URI Handling

[Silverhawke]

Hello LWD,

I've been a customer for quite a few years with Hero Lab and recently purchased Realm Works.

I've had a lot of fun with this program and I think you guys are doing a stellar job. I also know that you all are working very hard to get the CM rolled out.

After that gets rolled out I am hoping you can add a feature that would make GM story tellers like myself very happy campers.

Please add in URI handling.

You could handle this a couple of different ways the way I see it.
1. You could add a snippet that would be a simple Button. The GM would be able to edit the name of the button and in the button editor, you could have a field for URI Code. We could then copy/paste a URI code into that field so that when the button is pressed, it launches the URI code.

2. URI/HTML "Insert Link" button in the "Insert" section of the Ribbon. This would work just like your Insert Link button here on the forums, but would also be able to handle URI commands as well as HTML links. This would allow both players and GMs to be able to click on an embedded link that would launch the default web browser to the HTML link, and to whatever program the URI link points to.

What are the benefits?

- URI would offer seamless integration with programs like Syrinescape, iTunes, and Spotify

- HTML links would offer integration for sites like YouTube where we can direct the players to a movie that GMs or others have made that would help further narrate the story. (Think opening crawl for a Star Wars campaign)

Thanks in advance!
Silverhawke

 

[Parody]

Umm...right-click anywhere in a text snippet (or most other text areas in a Topic/Article) and pick Hyperlink... at the bottom of the context menu?

 

[Silverhawke]

Umm...right-click anywhere in a text snippet (or most other text areas in a Topic/Article) and pick Hyperlink... at the bottom of the context menu?

I noticed that yesterday which works for HTML, but doesn't work for URI.

 

[davidp]

I noticed that yesterday which works for HTML, but doesn't work for URI.

How do you mean, doesn't work? It works fine for me:

What specific URI were you trying to enter?

 

[Parody]

They opened up the allowed URI schemes in an older version of Realm Works, so many things should work if something on your system supports them.

What URI/URI scheme are you trying to use that isn't working? (The scheme is the part before the colon.)

Also, what happens if you open a Command Prompt and type:

explorer "your-uri-here://example.com/path/to/whatever"

Schemes that I know should work include http(s), ftp, file, and the Syrinscape ones (assuming the related Syrinscape client is set up properly on your system).

If you want a button instead of a link, you can use a Foreign Object snippet as a (poor) workaround. Make a batch file with just the Windows Explorer line above and attach that to the snippet. It's not pretty and it'll only work locally, but it gives you a different way to open a link.

 

[Vargr]

You can have a link directly to a file on your hard drive.

The link

W:\RPG\The Rehberg-Courdy Saga\PC'er\Ronan Rehberg-Courdy.ods

will - when clicked - ask Windows for the default program to open that type of file (here Open Document Spreadsheet), start the program and load the file into it.

Here is how to insert it into Realm Works:

When in edit mode right click and choose Hyperlink. The above requester appears (without the text).

And here how the result looks in Realm Works:


Works very well.

Please note that as soon as you click the link the entire process is handed over to Windows and Realm Works has nothing to do with it.

I use it on Win7 and Win10.

It is very useful for character sheets and other things that you for one reason or another can not or do not want to have stored in Realm Works.

Please note that such links will not work on any machine and certainly not on the machines of your players.

However, there is a way to make it work on all machines that you have full control over.

This is what I have done:

I have a desktop machine that I work on and from which I run the games.
I have a laptop that I sometimes use when working on my realm.
I want to be able to use these links on both machines.

1. Get something like Dropbox installed on both machines and store your files in that "dropbox" folder.
   I use Synology's Cloud Station and haven't tried this with Dropbox but I see no reason why it shouldn't work with Dropbox.
2. Now, the problem is, that on my desktop machine my "dropbox" is located on drive V: but on my laptop it is located on drive C:
   This means that a link will not work.
3. However, it is possible to associate a folder to a virtual drive; essential having a virtual W: drive that shows up and goes to the, say, E:\MyRPG\EpicCampaign folder.
   This is a build in feature in Windows but usually requires some command line interface commands which isn't always easy to get right. Luckily there are some programs out there making the process a lot easier.
   I use Virtual Subst by ntwind software - the program can be found here: http://www.ntwind.com/software/utilities/visual-subst.html
4. I now have the following:
   On my desktop: The virtual drive W: is pointing to V:\CloudStation\Creativity\
   On my laptop: The virtual drive W: is pointing to C:\!Data\Cloudstation\Creativity
5. Since CloudStation is my "dropbox" any changes made to files here will be synched to the other machine.
6. I can now use W: in my links and be sure to end up in the same location on the two machines.

Well, I hope the above made sense.


Disclaimer:
The above works for me. I will not be responsible if your use causes your data to evaporate or the fabric of reality to be torn. Also, if the mention of virtual drives and the thought of messing with the workings of Windows scares you, simply don't do it - no matter what Nike says.
I am in no way associated with ntwind software; I just use one of their programs.

 

[Silverhawke]

Thanks for the help everyone!