Working with files (media items)
HTML (web pages) vs. files (PDF, etc.)
Reading a web page online is generally a better experience than reading a file like a PDF. With a web page, the user can choose a font size so the text is easy to read, and the paragraphs are laid out to match the user's preference.
Some things to consider:
Files don't open in the browser on all platforms. On most mobile devices, a PDF needs to be downloaded and opened in a reader (time and data plan implications).
Files are more difficult to make accessible than web pages.
Files take more time to be updated and, if downloaded by the user, can't be updated at all.
Files don't “reflow” when zoomed in, forcing users to scroll and pan around to see all the content.
People link to web pages and share them more frequently than PDFs or other documents.
In general, content should be in the native medium whenever possible and on a website, that medium is HTML.
Need help converting a PDF into HTML?
Seehttps://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/WCMSKB/pages/43640160972
Like web pages, files inserted into WCMS pages have a URL of their own, are indexed by search engines, and can be bookmarked, downloaded or shared by site visitors.
On authentication-required sites, web pages require the user to be logged in to view, but files do not - anyone who knows the URL to the file can view it.
Naming files
Files should be given meaningful names and use the recommended URL format (all lowercase letters, no spaces or underscores, using dashes to separate words).
Note: all URLs default to lowercase formatting regardless of file name formatting.
Uploading a file to your site
See https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/WCMSKB/pages/43454628697
Replacing a file on your site
See https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/WCMSKB/pages/43819204851
Linking to files on your site
See https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/WCMSKB/pages/44030297068