Hyperlinks don't work after copy/paste

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Problem

You create a set of hyperlinks in shapes on one slide of your presentation then copy/paste the shapes to the other slides in your presentation. When you play back the show, some of the hyperlinks work, others don't.

Specifics

Thanks to Robert Lerner for this research:

The problem is specific to AutoShapes that have no fill and no outline (ie, that you've deliberately made invisible). They work fine on the slide where you created the shapes but when you copy them to other slides, they may cease to work. When you click them during a slide show, nothing happens. Some hyperlink actions work and some fail.

Here's a list of what works and what doesn't (the list is the same for all versions of PowerPoint):

Links that work

• Next
• Previous
• First
• Last
• Last Slide Viewed
• End Show
• Custom Show

Links that fail

• Slide
• URL
• Other PowerPoint Presentation
• Other File

Solution

Workarounds:

PowerPoint 2002:
Fill the shape with a solid color with the transparency set to 100%. The object can then be pasted as expected.

PowerPoint 97/2000:
Use a totally transparent gif or png as the action button. The object can then be pasted as expected. These are simple to make in many programs.

All versions - use a Background fill:
If the shape doesn't sit atop any other shapes on the slide, give it a fill of Background.
Note: you may not be able to do this from the Fill pop-up tool on the Draw toolbar. Instead, doubleclick the shape to bring up the formatting dialog box and use the Colors and Lines tab to assign a Background fill.

All versions - fill the box with blank text:
If the no-fill/no-outline box has text in it, it copies to other slides with the link intact.
If you delete the text, the link ceases to work but if you make the text a bunch of spaces, then the link works again. But only over the "text" portion, not the entire text box. So add lots of spaces (tabs and other non-printing characters might work also).

Search terms:hyperlink,action,setting,break,copy,paste,work

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