The Hyperlink tool makes Inspiration easy to link to files created either with Inspiration, with another application or information held on a website.

In the example opposite students have to study population figures held in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet accessed from within an Inspiration file - Population and Migration file .

Assuming the relevant file is already saved in electronic format, preferably in a folder in the same directory as the hyperlinked Inspiration file, just enter some text or select a suitable image from the Symbol Palette to be the hyperlink object. Select this text or object as shown opposite and click on the Hyperlink tool icon.

Choose the appropriate file option from the options shown:

and click on Select File to direct Inspiration to where the file is stored. Finish by clicking the OK button.

Let's look at a series of Inspiration files which are opened from one Inspiration file and which, in turn, have associated PowerPoint files and links to websites representing three of the options available from selecting the Hyperlink tool.

The files are a study of the New Deal introduced by Franklin D. Roosevelt to mid 1930s U.S.A. and form part of the Higher History course covered in Scottish high schools with students of 17 years and above. (The U.S.A. from 1919 to 1969.)

Debbie Donnelly, a History teacher at Kirkland H.S., Fife worked closely with Jim Birney to produce a PowerPoint offering a comprehensive coverage of the main features of the New Deal. Her students appreciated the media rich presentation and a year on from completing the PowerPoint file it was decided to see if Inspiration could offer an alternative approach to the topic.

However, rather than treating the different applications separately, linking them through the Hyperlink tool has opened the topic to new interpretations and Inspiration is used as both a visual learning tool and as a menu to the different features of a quite complex association of related initiatives.

The links could be extended to include hyperlinks to other media files such as Quick Time movies and interactive exercises created by applications such as Hot Potatoes. This has already been developed for a study of the British Suffragist Movement included in this website.

The six key statements have sub sections which can be opened using Inspiration's link tool. There are hyperlinks to the Alphabet Agencies and an analysis of whether or not the New Deal was a success or a failure, both Inspiration files.

To keep the text to the minimum these files have used the Note tool to provide more information such as shown below.