Document Actions
Uploading and Linking to PDFs in Plone
1. Type the text you want to turn into a link. I type "This is the link to my PDF document"
2. Highlight that text:
3. Click the Link icon, which looks like a globe with chain link in front of it:
4. The Link window appears. Click the Browse Server button.
5. The Resource Browser appears. Click on the documents folder in the center of the window.
Attention!
It is VERY important that you click on the documents folder. If you put your PDF anywhere besides the documents folder or a folder within the documents folder, your users will be asked for a username and password when they try to download your document.
5. Now you need to upload your PDF to this folder. Click on the Browse button at the bottom of the window.
6. Locate the image that you want to upload. Click it once to select it and then click Open.
7. At the bottom of the Resource Browser, type a title in the Set the title field and click
Upload.
8. Your PDF is uploaded to your documents folder. Select it by clicking on it once.
9. You are returned to the Link window. Click OK.
10. You are returned to your page. Scroll down and click Save. Your text is now a link to your PDF!
A note about PDFs
Portable Document Files (PDFs, made famous by Adobe Acrobat) revolutionized the web when they were originally introduced. Since that time, however, they’ve become sadly overused. Here’s how to avoid misusing the PDF:
- PDFs are good for documents that will be printed. However, they should not be used instead of simple HTML to describe information on a computer screen. Learn more >>
- PDFs are difficult to read on screen – they don’t adapt to your user’s window size or font
- PDF files tend to be significantly larger than HTML files presenting the same information, making it difficult or impossible for users with lowbandwidth connections to view them.
- Adobe Reader, which most people use to view PDFs, has a history of slow speed and browser crashing.
- A document designed solely to be printed
- An interactive form such as an order form
- A document with footnote, endnotes, or sidenotes
- A scanned document (but be careful here, because scanned documents are not accessible to those with sight disabilities).
- A legally restricted format, such as tax forms
To be kind to your users and make your page accessible to everyone, duplicate your PDF’s content in a normal HTML page so that people can access the information in a way that does not require them to download a file.