Creating a field to hold a UNC link in the same way as a URL

[dpomerance]

We use ACT Premium 2012. Does anyone have an idea of how to creat a field to hold a UNC link which would act like a URL field and allow a link to a record in another (not ACT) database on the network by opening up Windows Explorer?

[dpomerance · Accepted solution]

I think I may have solved my own problem, so for anyone interested this seems to do it. With the field prefix being File:/// (3///) followed immediately with \\servername\\foldername\subfoldername\filename.pdf  That requires 3 forward slash followed by 2 backslash. The complete UNC is:    File:///\\servername\foldername\subfolder\filename.pdf and that seems to work. It stops ACT from laying in the HTTP prefix and opens Windows Explorer rather than Internet Explorer. Perfect.

[wellmet]

Just create a URL field and populate the field with the UNC link.  I think you'll need to preface the link with "file:\\".

Stan

[dpomerance]

Thank you for the quick response, but I had tried that already. Since it is a URL field type, the system automatically populates whatever is there with a prefix of HTTP:// and opens it into Internet Explorer. Which of course trying to navigate to a file on the local network doesn't work. It does work in Internet Explorer if "HTTP" is replaced with "File", but that becomes a manual operation after you get a 404 error. Is there any way to substitute the "File" for "HTTP" automagically or even better, get it to open Windows Explorer with the data from the field because that will work with or without the "File" prefix.

Thank you for trying to help me with this.

[benhamilton]

I've used file:// or file:///

On some machines the two slashes work, on others it doesn't, where it hasn't the third slash makes it work. Dunno why.

I typically set the default field value (Tools | Define Fields) for that field to be the prefix file:// 

Ben.

[dpomerance]

Thank you Ben, But how do you stop ACT from automatically putting a prefix of HTTP:// in front of the data from the URL field? When it finally gets to the browser, is comes out http://file:// which of course leads to a 404 error.

[dpomerance · Accepted solution]

I think I may have solved my own problem, so for anyone interested this seems to do it. With the field prefix being File:/// (3///) followed immediately with \\servername\\foldername\subfoldername\filename.pdf  That requires 3 forward slash followed by 2 backslash. The complete UNC is:    File:///\\servername\foldername\subfolder\filename.pdf and that seems to work. It stops ACT from laying in the HTTP prefix and opens Windows Explorer rather than Internet Explorer. Perfect.