Getting the `\pageref` out from under `hyperref`

Question

I thought I was pretty cool when I modified \ref to also print a page number when the referenced float was more than a few pages back. But I really want it to be a nice link using the hyperref package as well!

How can I modify my command so that it will cause the page number to also be a link?

\documentclass{report}

\usepackage{mwe}
% \usepackage[% Un-commenting this causes the page number not to appear
  % pagebackref=true,
  % ]{hyperref}

\usepackage{ifthen}
\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage{xspace}
\let\oldref\ref
\renewcommand\ref[1]{%
  \newcount\cnt
  \cnt=\thepage
  \advance\cnt by -2
  \ifthenelse{%
    \pageref{#1} < \cnt%
    }{%
    \oldref{#1}~p.\,\pageref{#1}\xspace%
    }{%
    \oldref{#1}%
    }%
  }


\begin{document}

\blindtext[1]
Figure~\ref{fig:example_image_a} 
%
\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{example-image-a}%
  \caption{
  example-image-a
  \label{fig:example_image_a}
  }
\end{figure}

\Blindtext[10][10]

Figure~\ref{fig:example_image_a}

\end{document}

Answer 1

hyperref overrules \ref, unless the new definition is in \AtBeginDocument

egreg will strike me down for keeping xspace ;-)

In addition: I doubt that \pageref{#1} will give a number at all, if it's inside the \ifthenelse expression.

I used \getpagerefnumber from refcount which provides a number which can be used in calculations.

Additionally, I shifted the allocation of \cnt outside of \ref -- otherwise there would be an allocation of a count register each time \ref is called!.

\documentclass{report}

\usepackage{mwe}

\usepackage[% Un-commenting this causes the page number not to appear
% pagebackref=true,
]{hyperref}


\usepackage{refcount}

\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage{xspace}
\let\oldref\ref

\newcount\cnt


\AtBeginDocument{%
   \renewcommand\ref[1]{%
     \cnt=\value{page}%
     \advance\cnt by -2
     \ifnum\cnt > \getpagerefnumber{#1}
     \oldref{#1}~p.\,\pageref{#1}\xspace%
     \else
     \oldref{#1}%
     \fi
    }
  }



\begin{document}

\blindtext[1]
Figure~\ref{fig:example_image_a} 
%
\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{example-image-a}%
  \caption{
  example-image-a
  \label{fig:example_image_a}
  }
\end{figure}

\Blindtext[10][10]

Figure~\ref{fig:example_image_a}

\end{document}

Answer 2

Rather than redefine \ref, you may want to look into loading the varioref package and using that package's \vref and \fullref macros. They basically do what your modified \ref macro does.

If the hyperref package is loaded as well, with \fullref the figure number (e.g., "n") and the page number (e.g, "m") are separate hypertargets. With \vref, the entire string [Figure] "n on page m" is a single hypertarget.

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{mwe}
\usepackage{varioref}
\usepackage[colorlinks]{hyperref}

\begin{document}
Figure \vref{fig:example_image_a} 

\blindtext[1]

\begin{figure}[h!]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{example-image-a}%
  \caption{example-image-a}\label{fig:example_image_a}
\end{figure}

\Blindtext[10]

Figure \fullref{fig:example_image_a}

Figure \vref{fig:example_image_a}
\end{document}

Answer 3

The following is a slightly different approach to Christian's. It creates an automated \label for each \ref in order to ensure that the page numbering will be accurate.

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{lipsum}% Just for this example
\usepackage{refcount,hyperref,graphicx}

\newcounter{refcnt}

\AtBeginDocument{%
  \let\oldref\ref
  \renewcommand\ref[1]{%
    \oldref{#1}% Place reference...
    \stepcounter{refcnt}\label{mark-\therefcnt}% Mark current \ref
    \ifnum\getpagerefnumber{mark-\therefcnt} > \numexpr\getpagerefnumber{#1}+2\relax
      \nobreakspace p.\,\pageref{#1}% ...conditionally place page ref
    \fi
  }%
}

\begin{document}
\sloppy% Just for this example
\lipsum[1]

Figure~\ref{fig:example_image}.

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{example-image}%
  \caption{example-image}\label{fig:example_image}
\end{figure}

\lipsum[2-15]

Figure~\ref{fig:example_image}.

\end{document}

The above approach only considers a reference backward of more than 2 pages. If the addition of a page number should be considered for a forward reference as well, that can be added.