Adding a PDF to Your Website

PDFs are the preferred file type for documents that you wish to share on your website, because they are universally accessible across all types of devices. There are several different ways that you can add a PDF in Site Manager:

• Within the Content Editor - link to your PDF right within your text, great for an additional link for important PDFs
• In your Navigation - for the most important PDFs
• Resource Content List Tool - ideal for multiple PDFs, such as newsletters, allows for a description to be included
• Links List tool - several options for how to display your links, ideal for multiple links

You can also combine multiple methods to give your users a couple of different paths to get your PDF. For example, if you have a link to your Vacation Bible School registration PDF built into your navigation, it may also make sense to link to it from the content editor where you are talking about the details of Vacation Bible School.

Important Note: Whether the PDFs open within the browser or automatically download will depend on your end-users browser / device settings, no matter the method used for adding the PDF. This cannot be controlled by Site Manager.

Linking within the Content Editor

Building a link right inside the content editor tool* is ideal when you are adding a single link, not a recurring set of links. 

1. Login to Site Manager.
2. Navigate to the page with your content editor tool, or where you would like to add one.
3. Click on the Content Editor's Tool Menu and choose "Update Content" if existing, or add a new content editor by choosing it from the "Select a Tool to Add" drop down menu.
4. Type the text that you would like for your PDF file. Highlight/select this text. 
5. Click on the link icon. 
6. In the link properties, click on "Browse File Uploads". 
7. Click on the "Files" folder on the left side of the File Uploads window. 
8. If your PDF is already in the file uploads, move forward to step 10. If not, click on "Upload" at the top to upload your file. 
9. Browse on your computer to find and select the PDF.
10. Double click on your selected PDF.
11. In the link properties, click on the target tab. 
12. Select "New Window (_blank)" for the desired target.
13. Click "OK" to close the window.
14. Click "Update" to add your content editor with the link.

Building a PDF Link in your Navigation

You have the option to build PDFs in your site navigation, so that they appear in the navigation links (level 1, 2 or 3) with your pages. If you build your PDFs as level 1 links, they will appear in your drop down menus; however, this should be reserved for only the most important links (not recommended for forms, printable views, etc.). You can also nest PDFs under pages in your navigation by building them as level 2 or 3 links. 

1. Login in to Site Manager.
2. Hover over "Tool Databases" and click on "File Uploads".
3. Click on the "Files" folder on the left side.
4. If your PDF is already in the file uploads, move forward to step 6. If not, click on "Upload" to upload your file. 
5. If uploading a new file, browse on your computer to find and select the PDF.
6. Right click on the PDF you are adding and choose "Select".
7. This will open up a new window with the URL for your PDF. Copy the URL for your PDF. 
8. From Navigation Builder, click Add Link.
9. For Link Name, enter in the name that you would like your link to have in your navigation.
10. For Link URL, remove "http://www." and paste in your copied URL.
11. For Link Type, select "Opens in a New Browser Window".
12. On the left side, where it says -Top Navigation Category-, select which category you want your link to be in.
13. Position After, select if you want this link to be at the top of your category, or select the page that you want your link to appear after.
14. Page Level: select if you want this to be a level 1 link, which will appear in your drop down menus, or select level 2 or 3 if you want this nested under another page.
15. Page Status: If you want this link available immediately, select "Active". If you want to keep this link in Site Manager for later use, you can set it as "Inactive".
16. Schedule Status Change: If you wish to have this link change from active to inactive or vice versa, click on the button to schedule a status change. 
• Page Status: Select the Status that you want your link to change TO.
• Enter Change Begin Date: Enter the date when you want your link to change statuses. The change will occur at 4:30AM CST.
• Notify Email Address: Enter in any email addresses you wish to have reminded of this change. This field is optional. 
• Click Save.
17. Click Save to add your link. 

Important Note: Do not nest pages or other links under your PDFs as level 2 or 3 pages. If you nest pages or other links under a link, it will be inaccessible through your navigation.

Adding a PDF to the Resource Content List Tool

You can add a PDF to a new or existing Resource Content List tool. This is the ideal option if you plan on adding multiple or recurring PDFs. For example, the Resource Content List tool is commonly used for Newsletters or Bulletins. It also gives you the option to add your PDFs along side other types of items, either links or simple text items. The Resource Content List tool allows you to build descriptions for your items as well. 

The Resource Content List tool is available for both the main body and the right side bar. The right side bar can utilize your space very well, especially if you have a lot of other content on this page. 

1. Login to Site Manager.
2. Navigate to the page with your Resource Content List tool, or where you would like to add one. [On this page, select the Right Side tab if you are adding your Resource Content List to the Right Side Bar.]
3. If this is an existing Resource Content List tool, skip this step. If this is a new Resource Content List tool, select the Resource Content List tool from the"Select a Tool to Add" drop down menu. 
4. In the Tool Menu to the right of the tool, click on "Add New Item". 
5. Position After: If this is the first PDF you adding to this tool, disregard this field for now. If you have multiple PDFs already, select if you want this one at the top, or which other item you want your PDF after.
6. Title: Enter the title/link name that you want for your PDF. 
7. Short Description: If desired, enter in the description that you want to include with this file. 
8. Resource Type: Select "Link to a File".
9. Click "Choose File", which will open up the File Uploads window.
10. Click on the "Files" folder on the left side of the File Uploads window. 
11. If your PDF is already in the file uploads, move forward to step 13. If not, click on "Upload" at the top to upload your file. 
12. Browse on your computer to find and select the PDF.
13. Double click on your selected PDF. This should auto-fill in the "Upload File" field.
14. Status: If you want this PDF to appear immediately, select "Active". If you want this PDF link to not appear on your website at this time, select "Inactive".
15. Schedule Status Change: If you want this link to change from active to inactive, or vice versa, click on the Schedule Status Change button to schedule your change.
• Status Change Date: Enter in your date or click on the calendar to select one. The change will occur at 4:00AM CST.
• Change to: Select the status that your want this file link to change to. 
• Notify Email Address: If desired, enter in any email addresses that you want reminded of this change.
16. RSS Feed Publication Date: If you would like the RSS feed to display a different date than today's date, enter in the date or select the date from the calendar.
17. Click Add.

Adding a PDF in the Links List Tool

Similarly to the Resource Content List tool, the Links List tool is ideal for adding multiple files and other types of links to a single tool. However, adding a PDF to the Links List is slightly more complicated than adding one to the Resource Content List tool.

The Links List has the advantage of multiple formatting options and being able to easily add an image along with your PDF. 

The Links List tool is available for both the main body and the right side bar. The right side bar can utilize your space very well, especially if you have a lot of other content on this page.

Read a blog post that goes into more detail on the advantages of the Links List tool.

1. Login to Site Manager.
2. Hover over "Tool Databases" and click on "File Uploads".
3. Click on the "Files" folder on the left side.
4. If your PDF is already in the file uploads, move forward to step 6. If not, click on "Upload" to upload your file. 
5. If uploading a new file, browse on your computer to find and select the PDF.
6. Right click on the PDF you are adding and choose "Select".
7. This will open up a new window with the URL for your PDF. Copy the URL for your PDF. 
8. Navigate to the page with your Links List tool, or where you would like to add one. [On this page, select the Right Side tab if you are adding your Links List to the Right Side Bar.]
9. If this is an existing Links List tool, skip to step 11. If this is a new Links List tool, select the Links List tool from the "Select a Tool to Add" drop down menu. 
10. Select your properties for your Links List Tool.
• Type: Choose the type of format that you would like your links list to have. Read more and see examples of the different types on our blog.
• Link Display: Select if you want to Hyperlink the Title or display the URL next to the Title.
11. Click Add.
12. Click on the Tool Menu to the right of the tool and select "Add Link". 
13. Enter in your Link properties.
• Position After: If this is your first link, disregard this field for now. Otherwise, select if you want this link at the top, or the link that you want it to appear below.
• Title: Enter the name that you would like to use for your PDF.
• Web Address: Paste in the URL that you copied from File Uploads in step #7.
• Opens in: Select "New Browser Window".

*You can build a hyperlink to a PDF document within the text of nearly any tool in Site Manager - not just the Content Editor. Tools such as the Column Display, Expand / Collapse, Calendar Events and more utilize the same menu as the Content Editor. You would use the exact same process as the Content Editor instructions above.