[RESOLVED] Force hyperlinks to Powerpoint as normal view

[NickC]

In my case, this is specifically for Excel 2003. Not sure if the same thing happens with other software.

If I hyperlink to a Powerpoint from within Excel (e.g., right-click on a cell -> Hyperlink and then put in the path), it always opens up in Slideshow mode even though the file was stored as a .ppt, not .pps.

Is there any way to force Excel to open the file as a normal view in Powerpoint? As of now, the only workaround I've found is to create a shortcut and then hyperlink to THAT. But it's not always a convenient solution.

[jdc2000]

You could try changing the hyperlink to:

Powerpnt.exe Path\Filename.ppt

Replace the Path/Filename.ppt with your current hyperlink.

[NickC]

Unfortunately that didn't work. Might be because the hyperlink points to a database, not my local computer.

In any case, once the Powerpoint file is opened (as a slideshow), is there a way to change it back to normal view? The typical buttons to do this don't show up, nor do the function keys seem to work.

[jdc2000]

Post the exact hyperlink you are using. What happens when you press Esc during the slide show?

[NickC]

This is at work, so I don't think they'll like me posting hyperlinks to work databases.

Anyway, if I press Esc, it just closes the slideshow (with the Powerpoint main window shell still open). I tried adding a link to this PPT in MS Word and it does the same thing.

So it seems like MS products just like opening PPT links as slideshow?

[jdc2000]

If you press Esc it closes the entire file, instead of just stopping the slideshow? Edit the hyperlink to replace any company specific data with fake data. I'm more interested in the form than the actual path. Leave any http:// or \ or R: items.

[NickC]

Yup - it just closes the PPT but leaves the Powerpoint shell open. Here an example link:

\\dataserver1\group2\NickC\testfile.ppt

If I save this as the hyperlink it will open as the slideshow.

I tried various options of adding powerppt.exe to the front, the entire path to the powerpnt.exe file, putting quotes around the hyperlink, adding file: in front of the hyperlink. Most of these just resulted in some kind of error - invalid path, etc. When it worked, it would do the same as before - open as a slideshow.

[jdc2000]

What happens if you change the hyperlink in your spreadsheet to:

Powerpnt.exe \\dataserver1\group2\NickC\testfile.ppt

Note: If there are actually spaces in your hyperlink, you would need to use the following:

Powerpnt.exe "\\dataserver1\group2\NickC\testfile.ppt"

Or

POWERPNT.exe /O "Filename1.ppt"


Links:

http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00189.htm

http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00189.htm


http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/...xcel-pres.aspx

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/po...538891033.aspx

[NickC]

Unfortunately, as I said in the post above, when I put powerpnt.exe and then the path name (whether in quotes or not), it gives me an error: the address of the site is not valid.

I also notice it wants to change the paths. It replaces all the backslashes with forward slashes. The first double \\ is also replaced with a single /

I'll look at those links and see if there is more info there too - thanks!

[NickC]

I found a workaround: when the PPT link opens as a slideshow, the user can just go to Edit -> Edit Slides and it switches to the normal PPT view.

Couldn't find a way to force it directly from the link but this is easy enough for the end user to do.

[jdc2000]

Thanks for the update.

[NickC]

Sure thing - thanks again for helping me look into this!