. Thus, packages are the preferred option for information that is best presented in its native format, such as tabular data contained in an Excel spreadsheet or a multimedia presentation.
  • Finally, URL links can be used to send users directly to an Internet or intranet site or to provide such Internet-based functionality as email contact.
  • Attachment Location
  • Note that, for package and web page attachments, location within the Library is not important. That is, you can link from any module, section, or topic document to any package file or web page stored anywhere in the Library; the package/web page and the parent document do not need to be in the same folder. This provides great flexibility in how you organize your Library, while also allowing you to reuse your package files and web pages by linking to each one as many times as needed throughout your content.
  • User System Setup and Connectivity
  • For packages, you should avoid any file types that your users are unlikely to be able to view directly. For example, if you link to a flowchart saved as a package file in native Microsoft Visio format but your users have neither Microsoft Visio nor the Microsoft Visio Viewer installed on their computers, they are unable to access the flowchart. A more effective approach to using the same flowchart as a package file would be to export it from Microsoft Visio in a more common format, such as a standard graphics format, for which your users are more likely to have an appropriate application. In addition to the application itself, you should also consider the version supported in your users' workplace, to ensure that it is compatible with the version in which you create the file(s).
  • Note:
  • For URL attachments, the primary considerations involve connectivity, as with any other use of Internet or intranet sites. In particular, your users must be online when viewing your content to access linked URLs, and their connection speed should be sufficient for the contents of the target sites. They should also have any necessary plug-ins installed. Finally, if you plan to link to any limited-access or otherwise restricted Internet or intranet sites, you should ensure that your users have appropriate permissions or user accounts to access these sites.
  • In contrast to package files and URLs, web page attachments present minimal system issues. Because they are constructed in standard HTML and because they are incorporated in your published output, you can consider web pages as a reliable choice for attachments if you are uncertain of your users' setups.
  • File Creation and Maintenance
  • You also create and maintain packages in the Developer. Packages provide the advantage of allowing you to incorporate a variety of documents, in a variety of formats, into the Library. You can copy documents into a package from an external location and then edit them directly from the package.
  • Finally, you create and maintain URLs entirely outside the Library. This allows you to use preexisting Internet and intranet content, as well as functionality such as email, but also requires that the content be maintained separately. For example, you must ensure that the URL address of the link target does not change, in which case the site would no longer be accessible from your content. In addition, when a target site is updated, you should ensure that it remains relevant as a link from your content.
  • Relative URLs
  • Player Outputs
  • User System Setup and Connectivity
  • For each frame link, web page hyperlink, or bubble text link, users access the attachment by clicking on the link icon or hyperlinked text, respectively; the attachment always launches in a new, independent window. For each concept link, the attachment generally appears directly in the Concept pane of the Player.
  • You should especially consider the behavior of concept attachments in relation to package files, such as external documents and multimedia files, which you might not want to launch directly in the Concept pane. For example, you might prefer that a large graphic or detailed spreadsheet appear in its own window, rather than in the limited region of the Player's Concept pane. Alternatively, your users might prefer that a Flash animation play only when they specifically click on a link to activate it, rather than having it launch automatically in the Player when they select the document to which it is linked as the concept. In such cases, a better alternative is to use a concept link to a web page that, in turn, contains some explanatory text and a hyperlink to the desired package file. This approach provides greater control over how and when package files used as concepts are displayed.
  • Document Outputs
  • Web pages that are directly linked at the concept and frame levels are included in document outputs.
  • Package files that are graphics appear in document outputs, whether they are directly linked at the concept and frame levels or inserted in web pages. All other types of package files are excluded from document outputs.
  • The addresses of URL attachments linked at the concept and frame levels are included in document outputs, in the format "Please refer to:" followed by the address. When text in a web page or bubble text links to a URL attachment, the address of the link target is included in parentheses after the link text.
  • Therefore, if you wish to include an attachment in your document outputs, use a web page or a package graphic.
  • Summary
  • Package file
  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages
  • Web page
  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages
  • URL
  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages