and the Preview or the actual rendered HTML in my browser looks correct:
But in fact the links do not work - I get some version of what the link should be prefaced by a reference to my local file structure. Why might this be:
Why don’t you make a document with this sample note and its templates and prototypes, and post that here? Or send it to tinderbox@eastgate.com if that’s better for you.
The problem is that, in your HTML, you’re surrounding the URL with typographic or “curly” quotes. HTML requires straight quotes.
If you’re typing HTML into the text of a note, it’s usually best to turn off Smart Quotes: Format ▸ Text ▸ Smart Quotes, or set the attribute $SmartQuotes of the note to false.