To identify a web site address:Provide your customers additional product information from your web site by linking to other web sites. You can create links for products or price lines, which display on the web site product information page.
Each link contains the common string to access a company's web address such as http://widgetproducts.com/products, and a unique file path that changes for each link. Use the Use DDE Agent Description In WOE control maintenance record to determine if the system uses the product description or the DDE agent description as the link text on the web site.
Complete the following tasks to create links:
Use DDE Agent Maintenance to set an agent ID that identifies the common string in a company's web site address. This address is the prefix for the file path in the Parameter Data field in Product External References. Used together, the prefix and file path create a complete link.
To identify a web site address:
From the Tools menu, select DDE Agent Maintenance to display the DDE Agent Maintenance screen.
In the Agent ID field, enter a code, up to five characters long, that identifies the company, government agency (for example, OSHA), or any other entity whose web site you want to access.
Press F10 to display a list of codes and the New option.
In the Description field, enter a more complete description of the company, agency, web site, or other information contained on the web site. For example, Widget Product Catalog.
In the Subroutine field, enter DDE.WEB.BROWSER, the name of the program used to open and test the link in a browser.
In the Data Prefix field, enter the common string required to access the web site address or other entity. Use as many characters as needed in the following format:
http://widgetproducts.com/products/
This address acts as a prefix to the information entered in the Parameter Data field on the Product External References Maintenance screen to make a complete link to a web site or specific product information.
Press Esc to save the information and exit the screen.
Continue with Setting the File Path to the Specific Web Page.
Define the specific web page link after creating a DDE Agent ID for a web site. The file path completes the link from a product or price line to a web page. Use the Product External References Maintenance screen to create a link to a product, or a link to all products in a price line.
Open the screen from Product Maintenance to link to a product, as described in the procedure below.
Open the screen from Price Line Maintenance to link to all products in the price line. To do this, select Files > Price Maintenance > Price Line, then use the Prod Xrefs hot key.
To link to a product or price line web page:
From the Files menu, select Product to display the Product Maintenance screen.
Display a product and use the Xref hot key to open the Product External References Maintenance screen.
In the Agent field, press F10 and select the Agent ID for the web site you defined in Setting the Web Site Address.
After you enter an agent ID, the Description field displays the description you entered on the DDE Agent Maintenance screen when defining the agent ID. Edit the description at the product level, if necessary.
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If the... |
Then... |
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Agent field is populated |
the system uses the description in DDE Agent Maintenance for the agent, even if you change the description in the Description field. The system uses the domain and path for the agent in DDE Agent Maintenance, followed by the information in the Parameter Data field on this screen to create the link. |
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Agent field is not populated |
the system uses the description in the Description field and the path you provide in the Parameter Data field to create the link. |
In the Parameter Data field, enter the file path. For example, entering bigwidgetspage.htm in this field completes a link to http://widgetproducts.com/products/bigwidgetspage.htm.
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If the... |
Then... |
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Parameter Data field is blank |
the system uses only the Data Prefix field you entered in Setting the Web Site Address for the complete web site address. |
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Data Prefix field on DDE Agent Maintenance screen is blank |
the system uses only the Parameter Data field for the complete web site address. |
If the file path exceeds the length of the parameter field, use the Expand hot key to enter the full path. Paths that extend beyond the length of the Parameter Data field are contained on one line. Use the Expand hot key again to view and edit the file path.
Use the Test hot key to open the web page in your default browser.
The browser opens using the Data Prefix web address, combined with the Parameter Data file path.
To enter another web site address, repeat steps 3 through 5.
Press Esc to save the settings and exit the screen.
See Also: