[Tex/LaTex] \hyperref fails when cross-referencing between different files

cross-referencingerrorshyperrefmiktexxr

I am working on a multi-volume project where different volumes contain hyperlinks to other volumes. I use a technique described on this web-site in a number of posts, see e.g., Cross-referencing between different files and Smart cross-references between 2 volumes using Zref package .

I remember that it worked fine in the past but recently I noted that a hyperlink to another file opens it on a last opened page rather than on a desired destination page. Here are not so small working examples which I made to test this problem. I compile these files to pdf with pdflatex or xetex.

File A.tex:

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage[user,xr]{zref}
%\usepackage{zref-xr}
\usepackage{xr-hyper}
\externaldocument[B-]{B}
\zexternaldocument[B-]{B}

\usepackage{hyperref}
\begin{document}

empty page

\newpage
\section{Dittmer}\label{Dittmer}\zlabel{Dittmer}

Dittmer

\newpage
\section{Langmuir}\label{Langmuir}\zlabel{Langmuir}

Langmuir

\newpage
\section{References}

\hyperref[Dittmer]{hyperref to Dittmer} on page \pageref{Dittmer}, \zpageref{Dittmer}

\hyperref[Langmuir]{hyperref to Langmuir} on page \pageref{Langmuir}, \zpageref{Langmuir}

\hyperref[B-Shafranov]{hyperref to B-Shafranov} on page \pageref{B-Shafranov}, \zpageref{B-Shafranov}

\hyperref[B-Stupakov]{hyperref to B-Stupakov} on page \pageref{B-Stupakov}, \zpageref{B-Stupakov}

\end{document}

File B.tex:

%\providecommand{\reverseit}[1]{#1}
\documentclass{book}
\usepackage[user,xr]{zref}
%\usepackage{zref-xr}
\usepackage{xr-hyper}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\externaldocument[A-]{A}
\zexternaldocument[A-]{A}
%\externaldocument[V4-]{PlasmaBook4}

\begin{document}

empty page 

\newpage
\section{Shafranov}\label{Shafranov}\zlabel{Shafranov}

Shafranov

\newpage
\section{Stupakov}\label{Stupakov}\zlabel{Stupakov}

Stupakov

\newpage
\section{References}

\hyperref[A-Dittmer]{hyperref to A-Dittmer} on page \pageref{A-Dittmer}, \zpageref{A-Dittmer}

\hyperref[A-Langmuir]{hyperref to A-Langmuir} on page \pageref{A-Langmuir}, \zpageref{A-Langmuir}

\hyperref[Shafranov]{hyperref to Shafranov} on page \pageref{Shafranov}, \zpageref{Shafranov}

\hyperref[Stupakov]{hyperref to Stupakov} on page \pageref{Stupakov}, \zpageref{Stupakov}

\end{document}

I have no idea what became broken in this technique. Any advice would be most appreciated. \refpage, \zrefpage print correct page numbers in different files but hyperlinks by \refpage and \hyperref open different file of a wrong page. I tried sumatrapdf and adobe accrobat to browse pdf files.

UPDATE: Finally, I found that \hyperref does not operate as desired on external document if PDFs were compiled under MiKTeX (either by xelatex or pdflatex). When compiled by TeX Live everything works as intended! So this seems to be bug in MiKTeX.

UPDATE 2017-02-13: Today I've checked that the above described problem is absent with the most recent versions of MikTex and TeXlive.

Best Answer

A.tex: Package xr-hyper needs to be loaded before hyperref but \externaldocument should be given after loading hyperref:

\usepackage{xr-hyper}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\externaldocument[B-]{B}

Contents of file `CommonMacros.tex`:

\newcommand*{\SolutionBook}{SoluBook.pdf}
\newcommand*{\ExerciseBook}{MainBook.pdf}

\newcommand*{\exercisename}[1]{Exercise~#1.}
\newcommand*{\exercisecategory}{exercise}
\newcommand*{\solutionname}[1]{Solution of Exercise~#1.}
\newcommand*{\solutioncategory}{solution}

% In the following two commands, #1 stands for the part that is to be made
% clickable:
\newcommand*{\seeexercisephrase}[1]{See exercise #1.}
\newcommand*{\seesolutionphrase}[1]{See solution #1.}
\newcommand*{\herename}{here}

\newcommand*{\exesolubreak}{%
    \addpenalty{-200}%
    \addvspace{\bigskipamount}%
}

\newcounter{exercise}[section]
\renewcommand*{\theexercise}{\thesection.\arabic{exercise}}
\newenvironment*{exercise}{%
    \exesolubreak
    \noindent
    \refstepcounter{exercise}%
    \hyperdef{\exercisecategory}{\theHexercise}%
        {\textbf{\exercisename{\theexercise}}}%
    \nobreak\quad
    \ignorespaces
}{%
    \par
    \nobreak\smallskip
    \begingroup
        \footnotesize
        \noindent
        \seesolutionphrase{%
            \hyperref{\SolutionBook}{\solutioncategory}{\theHexercise}%
                {\herename}%
        }%
        \par
    \endgroup
    \addvspace{\bigskipamount}%
}

% In a real-life example, the two books would "communicate" through some sort 
% of auxiliary file; here, we assume that each solution correspond to the 
% exercise with the same number.
\newcounter{solution}[section]
\renewcommand*{\thesolution}{\thesection.\arabic{solution}}
\newenvironment*{solution}{%
    \exesolubreak
    \noindent
    \refstepcounter{solution}%
    \hyperdef{\solutioncategory}{\theHsolution}%
        {\textbf{\solutionname{\thesolution}}}%
    \nobreak\quad
    \ignorespaces
}{%
    \par
    \nobreak\smallskip
    \begingroup
        \footnotesize
        \noindent
        \seeexercisephrase{%
            \hyperref{\ExerciseBook}{\exercisecategory}{\theHsolution}%
                {\herename}%
        }%
        \par
    \endgroup
    \addvspace{\bigskipamount}%
}

Contents of file `MainBook.tex`:

% My standard header for TeX.SX answers:
\documentclass[a4paper]{article} % To avoid confusion, let us explicitly 
                                 % declare the paper format.

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}         % Not always necessary, but recommended.
% End of standard header.  What follows pertains to the problem at hand.

\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\input{CommonMacros}



\begin{document}

\section{Some argument}

\lipsum[1-2]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[3]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[4-6]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[7-8]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[9]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}



\section{Another argument}

\lipsum[10]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[11-12]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[13]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[14]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\lipsum[15-16]

\begin{exercise}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{exercise}]
\end{exercise}

\end{document}

Contents of file `SoluBook.tex`:

% My standard header for TeX.SX answers:
\documentclass[a4paper]{article} % To avoid confusion, let us explicitly 
                                 % declare the paper format.

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}         % Not always necessary, but recommended.
% End of standard header.  What follows pertains to the problem at hand.

\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\input{CommonMacros}



\begin{document}

\section{Some argument}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}



\section{Another argument}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\begin{solution}
    \lipsum*[1\arabic{solution}]
\end{solution}

\end{document}

Now, compile the files MainBook.tex and SoluBook.tex. Ignore warnings about duplicate destinations, they are absolutely normal since more than one exercise/solution winds up on the same page. The resulting two files MainBook.pdf and SoluBook.pdf should exhibit the requested behavior.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Lyx cross refernce to figures not working when there is a new line between caption and label

[Tex/LaTex] Cross-referencing between local files with \href

Contents of file CommonMacros.tex:

Contents of file MainBook.tex:

Contents of file SoluBook.tex:

Related Question

Contents of file `CommonMacros.tex`:

Contents of file `MainBook.tex`:

Contents of file `SoluBook.tex`: