Overview

You can upload PDFs to be linked in your pages. You can also select PDFs that have already been uploaded elsewhere on your site and link to them.

Table of Contents

Steps

Inserting PDFs using the "Link" icon

Step 1: Select Your Text to Be Linked to the PDF

From within a page or piece of content with a text editor, type and select the text you want the PDF or doc to link to.

Step 2: Click the Chain Icon

This is the same icon you click when you want to insert a link to a page on your site, or on another site.

Step 3: Click the "Open File Browser" text

This brings up IMCE, the File Manager.

Step 4: Select Your File

If your file is already in the File Manager, you can click on it and hit the "Select" option at the top.

If you don't see it, you can upload the file from your desktop.

Click "Upload" and "Add File."

I'm uploading and linking to this Color Guide PDF.

Your pdf will need  need to be 2 megabytes or smaller to be uploaded. Here's a tutorial on reducing the pdf file size, if your file is too large.

I actually re-saved the original of this using Adobe Acrobat's "Save as Reduced Size PDF" option. 431kb is small enough.

Click on your newly uploaded PDF and click "Select."

You'll see the url to the PDF.
'Save' your link.

Step 5: View Link

It now appears in the document.

Step 6: Save Your Document

Test your link.

Your browser settings will determine whether the PDF appears in the browser or downloads automatically.

Inserting PDFs using the "File" icon

If you know your PDF isn't on the site already, you can bypass the File Manager altogether.

Step 1: Select the Text You Want to Link to pdf

Step 2: Click on the Paperclip Icon that Says "File."

This takes you straight to your desktop to upload a file.

Click on 'Choose File'

Step 3: Select a File from Your Desktop

Step 4: Click 'Save'

Step 5: Save Your Document

Step 6: Test Your Link

Getting a File to Appear in the Menu Structure

Let's say you want a PDF or other file to exist in the menu somewhere, not on a page. Follow the instructions below to add the PDF.

Step 1: Create a Basic Page

Go to Add Content and Select Basic Page.

You can use any content type with the text editor field, really.

Step 2: Upload a PDF

Upload a PDF using the instructions above for Inserting a PDF File Via the Link Icon, or the one Using the File Button.

Step 3: Save the Page as Unpublished

Make sure that the box next to Published is not checked and click on 'Save.'

Having a page, even if unpublished, tells Drupal that the file is permanent rather than temporary.

Step 4: View Files

Go to Content and click on the 'Files' tab. If you don't see this "Files" tab, put in a ticket to the web team via helpdesk.franklin.uga.edu.

Step 5:View File

Under the files tab, we see our recently uploaded file.

Step 6: Get the URL

Click on the file to get the url. We only want the part after the .edu. So starting at "/sites/default/files/etc..."

 Step 7: Add Link

Go to the Menu Structure and Click "Add Link."

You can access via Structure >> Menus >> Main Menu, or via the Shortcut links in the main menu.

For more information on working with menus, click here. 

Step 8: Save Link

Paste your url, Give the Link a Title, and Decide Where it Will Go. Save the Link.

Step 9: View Your PDF in the Menu Structure

Deleting PDFs Permanently

To remove PDFs and other files permanently, from the File Manager, select a File and click on delete. Or, follow my instructions here: How to delete files in Drupal 8 or Drupal 7Delete Files