HYPERLINK Function (OpenOffice Calc)

• Introduced: First release not established; documented by OpenOffice.org 3.3.
• Supported in: Registered and implemented in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16. No retirement is established.
• Scope: Desktop Calc with English semicolon-separated formulas. The described behavior is tied to the inspected version.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. Function-specific source and documentation were inspected. No target was opened. No native example is claimed.

The destination and the displayed cell value are separate. A friendly label can hide a long URL, but it does not change where the link leads. The official guide describes opening the hyperlink when its cell is clicked; click behavior, browser integration and target availability were not tested here.

HYPERLINK(URL[; CellText])

Square brackets mark optional arguments; do not type them. URL supplies the destination as text or through a cell containing text. CellText is optional. The inspected callback preserves a text label as text and a numeric label as a number. A reference to a truly empty label cell follows a zero-valued path, while an explicit empty string remains an empty string. Versioned argument description.

These examples explain the inspected code and documented contract. They were not executed. The reserved example.invalid URLs are placeholders and were not activated.

For the last three examples, put the literal text https://example.invalid/report in A2, Quarterly report in B2 and numeric 125 in C2; leave D2 genuinely empty. The .invalid destination is an inert documentation placeholder and is not a working report address.

Keeping destination and label in separate columns makes a link list easier to audit. A row labelled Quarterly report should still be checked against its stored destination before anyone follows it. A readable label does not authenticate a site or make a file trustworthy.

If a label should disappear when a source field is empty, supply an explicit empty string deliberately rather than assuming a blank referenced cell has the same result. The two paths are distinct in the inspected callback.

Internally, the callback constructs a one-column, two-row matrix. Its first entry holds the visible label value and its second entry holds the URL. That implementation detail explains how Calc can retain a numeric display value separately from the destination; it is not an instruction to enter HYPERLINK as a two-cell array.

For a referenced label, the source checks empty data, errors, numeric data and text. A referenced error is carried into the result rather than silently becoming a harmless label. A missing optional argument supplied through an explicit missing-argument token also follows a numeric-zero path, whereas omitting the second argument entirely uses the URL.

A destination assembled with CONCATENATE is still just text until used as a link target. Check the completed string for unwanted spaces, separators and parameters. Constructing a plausible-looking URL does not verify that the destination exists or is safe. Inspected callback.

Exactly one or two arguments are accepted. The guide’s table gives source-derived label values and types, not screenshots or observed cell rendering. Number formatting can affect the visible representation of a numeric label.

No external target was opened. Download behavior, local-file handling, browser choice, authentication and access permissions are outside this review. A hyperlink is also distinct from DDE: HYPERLINK identifies a destination for navigation, while DDE requests linked data from another application.

If a label is misleading or a target is unexpected, inspect the formula or the source cells before activating it. Do not rely on the visible wording alone.

CONCATENATE, CELL, ISBLANK.

• Complete 4.1.16 function implementation
• English native-name registration
• Function description and arguments
• Official AOO4 spreadsheet-function guide

The review covers the documented syntax and exact retained 4.1.16 implementation. Navigation, browser handling and actual cell rendering were not tested.