Links and references

Users can maintain the same data in more than one location using links, synchronizing copies by transferring the data across the link. For example, users can link information in two documents, where the source is a selection of cells in a spreadsheet and the destination is a table in a text processing component.

References are objects that support navigation between related data. They are especially useful as an organizational tool, because they enable navigation across components and documents.

With references, users can structure their information in more powerful, non-heirarchical organizations.

To realize the primary benefit of linking, developers must utilize this technology within their components. Both links and references can be presented in different ways within documents, depending on the data type and context. Linking examples include hypertext, annotation support, and cataloging schemes, such as a glossary or table of contents.