Include external clickable link in Comment node

General
1

For one of my node example imports I would like to show in the editor a clickable link to take the user to my external site for a detailed description of how to use the example. I tried using a Comment node and in there putting something like this in the Name field.
Click [this](https:mysite.com) for full details. Or <a href="https://mysite.com">Full Details</a>
That just shows as plain text in the editor though.

However, if I put that in the description field and click on the Information icon on the node then the popup text does include functioning links. Unfortunately I really want the link immediately visible as most users won't know to click on the Info icon so that is not ideal.

Is there any way (using core nodes) that I can get a clickable link immediately visible in the editor?

2

No it's not possible - AFAIK.

You mean that when clicking on the doc icon, the user is sent to the link immediately and not shown the popover with the info description with the link?

I was thinking of RED.view.annotations.register(..)[1] but that does not have an option for making a badge clickable (except the docu icon but that can only render the popover). Else it would be perfect for creating a "link" badge that when clicked on, would redirect to the site behind the link.

  1. That's responsible for generating those badges (i.e. error, changed, docu, etc) on the nodes. ↩︎

3

No, ideally the link should be made immediately visible on importing the example flow. Most users won't know that clicking the doc icon is something they should contemplate.

Maybe the best I can do is to put the link just as text in the comment node Name field so they can copy it out to the browser, and put a link in the doc popover so that it is there if they do click on that.

4

Ah ok, then I can remember the nesting of groups and setting different background colours to really highlight the link

Screenshot 2026-06-23 at 11.43.21
Screenshot 2026-06-23 at 11.43.21371×226 2.54 KB

:wink:

[{"id":"cb432282358777d6","type":"group","z":"a2c5404d67ad4c2c","name":"","style":{"stroke":"#ff0000","label":true},"nodes":["0dd5bf0369946d43"],"x":571.9640197753906,"y":624.32470703125,"w":336,"h":186},{"id":"0dd5bf0369946d43","type":"group","z":"a2c5404d67ad4c2c","g":"cb432282358777d6","name":"","style":{"fill":"#ff7f7f","label":true},"nodes":["65d67f0b70b29df1"],"x":597.9640197753906,"y":650.32470703125,"w":284,"h":134},{"id":"65d67f0b70b29df1","type":"group","z":"a2c5404d67ad4c2c","g":"0dd5bf0369946d43","name":"","style":{"fill":"#ffffff","label":true},"nodes":["a8e5375d8902ac4e"],"x":623.9640197753906,"y":676.32470703125,"w":232,"h":82},{"id":"a8e5375d8902ac4e","type":"comment","z":"a2c5404d67ad4c2c","g":"65d67f0b70b29df1","name":"https://google.com","info":"[link](https://google.com)","x":739.9640197753906,"y":717.32470703125,"wires":[]}]
5

No one is going to miss that, certainly.

6

Can you not include the info in a comment node now that they support better markdown and the info icon ? I’m not sure we want to encourage links out to “random” 3rd party web sites (no offence) both of which could be exploited security wise

7

Possibly, I am looking at that. I need it externally anyway as a standalone tutorial (for PID tuning) so then I end up with maintaining it in two places, which is always a bad idea unless unavoidable.

Images would still need to be external would they not?

8

Drag & drop into the info/description editor causes them to be inlined but bloating the flows.json file.

9

I think that would be too much bloat. External links are probably better.