How Link Fields Work (Anchor Text, URLs, Exports, and Bulk Updates)

Included in this Article:

Introduction

Link Fields allow you to store clickable links directly on your records — such as FindAGrave memorial pages, obituary URLs, or any other external resources. A Link Field includes two parts:

  • Anchor Text (the text the user clicks on)
  • URL (the link destination)

These fields can be added anywhere custom fields are available, including Burials, Plots, and People.

This article explains how Link Fields behave in Cemify, how anchor text works, how they appear in exports, and how Cemify can update them for you during a bulk import.

Link Fields are stored internally in a single combined value:

anchor_text||url  

Examples:

  • "Open||https://example.com"  
  • "View Record||https://example.com/memorial/12345"  
  • "||https://example.com"   (blank anchor; default anchor text will be used)

If the anchor text is left blank, Cemify automatically applies the Default Anchor Text configured for that field when displaying the link in the UI.

Default Anchor Text

When creating a Link Field (for example, “FindAGrave Link”), you can define a Default Anchor Text, such as:

  • “Open”
  • “View Memorial”
  • “Visit Page”

This default will be shown unless you manually override the anchor text on an individual record.

You can override the anchor text when you want a more descriptive or specific label for a particular link — for example, changing “Open” to “View Obituary” or “War Record,” depending on the resource you’re linking to. Most cemeteries use the default anchor text for all records, but individual overrides are available when needed.

To keep things consistent and compact, Link Fields appear in exports as a single column that contains both values:

AnchorText||URL  

Examples:

  • Open||https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12345  
  • View Memoriam||https://obits.example.com/record/9988  
  • ||https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55555   (blank anchor, default applies)

Why anchor text is not a separate column:

Because Link Fields are stored as one combined value internally, exports reflect this same structure.

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