Once you have set up a collection of documents with cross-references implemented using the special forms of HTML anchor recognised by HTX, the next step is to link these documents together. This consists of editing the URLs in HTX cross-references so that they identify the current true location of the referenced files. No other URLs are touched during this process.
Linking hypertext documents is straightforward. Simply go to the directory containing the document collection (the document library) and use the command:
hlink
WARNING: this will modify your documents. If you are worried about this, then make a backup first.
The hlink command will display some informational messages as it links your documents and will warn you if you have referred to any cross-reference labels that do not exist. When it completes, you should be able to read your documents using any WWW browser and to follow all the cross-references that they contain.
When you change any of your documents, you can re-link them to accommodate the changes simply by using the hlink command again. Because no essential information is discarded during linking, this process can be repeated indefinitely. You do not need a fresh copy of the documents each time.
If the documents you want to link reside in more than one document library, then simply list the library directories on the command line, as follows:
hlink dir1 dir2 dir3
Remember that any other local documents that you refer to (but do not actually want to modify) should reside in libraries that appear on your HTX_PATH search path. If they do not, they will be regarded as remote documents and the URLs generated for them will invoke a remote document server. This is usually less efficient than referring directly to local files.