Google Chrome Hyperlink Text not working in Flex Viewer search

Question

Hi All

In my Flex Viewer for ArcGIS I seem to have a strange problem in the search query widget. In the datagrid of results I have a hyperlink text to a UNC path in my site.  This works well in Internet Explorer v8, but in Chrome and in Firefox the hyperlink text seems not to be recognised.  When you hover over the text the cursor changes to the hyperlink cursor type, but when you click it does not even attempt to open the link, it is as if you are clicking the row in another field (i.e. zooming to the selected row in the map).  The exact same site, row and search works in the data grid in IE but not in Chrome.

If anyone has come across this error, I would be very grateful for any advice on how to fix it, or whether this is a bug in the Flex / Flash plugin.

Many thanks

AndyKervell · Answer

In answer to my own question:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/cd02642c-8389-4563-9cd2-bae8a516c722.mspx?mfr=true

AndyKervell · Answer

Andy,

The advice is not to use UNC paths in web mapping applications! If you are using IIS than just setup a virtual directory to the path that way you have a real url that you can use in the hyperlink instead (cross browser friendly).

Many thanks for that advice, and I understand and concur with your point. However the reason for the UNC path is to link to document that can only be accessed on the internal LAN and is there for data security reasons. i.e. if you are not in the company network you cannot see the document ( and only if you have access rights to that directory).  I cannot put this data onto the web server or share an internal company drive on the web, and this mapping service is on the cloud and so it cannot be an intranet solution either.

I have just tested this by adding a hyperlink http:// text in the field, and you are correct as this weblink does then work in Chrome.  Therefore I will have to work out a way of connecting to this internal data resource securely with a virtual directory, any advice?

Many thanks again

rscheitlin · Answer

Andy,

The advice is not to use UNC paths in web mapping applications! If you are using IIS than just setup a virtual directory to the path that way you have a real url that you can use in the hyperlink instead (cross browser friendly).