Creating Jump Links – Mag+ Designd Support

Jump Links are Mag+'s internal navigation system and make it possible to link to other places within a Mag+ Issue or app. To create links that take the user to websites, refer to the article "Creating Web Links".

Jump links can take the user to:

Another space in the app, i.e., Issues, Help, etc.
Another place in the current Vertical — the top or to a specific object
Another app
Another Vertical in the current Issue

Note: Unless you specify that the link jumps to a specific object in another Vertical, the link will, by default, jump to the top of that Vertical.

How to Create a Jump Link

1. In InDesign, select the object that will serve as the Hotspot.

A Hotspot is the area a user taps to perform an action.

2. Go to the Mag+ Object Panel, make sure the Object Type is "Block" and click on the "Link" button.

After clicking the "Link" button, another box is created and automatically selected on the "Clickable Areas" layer. This new box specifies where the user can tap to follow the link. You can move or resize this new box as you wish.

Note: It is very important to know that objects will lose their Object ID when they are grouped/ungrouped. To fix this, just select the Clickable Area, note the "Ref. Obj ID" and enter it as the Object ID for the object you wish the Clickable Area to be connected to.

For an explanation of all the options you can set in the Mag+ Object panel, please read the article "Reference: Mag+ InDesign Plugin".

Go to the Mag+ Object Panel, make sure the Object Type is "Block" and click on the "Link" button.

3. In the Mag+ Object Panel, select "Jump Link" from the Hotspot Type pulldown menu.

Note: You must have the box on the Clickable Areas layer selected in order to set options for the Hotspot.

4. (Optional) In the Mag+ Object Panel, choose how the Hotspot acting as a Jump Link will be triggered.

Hotspots can be triggered in a variety of ways and the behavior is set in the Mag+ Object panel in the dropdown menu called Trigger. By default, the Trigger will be when someone taps the Hotspot area but other options include:

On Tap: The Hotspot will be triggered when a user taps on the Clickable Area box.
In View: The Hotspot will be triggered when the Clickable Area box comes into view on your layout.
Out of View: The Hotspot will be triggered when the Clickable Area box exits view on your layout.
Shake (iOS only): The Hotspot will be triggered when the Clickable Area box is in view on your layout and the user shakes the device.
None: There is no user-accessible trigger. The Hotspot will only be triggered by another Link.

5. Enter a path in the URL field to where the Jump Link will take the user.

The URL field specifies where the user will go when the Hotspot is tapped. There are a number of different options you can enter:

jump://$next : Go to the next Vertical in the issue
jump://$current/x123 : Go to the object with the ID "x123" in the current Vertical
jump://verticalA/x123: Go to object with the ID "x123" in the Vertical with the ID "Vertical A"

You can also link to other issues, iTunes Store items, and spaces within your app. To learn more about the different types of links you can enter in the URL field, read the article "Reference - URL Format for Links in Apps".

Note: The above syntax works for Mag+ 5.0 apps (both iOS and Android). For version 4.x apps, the syntax uses the old style "/$next/","//x123", "/verticalA/x123", etc.

How Links Work

When creating a Link you will have:

A frame on the C-Clickable Areas layer (called a Hotspot)
An original object on either the A- or B- layers that the Clickable Area references (Ref.Obj ID)

It is the Reference Object ID that tells the Clickable Area frame which object to "follow" when pinning or scrolling events occur. It is very important that the Reference Object ID of the Clickable Area frame actually exists.

Example: If a frame on the C-Clickable Areas layer (referred to as a Hotspot) has a "Ref.Obj ID" set to "a123", then there must be an object on either the A- or B- layers of the InDesign document with the Object ID "a123".

Important Notes About Links

Objects lose their set Object ID when grouped/ungrouped.
To fix this, just select the original Clickable Area frame, note the value of the "Ref.Obj ID" and paste it as the Object ID for the object or group you wish the Clickable Area to follow.
Clickable Areas can't reference objects that are transparent.
Clickable Areas will become disabled if referencing a transparent object because the object that activates the Clickable Area is invisible to the reader.