Hyperlink to a Folder only

[RC]

Can I create a link in my email message that just takes the reader to a
folder on a shared network drive as opposed to a specific file? Reason is, I
have created an Outlook form for general distribution which asks people to go
to a folder to find a file. The folder will remain constant, but the file
might change depending on who I send the email to.

Thanks

[Brian Tillman]

RC <R...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

A UNC of the folder would work. I just sent myself a text string that
looked like this:

<\\server\volume\folder>

and when I clicked it, the folder opened.
--
Brian Tillman

[RC]

I don't understand what UNC stands for, but anyway, I created the following
<\\srv23\MedPhys\GroupDocuments> where srv23 = server; Med Phys = the 1st
folder in the tree; GroupDocuments = the 2nd folder in the tree. Although
it turned blue and looked lie a link - this path could not be found.
Now - I am not sure if the way the folder text is written is the cause of
the problem. For instance, server 23 in my tree directory actual is written
as T_drive on 'Srv23' . Hiwever, when you insert that exact text, because
it has spaces, the text turns black and is no longer a link.
Any further help would be appreciated.

[Brian Tillman]

RC <R...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I don't understand what UNC stands for, but anyway, I created the
> following <\\srv23\MedPhys\GroupDocuments> where srv23 = server;
> Med Phys = the 1st folder in the tree; GroupDocuments = the 2nd
> folder in the tree. Although it turned blue and looked lie a link -
> this path could not be found.
> Now - I am not sure if the way the folder text is written is the
> cause of the problem. For instance, server 23 in my tree directory
> actual is written as T_drive on 'Srv23' . Hiwever, when you insert
> that exact text, because it has spaces, the text turns black and is
> no longer a link.

UNC = "Universal Naming Convention". To the best of mu knowledge, you can't
use drive names in a UNC. Instead refer to the label on the physical device
on the server.

<\\servername\volumename\folder\folder>

Let's sat that there's a share "X" on a machine named "server23". Let's
also say share "X" is on a disk named "vol1" and points to the folder path
"\data1\data2" on that volume. If you were to map the drive "T" on your PC,
you'd map the drive to "\\server23\x" and your drive would show up as "X on
'server23' (T:)" in Windows Explorer. This won't work for a UNC you wish
to use as a link, however. You can't say <\\server23\x> in a message.
Instead you must fully-qualify the path, specifying
<\\server23\vol1\data1\data2>. If the UNC is enclosed in <>, Outlook should
treat it as a path even if it includes spaces.

Now, I don't know for sure if all the above is actually the definition of
how things work. I don't know Windows internals. I dio know, however, what
works for me based on the experimentation I've done and I tried my
suggestion to you before posting my original message. I created a plain
text message on a non-WIndows machine and sent it to Outlook account. The
actual UNC I used was

<\\fsgr01\Vol1\SHARE\Common\National Instruments>

When I received the above in Outlook, I clicked it, and the folder this
represents opened.
--
Brian Tillman

[dch3]

The string makes sense, however strange as it might sound, the users that I'm
working with really need a point and click solution if at all possible.