Automatically creates Hyperlink in PDF... please stop it!

[Steven P]

Good morning, 

 

One that has got my whole team stumped this morning..,

 

When making a PDF it is created with hyperlinks automatically made... even if we don't want them... so what setting is there out there to fix this.

 

We noticed this on one project where the file name is something like:

ASD.QWE.RTY.UI.123456

The drawing number and lists of reference files with the same formatting will PDF as hyperlinks.... and we don't want that but cannot work out what to do to stop it!

 

The drawing number has to have abut 4 or 5 'segments' for it to make it's hyperlink

 

Noting if we use other symbols, not '.',for example '-' it plots as expected (I think it is the use of '.' that triggers the hyperlinks), it happens for all projects if I put in similar text and even if I start from new text (not copy-paste) - so not a font or project thing, tried adjusting the plotter settings (standard dwg to pdf), Mtext and Dtext are the same.. leads me to think it is all down to a plotting setting... but which one?

 

 

Thanks for any advice

 

 

[Steven P]

... could be the PDF reader

[SLW210]

What reader do you use? Should be an option to turn off automatic link detection.

 

Post a sample PDF and DWG.

 

You may need to use brackets, parenthesis, different font, etc. for the file names, I do believe that is the way it works with the "." in the word.

 

P.S. I just checked Adobe sight, supposedly certain fonts should make them work. Monospaced Fonts?

 

Which ones have you tried?

[Steven P]

The project specifications are limiting us to Arial font, and a set format for the text strings. It isn't a CAD issue but a PDF reader issue - and we cannot control what others use to look at files. So not a lot we can actually do with the plotting to make it behave as it should unfortunately.

 

 

So many texts that start with the format qwe.rty.uio..... are seen as hyperlinks in the PDF. Our work around - for anyone following this - is to use 'hairspace' after the '.' (\U+200A) which you can see is there if you know it is there else so far works.

[Steven P]

Thanks SLW210 for looking for me, a font of all knowledge

[SLW210]

I meant to mention adding the (\U+200A). IIRC it's called a nonbreaking space. "Hairspace" sounds better IMO.

 

I didn't try this, but one article mentioned to "Save As" or "Export to" PDF to kill the hyperlinks.

 

My AutoCAD 2026 has the option to check Include Hyperlinks under PDF Options on the plot manager.

[Steven P]

I'll try that shortly and see if that works.

 

PDF options didn't do much - mostly I think it is a PDF viewer thing

 

 

(got into a whole word of space names yesterday, EM-space, EN-space, half EM, quarter EM... and so on depends on the website, never knew there were so many 'spaces')

[CyberAngel]

Is this text in a TTF font or SHX? AutoCAD exports SHX fonts to searchable comments. If you turn that off (set PDFSHX system variable to 0), maybe the links will turn off too.

 

SLW seems to be on the right track with PDF Options, try that first.