Including External Files In Your Document

Sometimes you'll need to include an external file in your document. For example, you might want to include a PowerPoint slide in your document's Printed, Web and Help outputs.

• To link to the file, but not incorporate its contents into your document, use a Hypertext Link.
• To incorporate the external file's contents directly into your document, use a File object.

We'll look at that second option here. Author-it uses the standard Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) feature of Windows to include external files in your document in their original format. The application that created the external file must also support OLE.

To Add an OLE Object To Your Document:

1. From the Library Explorer, select the Folder where you want to store your new OLE File object.
2. Open the topic where you want to insert the external file, and position the cursor.
3. From the Topic Editor toolbar, choose the button.

   -or-

   From the Book Editor menu bar, choose Insert > OLE Object

   A new File window appears, and then the Insert OLE Object window appears in front of it.

   

4. If you are creating an OLE object from an existing file choose Create From File, then browse and select the external file you want to include.

   Once selected, the file is copied into the Preview pane of the File window.

5. Otherwise, choose Create New Object and click OK.

   An Insert Object window appears, with a list of available object types. Select the type of file you want to create and click OK.

   

   The related application opens, and as the object is created it is copied to the Preview pane of the File window.

   Note: The OLE Object created is always embedded even when you choose an existing file. Changes to that original file will not be reflected in Author-it. To create a linked OLE Object refer to Inserting a Linked File Object.

6. On the General tab, select Embedded OLE File Template from the Based On list.
7. Type a Description, then switch to the Document, Windows Help and HTML tabs to change any of the File's other settings, like scaling, if necessary.
8. Save your changes by choosing OK. The new File object is inserted into the topic.
9. Save your changes to the topic.