Manage Presentation Hyperlinks in C++

What this page is about

Add, format, update, and remove hyperlinks in PowerPoint and OpenDocument presentations with Aspose.Slides for C++, using C++ examples.

Introduction

A hyperlink connects presentation content to a website or a location within the presentation. In PowerPoint, hyperlinks commonly serve two purposes:

Open a website from text, a shape, or a media frame.
Navigate to another slide, for example, from a table of contents.

Aspose.Slides for C++ lets you add these links, control their appearance and sound, update their settings, and remove them. The examples below show how to work with hyperlinks on individual elements and how to access hyperlinks at the presentation, slide, or text-frame level.

Note

You can also edit presentations with the free online Aspose PowerPoint editor.

Add URL Hyperlinks

You can assign a website URL to text, a shape, or a media frame. The element to which you assign the hyperlink determines the clickable area: a text portion links the selected text, while a shape or frame links the slide object.

Add URL Hyperlinks to Text

To link text to a website, create a Hyperlink and assign it with the text portion’s set_HyperlinkClick method, as shown below. Only that portion of text becomes clickable.

#include <DOM/Hyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraph.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraphCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortion.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ITextFrame.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();

auto textShape = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 600, 50, false);
textShape->AddTextFrame(u"Aspose: File Format APIs");
auto portionFormat = textShape->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraph(0)->get_Portion(0)->get_PortionFormat();
portionFormat->set_HyperlinkClick(System::MakeObject<Hyperlink>(u"https://www.aspose.com/"));
portionFormat->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_Tooltip(u"Explore Aspose file format APIs");
portionFormat->set_FontHeight(32);

presentation->Save(u"presentation-out.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

Add URL Hyperlinks to Shapes and Media Frames

To make a shape or frame clickable, use its set_HyperlinkClick method. The hyperlink belongs to the object itself rather than to a text portion inside it.

The same approach applies to picture, audio, and video frames: assign the hyperlink to the frame and use set_Tooltip to add a hint if needed.

The following example makes a rectangle clickable:

#include <DOM/Hyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();

auto shape = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 600, 50);

shape->set_HyperlinkClick(System::MakeObject<Hyperlink>(u"https://www.aspose.com/"));
shape->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_Tooltip(u"Explore Aspose file format APIs");

presentation->Save(u"presentation-out.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

Use Hyperlinks to Create a Table of Contents

Internal hyperlinks let readers jump from a table of contents to a specific slide. The following example uses SetInternalHyperlinkClick to link the “Page 2” text on the first slide to the second slide.

#include <DOM/FillType.h>
#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IColorFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IFillFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkManager.h>
#include <DOM/ILineFillFormat.h>
#include <DOM/ILineFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraph.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraphCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraphFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IPortion.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ITextFrame.h>
#include <DOM/Paragraph.h>
#include <DOM/Portion.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <drawing/color.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();

auto firstSlide = presentation->get_Slide(0);
auto secondSlide = presentation->get_Slides()->AddEmptySlide(firstSlide->get_LayoutSlide());

auto tableOfContents = firstSlide->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 40, 40, 300, 100);
tableOfContents->get_FillFormat()->set_FillType(FillType::NoFill);
tableOfContents->get_LineFormat()->get_FillFormat()->set_FillType(FillType::NoFill);
tableOfContents->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraphs()->Clear();

auto paragraph = System::MakeObject<Paragraph>();
paragraph->get_ParagraphFormat()->get_DefaultPortionFormat()->get_FillFormat()->set_FillType(FillType::Solid);
paragraph->get_ParagraphFormat()->get_DefaultPortionFormat()->get_FillFormat()->get_SolidFillColor()->set_Color(System::Drawing::Color::get_Black());
paragraph->set_Text(u"Title of slide 2 .......... ");

auto linkPortion = System::MakeObject<Portion>();
linkPortion->set_Text(u"Page 2");
linkPortion->get_PortionFormat()->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetInternalHyperlinkClick(secondSlide);

paragraph->get_Portions()->Add(linkPortion);
tableOfContents->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraphs()->Add(paragraph);

presentation->Save(u"link_to_slide.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

Format Hyperlinks

Color

The set_ColorSource method of IHyperlink determines whether a hyperlink uses the presentation’s hyperlink color or the text portion’s formatting. To apply a custom text color, select HyperlinkColorSource::PortionFormat and set the portion’s fill color. This feature was introduced in PowerPoint 2019; older versions do not apply this setting.

The following example adds two text hyperlinks to the same slide. The first uses a red text fill, while the second retains the default hyperlink color.

#include <DOM/FillType.h>
#include <DOM/Hyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/HyperlinkColorSource.h>
#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IColorFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IFillFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraph.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraphCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortion.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ITextFrame.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <drawing/color.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();

auto coloredShape = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 450, 50, false);
coloredShape->AddTextFrame(u"This hyperlink uses a custom color.");
auto coloredPortionFormat = coloredShape->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraph(0)->get_Portion(0)->get_PortionFormat();
coloredPortionFormat->set_HyperlinkClick(System::MakeObject<Hyperlink>(u"https://www.aspose.com/"));
coloredPortionFormat->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_ColorSource(HyperlinkColorSource::PortionFormat);
coloredPortionFormat->get_FillFormat()->set_FillType(FillType::Solid);
coloredPortionFormat->get_FillFormat()->get_SolidFillColor()->set_Color(System::Drawing::Color::get_Red());

auto defaultShape = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 200, 450, 50, false);
defaultShape->AddTextFrame(u"This hyperlink uses the default color.");
defaultShape->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraph(0)->get_Portion(0)->get_PortionFormat()->set_HyperlinkClick(System::MakeObject<Hyperlink>(u"https://www.aspose.com/"));

presentation->Save(u"presentation-out-hyperlink.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

Sound

A hyperlink can play a sound when activated or stop a sound that is already playing. Use the following methods to configure these behaviors:

IHyperlink::set_Sound specifies the audio associated with the hyperlink.
IHyperlink::set_StopSoundOnClick controls whether activating the hyperlink stops the previous sound.

Add a Hyperlink Sound

The following example loads sampleaudio.wav and associates it with a button on the first slide. Clicking the button plays the sound and navigates to the next slide. A second shape on that slide stops the previous sound when clicked, without performing a navigation action.

#include <DOM/Hyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IAudio.h>
#include <DOM/IAudioCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <system/io/file.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();

auto audioData = System::IO::File::ReadAllBytes(u"sampleaudio.wav");
auto hyperlinkSound = presentation->get_Audios()->AddAudio(audioData);

auto firstSlide = presentation->get_Slide(0);

auto playButton = firstSlide->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::SoundButton, 100, 100, 100, 50);
playButton->set_HyperlinkClick(Hyperlink::get_NextSlide());

if (!playButton->get_HyperlinkClick()->get_StopSoundOnClick() && playButton->get_HyperlinkClick()->get_Sound() == nullptr)
{
    playButton->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_Sound(hyperlinkSound);
}

auto secondSlide = presentation->get_Slides()->AddEmptySlide(firstSlide->get_LayoutSlide());

auto stopButton = secondSlide->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 100, 50);
stopButton->set_HyperlinkClick(Hyperlink::get_NoAction());

stopButton->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_StopSoundOnClick(true);

presentation->Save(u"hyperlink-sound.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

Extract a Hyperlink Sound

The following example opens the presentation created above and reads the first shape’s hyperlink audio into memory through get_Sound and get_BinaryData.

#include <DOM/IAudio.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IShape.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <system/console.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>(u"hyperlink-sound.pptx");

if (presentation->get_Slides()->get_Count() > 0 && presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shapes()->get_Count() > 0)
{
    auto hyperlink = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_Shape(0)->get_HyperlinkClick();
    auto sound = hyperlink != nullptr ? hyperlink->get_Sound() : nullptr;
    if (sound != nullptr)
    {
        auto audioData = sound->get_BinaryData();
        System::Console::WriteLine(u"Extracted {0} bytes of hyperlink audio.", audioData->get_Length());
    }
    else
    {
        System::Console::WriteLine(u"The first shape has no hyperlink sound.");
    }
}
else
{
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"The presentation has no first slide or shape to inspect.");
}

You can update the following IHyperlink settings through these methods after assigning a hyperlink to text or a shape:

set_Tooltip sets the text that a viewer can display as a hint for the link.
set_TargetFrame specifies the target frame within a parent HTML frameset, when applicable.
set_History controls whether activating the link adds its destination to the list of viewed hyperlinks.
set_HighlightClick controls whether the hyperlink is highlighted when clicked.

Remove Hyperlinks from Presentations

Use GetAnyHyperlinks to collect hyperlink containers, including text-portion links, before changing them. The following example removes both activation types from the first slide. To remove only one type, call only RemoveHyperlinkClick or RemoveHyperlinkMouseOver; removing a click action does not remove its mouse-over counterpart.

#include <DOM/IHyperlinkManager.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkQueries.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkContainer.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <system/console.h>
#include <system/collections/ilist.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>(u"pres.pptx");

if (presentation->get_Slides()->get_Count() > 0)
{
    auto containers = presentation->get_Slide(0)->get_HyperlinkQueries()->GetAnyHyperlinks();
    for (const auto& container : containers)
    {
        container->get_HyperlinkManager()->RemoveHyperlinkClick();
        container->get_HyperlinkManager()->RemoveHyperlinkMouseOver();
    }
    presentation->Save(u"pres-removed-hyperlinks.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);
}
else
{
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"The presentation has no slides to process.");
}

For unconditional removal, RemoveAllHyperlinks removes both activation types in the selected scope in one call. For selective cleanup and coverage of masters, layouts, and notes, see Report, Sanitize, and Verify Hyperlinks.

Build a Complete Hyperlink Inventory

Before distributing a presentation, inventory its interactive actions as well as its web links. GetAnyHyperlinks returns IHyperlinkContainer objects, not a flat list of URL strings. Inspect both get_HyperlinkClick and get_HyperlinkMouseOver on each container. They are independent: the same container can expose both actions, so a complete report needs up to two rows per container.

Scanning only shape-level hyperlinks can miss links attached to text portions. Query the appropriate scope instead, and retain the returned containers so that you can later update or remove their actions.

Query Presentation, Slide, and Text-Frame Scopes

The IHyperlinkQueries interface is available through IPresentation::get_HyperlinkQueries, IBaseSlide::get_HyperlinkQueries, and ITextFrame::get_HyperlinkQueries. Each scope supports the same queries:

GetHyperlinkClicks returns containers with a click action.
GetHyperlinkMouseOvers returns containers with a mouse-over action.
GetAnyHyperlinks returns containers with either or both actions.

The following example creates hyperlink-audit-input.pptx with an external click link, a file mouse-over link, internal slide navigation, a text mouse-over link, and a macro action. It does not execute any of these actions. The same three queries work at every scope; the counts describe containers, not action totals. The text-frame scope excludes the enclosing shape’s own links.

#include <DOM/IAutoShape.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkManager.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkQueries.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkContainer.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraph.h>
#include <DOM/IParagraphCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortion.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IShapeCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ITextFrame.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <DOM/ShapeType.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <system/console.h>
#include <system/collections/ilist.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

auto printCounts = [](System::String scope, System::SharedPtr<IHyperlinkQueries> queries)
{
    auto clickContainers = queries->GetHyperlinkClicks();
    auto mouseOverContainers = queries->GetHyperlinkMouseOvers();
    auto allContainers = queries->GetAnyHyperlinks();
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"{0}: click={1}, mouse-over={2}, any={3}", scope, clickContainers->get_Count(), mouseOverContainers->get_Count(), allContainers->get_Count());
};

auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>();
auto slide = presentation->get_Slide(0);
auto destination = presentation->get_Slides()->AddEmptySlide(slide->get_LayoutSlide());
auto shape = slide->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 20, 20, 400, 60);
shape->get_TextFrame()->set_Text(u"Click the text to go to slide 2");
shape->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetExternalHyperlinkClick(u"https://example.com/");
shape->get_HyperlinkClick()->set_Tooltip(u"Public website");
shape->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetExternalHyperlinkMouseOver(u"file:///C:/private/report.xlsx");

auto portionFormat = shape->get_TextFrame()->get_Paragraph(0)->get_Portion(0)->get_PortionFormat();
portionFormat->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetInternalHyperlinkClick(destination);
portionFormat->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetExternalHyperlinkMouseOver(u"https://example.com/help");
auto macroButton = slide->get_Shapes()->AddAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 20, 120, 200, 60);
macroButton->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetMacroHyperlinkClick(u"ReviewPresentation");

printCounts(u"Presentation", presentation->get_HyperlinkQueries());
printCounts(u"Slide 1", slide->get_HyperlinkQueries());
printCounts(u"Text frame", shape->get_TextFrame()->get_HyperlinkQueries());
presentation->Save(u"hyperlink-audit-input.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);

For this example, presentation and slide queries each report three click containers, two mouse-over containers, and three containers with either action. The text-frame query reports one container in each category.

Classify Actions and Destinations

Use IHyperlink::get_ActionType to interpret an action before interpreting its destination. The HyperlinkActionType values cover more than web navigation:

Values	Meaning for an audit
`Hyperlink`	External hyperlink; inspect the URL and its scheme.
`JumpSpecificSlide`	Internal navigation to a particular slide.
`JumpFirstSlide`, `JumpPreviousSlide`, `JumpNextSlide`, `JumpLastSlide`, `JumpLastViewedSlide`	Built-in slideshow navigation, resolved in slideshow context.
`JumpEndShow`, `StartCustomSlideShow`	End the current show or start a custom show.
`StartMacro`	Execute a macro.
`StartProgram`	Launch a program.
`OpenFile`, `OpenPresentation`	Open a file or another presentation; review separately from web URLs.
`StartStopMedia`	Start or stop media playback.
`NoAction`, `Unknown`	No navigation action, or an unrecognized action requiring review.

Read external destinations from get_ExternalUrl and specific internal destinations from get_TargetSlide. Internal actions and built-in commands may have no external URL; an empty URL does not mean that the container has no action. Preserve get_ExternalUrlOriginal when it differs from the normalized URL, and include the tooltip returned by get_Tooltip when available.

Report, Sanitize, and Verify Hyperlinks

The following C++ example reads an existing presentation (use the file created above), writes hyperlink-audit.json, applies a policy, saves hyperlink-sanitized.pptx, and reopens it to check both activation types again. It collects containers before changing them and uses pointer identity to avoid processing the same container twice. Presentation queries cover ordinary slides; for a package-wide inventory, it also explicitly queries masters, layouts, notes, and the notes and handout masters when present.

The report records a one-based slide index and get_SlideId where available. ISlideComponent::get_Slide supplies the owning slide for supported containers. Masters, layouts, and notes have no ordinary slide index and are identified by their scope. Shape containers and text-portion formatting containers are labeled separately; other container types retain their runtime type name. Each container gets a report-local ID so its two actions can be correlated.

This deliberately restrictive application policy allows only absolute HTTPS URLs and valid internal slide targets. It rejects macros, programs, file actions, other slideshow actions, unknown actions, and other URL schemes. These rejections are policy decisions, not an Aspose.Slides safety verdict. HTTPS alone does not establish trust: add host allowlists and other checks for your application. Both original and normalized external URLs are checked. The example audits metadata without following links or running actions.

For remediation, the container’s get_HyperlinkManager supports SetExternalHyperlinkClick, RemoveHyperlinkClick, and RemoveHyperlinkMouseOver. Here, prohibited external click links are replaced with a fixed HTTPS landing page; other prohibited clicks and prohibited mouse-over actions are removed independently. Set replaceExternalClicks to false to remove all policy violations instead. Choose an application-owned replacement page before deployment.

The report’s export flag uses a conservative PDF review policy: flag mouse-over actions and anything other than an external link or specific slide jump as potentially unsupported. It is a review hint, not a capability test or a guarantee that unflagged links will survive export. Supported PDF and HTML exports may preserve hyperlinks, depending on the action, export options, and viewer. Raster images and video cannot preserve interactive hyperlinks; flag every action when auditing for those outputs.

#include <DOM/Hyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/HyperlinkActionType.h>
#include <DOM/IBaseSlide.h>
#include <DOM/IGlobalLayoutSlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlink.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkManager.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkQueries.h>
#include <DOM/IHyperlinkContainer.h>
#include <DOM/ILayoutSlide.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterHandoutSlide.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterHandoutSlideManager.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterNotesSlide.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterNotesSlideManager.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterSlide.h>
#include <DOM/IMasterSlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/INotesSlide.h>
#include <DOM/INotesSlideManager.h>
#include <DOM/IPortionFormat.h>
#include <DOM/IPresentation.h>
#include <DOM/IShape.h>
#include <DOM/ISlide.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideCollection.h>
#include <DOM/ISlideComponent.h>
#include <DOM/Presentation.h>
#include <Export/SaveFormat.h>
#include <system/console.h>
#include <system/object_ext.h>
#include <system/uri.h>
#include <system/environment.h>
#include <fstream>
#include <sstream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <vector>
#include <unordered_set>
#include <system/collections/ilist.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides;
using namespace Aspose::Slides::Export;

const auto replaceExternalClicks = true;
const System::String replacementUrl = u"https://example.com/blocked-link";
auto presentation = System::MakeObject<Presentation>(u"hyperlink-audit-input.pptx");

auto collectContainers = [](System::SharedPtr<IPresentation> source)
{
    std::vector<System::SharedPtr<IHyperlinkContainer>> found;
    std::unordered_set<IHyperlinkContainer*> seen;
    auto addQueries = [&](System::SharedPtr<IHyperlinkQueries> queries)
    {
        auto containers = queries->GetAnyHyperlinks();
        for (const auto& container : containers)
        {
            if (seen.insert(container.get()).second) found.push_back(container);
        }
    };
    auto addScope = [&](System::SharedPtr<IBaseSlide> slide)
    {
        if (slide != nullptr) addQueries(slide->get_HyperlinkQueries());
    };
    addQueries(source->get_HyperlinkQueries());
    for (const auto& master : source->get_Masters()) addScope(master);
    for (const auto& layout : source->get_LayoutSlides()) addScope(layout);
    for (const auto& slide : source->get_Slides()) addScope(slide->get_NotesSlideManager()->get_NotesSlide());
    addScope(source->get_MasterNotesSlideManager()->get_MasterNotesSlide());
    addScope(source->get_MasterHandoutSlideManager()->get_MasterHandoutSlide());
    return found;
};

auto isHttps = [](System::String value)
{
    System::SharedPtr<System::Uri> uri;
    return System::Uri::TryCreate(value, System::UriKind::Absolute, uri) && uri->get_Scheme() == System::Uri::UriSchemeHttps;
};
auto policyViolation = [&](System::SharedPtr<IHyperlink> link) -> System::String
{
    if (link == nullptr) return u"";
    if (link->get_ActionType() == HyperlinkActionType::JumpSpecificSlide)
    {
        return link->get_TargetSlide() == nullptr ? u"Missing target slide" : u"";
    }
    if (link->get_ActionType() != HyperlinkActionType::Hyperlink) return u"Action is not allowed";
    if (!isHttps(link->get_ExternalUrl())) return u"Normalized URL is not absolute HTTPS";
    auto original = link->get_ExternalUrlOriginal();
    if (!original.IsNullOrEmpty() && !isHttps(original)) return u"Original URL is not absolute HTTPS";
    return u"";
};
auto slideIndex = [&](System::SharedPtr<IBaseSlide> slide)
{
    for (auto index = 0; index < presentation->get_Slides()->get_Count(); index++)
    {
        if (presentation->get_Slide(index) == slide) return index + 1;
    }
    return 0;
};
auto jsonString = [](System::String value)
{
    std::ostringstream escaped;
    escaped << '"';
    for (unsigned char character : value.ToUtf8String())
    {
        if (character == '"' || character == '\\') escaped << '\\' << character;
        else if (character < 0x20) escaped << "\\u" << std::hex << std::setw(4) << std::setfill('0') << static_cast<int>(character);
        else escaped << character;
    }
    escaped << '"';
    return escaped.str();
};
auto containers = collectContainers(presentation);
std::ofstream report("hyperlink-audit.json", std::ios::binary);
if (!report)
{
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"Cannot open the audit report for writing.");
    System::Environment::set_ExitCode(1);
    return;
}
auto rowCount = 0;
report << "[\n";
auto addRow = [&](System::SharedPtr<IHyperlink> link, System::String activation, System::SharedPtr<IHyperlinkContainer> container, size_t containerId)
{
    if (link == nullptr) return;
    auto component = System::AsCast<ISlideComponent>(container);
    auto ownerSlide = component != nullptr ? component->get_Slide() : nullptr;
    auto targetSlide = link->get_TargetSlide();
    auto violation = policyViolation(link);
    auto shape = System::AsCast<IShape>(container);
    auto portionFormat = System::AsCast<IPortionFormat>(container);
    auto ownerType = shape != nullptr ? System::String(u"Shape") : portionFormat != nullptr ? System::String(u"Text portion") : container->GetType().get_Name();
    auto ordinaryAction = link->get_ActionType() == HyperlinkActionType::Hyperlink || link->get_ActionType() == HyperlinkActionType::JumpSpecificSlide;
    auto ownerIndex = slideIndex(ownerSlide);
    auto targetIndex = slideIndex(targetSlide);
    if (rowCount++ != 0) report << ",\n";
    report << "  {\"ContainerId\":" << containerId;
    report << ",\"SlideIndex\":" << (ownerIndex != 0 ? std::to_string(ownerIndex) : "null");
    report << ",\"SlideId\":" << (ownerSlide != nullptr ? std::to_string(ownerSlide->get_SlideId()) : "null");
    report << ",\"Scope\":" << (ownerSlide != nullptr ? jsonString(ownerSlide->GetType().get_Name()) : "null");
    report << ",\"OwnerType\":" << jsonString(ownerType);
    report << ",\"Activation\":" << jsonString(activation);
    report << ",\"ActionType\":" << jsonString(System::ObjectExt::ToString(link->get_ActionType()));
    report << ",\"ExternalUrl\":" << jsonString(link->get_ExternalUrl());
    report << ",\"TargetSlideIndex\":" << (targetIndex != 0 ? std::to_string(targetIndex) : "null");
    report << ",\"TargetSlideId\":" << (targetSlide != nullptr ? std::to_string(targetSlide->get_SlideId()) : "null");
    report << ",\"Tooltip\":" << jsonString(link->get_Tooltip());
    report << ",\"OriginalExternalUrl\":" << (link->get_ExternalUrlOriginal() != link->get_ExternalUrl() ? jsonString(link->get_ExternalUrlOriginal()) : "null");
    report << ",\"PotentiallyUnsafe\":" << (!violation.IsNullOrEmpty() ? "true" : "false");
    report << ",\"PolicyViolation\":" << (!violation.IsNullOrEmpty() ? jsonString(violation) : "null");
    report << ",\"TargetExport\":\"PDF\",\"PotentiallyUnsupportedByExport\":" << (activation == u"mouse-over" || !ordinaryAction ? "true" : "false") << "}";
};
for (auto index = size_t{0}; index < containers.size(); index++)
{
    auto container = containers[index];
    addRow(container->get_HyperlinkClick(), u"click", container, index + 1);
    addRow(container->get_HyperlinkMouseOver(), u"mouse-over", container, index + 1);
}
report << "\n]\n";
report.close();
if (!report)
{
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"The audit report could not be written completely.");
    System::Environment::set_ExitCode(1);
    return;
}

for (const auto& container : containers)
{
    auto click = container->get_HyperlinkClick();
    if (!policyViolation(click).IsNullOrEmpty())
    {
        if (replaceExternalClicks && click->get_ActionType() == HyperlinkActionType::Hyperlink)
        {
            container->get_HyperlinkManager()->SetExternalHyperlinkClick(replacementUrl);
        }
        else
        {
            container->get_HyperlinkManager()->RemoveHyperlinkClick();
        }
    }
    if (!policyViolation(container->get_HyperlinkMouseOver()).IsNullOrEmpty())
    {
        container->get_HyperlinkManager()->RemoveHyperlinkMouseOver();
    }
}
presentation->Save(u"hyperlink-sanitized.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);
auto reopened = System::MakeObject<Presentation>(u"hyperlink-sanitized.pptx");
auto remainingContainers = collectContainers(reopened);
auto violations = 0;
for (const auto& container : remainingContainers)
{
    if (!policyViolation(container->get_HyperlinkClick()).IsNullOrEmpty()) violations++;
    if (!policyViolation(container->get_HyperlinkMouseOver()).IsNullOrEmpty()) violations++;
}
System::Console::WriteLine(u"Audit rows: {0}; prohibited actions after reopening: {1}", rowCount, violations);
if (violations != 0)
{
    System::Console::WriteLine(u"Verification failed: do not distribute the saved presentation.");
    System::Environment::set_ExitCode(1);
}

With the input created above, the report contains five action rows. The file mouse-over link and macro click are removed, while the HTTPS links and internal slide navigation remain. The verification prints zero prohibited actions. An input containing a prohibited external click URL also exercises the replacement branch. A container with an allowed click and a prohibited mouse-over keeps its click action.

This selective cleanup differs from RemoveAllHyperlinks, which removes both activation types throughout the selected scope regardless of policy. Verification here checks hyperlink actions only; it does not remove embedded VBA projects, OLE objects, or other active content, and it does not validate an exported PDF or HTML file.

FAQ

How can I link to a section or its first slide?

Sections in PowerPoint group slides, but an internal hyperlink targets an individual slide. To create navigation to a section, link to the first slide in that section.

Can I attach a hyperlink to master slide elements so it works on all slides?

Yes. Master slide and layout elements support hyperlinks. Links on these elements are available during the slide show on slides that use the corresponding master or layout.

Will hyperlinks be preserved when exporting to PDF, HTML, images, or video?

Supported PDF and HTML exports may preserve hyperlinks; raster images and video cannot. See the export considerations in Report, Sanitize, and Verify Hyperlinks.

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