I dislike not being able to totally disable WikiLinks as an option for us who do not find WikiLinks useful in our workflows.
I want to make a selection, then “Make Link” (toolbar button, Format or contextual menus) and be presented with the Link Destination dialog. Not the automatic creation of a WikiLink document if no name matches my selection. Unchecking everything in Preferences>Editing>WikiLinks does not stop this behavior.
There should be an option to completely disable WikiLinks or at least the creation of those blank WikiLink documents.
Use the contextual menu option, ‘Link To’ and you will see the navigation panel to destination of the link.
Because the Wiki Link feature does impose a memory overhead, some users of Wiki Links elect to turn it off at times. They can still create new Wiki documents when the feature is unchecked by selecting text and choosing the Make Link command. When the new link is clicked, a new document will be created and the new link and its associated document will be functional when next Wiki Linking is activated. So there’s a reason to keep the ‘Make Link’ command functional when Wiki Linking is turned off.
Thanks for your comments Bill. Navigating that Link To… dialog from the contextual menu isn’t the easiest technique. Plus I typically link to an external document or URL anyhow.
I understand your point that some users may want to have the current setup, but I am suggesting an additional preference that turns off all WikiLink functions. And, probably where the technique you describe would no longer work.
I’d believe more users would prefer a single simple preference totally eliminating WikiLinks than users that would prefer the mostly off but still there option we have now.
Note that if you Option-Command-Drag a file from the Finder into the cursor insertion point of a rich text document you can establish a link to an external file. When I’m collecting a number of external links I ‘cheat’ by doing that into a floating DEVONnote rich text document window, then copy them into my document in DT Pro Office.
There’s still another Link command in DT Pro: Format > Link. For example, you can paste the Item Link of a file (obtained in DT Pro via Edit > Copy Item Link) into the Link field. Or paste in a URL.
If you follow the forum you will observe that there have been literally hundreds of requests for additional options in Preferences. But to honor them all would make Preferences very confusing and lengthy. The developers are attempting to provide a very rich working environment as simply as possible. But suggestions that get support from a number of users may make it.
The “Make Link” command supports also selected URLs, e.g. you could select a URL, choose “Make Link” and finally rename it. However, Format > Link… does what you want.
Christian, I assume what you mean is the contextual menu multi-step process of Make Link, select again, and then Edit Link, remove DEVONwiki, and replace it with the desired URL. Awkward at best and all to avoid creating a WikiLink.
My tendency is to carefully choose link words and they are different than a Command+Option dragged filename. Format>Link is the technique I do use with a Shift+Command+L shortcut borrowed from Format>Highlight. The new Highlight toolbar button works great for me instead of going to the menu.
But I could see that some similar Link… button would be confusing if added to the current Make Link and Remove Link buttons.
Link… and Make Link are awkward concepts due to WikiLinks. And Bill, the preferences for WikiLinks are already very confusing and lengthy. Isn’t starting with a preference choice to either turn turn them on or off a simpler concept for most users? Reducing and not expanding options.
Is it that difficult to totally disable WikiLinks?
For your purposes, don’t use Make Link, which is intended for Wiki Links. Using it for other purposes is possible but may be convoluted.
If you know the Item Link or Page Link of the target file, it can be directly pasted into your rich text document.
Use Format > Link to add an external link such as a URL to selected text.
Link To provides a means of navigating to and selecting a file as target, in any open database.
Option-Command-Drag & Drop provides a means of inserting a link to one or more selected documents or files (from within a database or from the Finder) into a rich text document.
There are commands to Edit Link or to Remove Link.
Thanks for the clarification Christian, but I just don’t get it.
I’m working with in a RTF or RTFD document. Shift+Command+M starts the link, but by “select again” I assume you mean a right-click contextual menu “select” which leads to Edit Link… and that awkward delete and replace URL operation. A normal select jumps to the link destination and often a new dreaded default WikiLink document.
And Bill, I do exactly what you suggest for the various linked items including the avoidance of Make Link. Its only value is when it “flips” to Remove Link.
My added keyboard shortcut for Format>Link… does make the linking process more efficient.
I’d still vote for a preference option to totally disable WikiLinks coupled with Make Link then leading to an open but blank Link Destination dialog.
Type e.g. “