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URL Checking performs the following functions:

• Identifies URLs in the document (regardless of whether they are already Word hyperlinks)

• Converts them to clickable hyperlinks, if they are not already clickable, by turning them into Word Hyperlink fields

• Automatically corrects common problems with special characters or spaces found in URLs

• Checks on the Web to determine whether the link is valid

Valid URLs are not flagged.

URLs that return any HTTP error code other than 200 (i.e., ones with no HTTP error) will have a Word comment inserted and provide an indication of the error encountered in attempting to follow the link.

URL Validation will also try to fix some cases of URLs that contain invalid characters or spaces, as sometimes happens during the editing process.

eXtyles will also silently correct URLs where the only difference is http vs. https. In those cases, after URL Validation has successfully completed a message such as the following will appear:

How to use

To use URL Checking:

1. Run eXtyles up through (at least) Bibliographic Reference Processing.

2. Select eXtyles > Advanced Processing > URL Checking.

Reviewing comments

Redirected URLs

Experience has shown that the most common warning from URL Checking is that a URL has been redirected to a different final URL. There are many reasons for this, including:

• A website has been reorganized and the (wise) webmaster has automatically redirected old URLs to the new pages.
  In cases such as this, you may want to update the URL in the document to reflect the most current URL.

• A “vanity” URL has been used.

In other words, when a URL is redirected, we recommend keeping in the document the URL that will likely have the longest life.

• Some URLs are always redirected.

In cases like the above example, the redirect warning can be ignored.

Limitations of URL Checking

URL Checking has the following limitations:

• If a hyperlink has no comment after URL Checking, there’s no guarantee that it points to a working page.
  Some websites redirect links for now-dead pages to a standard page that indicates a page has moved. For critical cases, there is still no substitute for a manual check of each page.

• A Word hyperlink with an underlying “mailto” property, indicating that the hyperlink is an email address, will not be validated.

Connection Error Codes

When URL Validation encounters a connection error, it inserts a warning with a corresponding error code:

Connection Failures

Connection Status Errors