Adding a document for download
When adding a document for download there are a number of things you need to consider:
What type of file should I use? PDF or Word?
PDF is generally considered to be the most accessible document format and should be used whenever possible.
What should I call the document?
Always try to make the document name meaningful and avoid spaces between words. You should instead use hyphens or merge words together.
How should I ‘signpost’ a downloadable document?
All downloadable documents on web pages must be listed in a special area at the foot of each page, and not entered directly into page content.
This is to ensure that all downloadable documents are clearly identified on each page, and there is a consistent, accessible approach to providing these links on the site.
A new 'layout table object' style has been created specifically for a list of downloadable documents to be shown in. This object style is named "downloadable documents only". When this style is selected, a box will appear with a title and link to our downloads page already created. This layout object must be located as the last information that appears in the Text Wizard window.
Each link must then be created inside the box using a bulleted list. Each document must be given its full title, format, and size. The size of the document should be displayed in either kilobytes (kb) or megabytes (mb) and rounded up to a whole number, so enter 80kb rather than 79.5kb or 1.2mb rather than 1180kb.
For example:
- Application for rate relief (Microsoft Word format, 80kb)
The blue text must be set as the link. Please maintain this exact format for the downloadable links. No extra text/warnings/other information should be entered into the download area box.
Please use the following text exactly to describe the various document types:
- Microsoft Word format
- Microsoft Excel format
- Microsoft PowerPoint format
- Adobe PDF format
- ZIP format
All newly created content must be in this format. If you update an old page, the document links must also be updated to this format. Workflows will be rejected if this requirement is not complied with.
Please note: exceptions to this rule may be made if the type of page and its content is suitable. Please contact the web team before submitting new content to check if this is allowed.
As always, any documents that are to be posted on the website must comply with corporate branding guidelines.
Adobe accessibility resources
Creating accessible electronic documents requires more than specialised authoring tools, authors must begin with accessibility in mind. The Adobe Accessibility Resource Centre provides lots of detailed information on how to do this including a useful guide entitled 'A Guide for Publishing PDF Documents for Use by People with Disabilities'.
Downloadable documents
If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.
This page was last updated on 12 November 2008
Email this page to a friend
Bookmark this page using:
Find out more about social bookmarking.
These sites allow you to store, tag and share links across the internet. You can share these links both with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
If you come across a page on our site that you find interesting and want to save for future reference or share it with other people, simply click on one of these links to add to your list.
All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin bookmarking. Each of the sites works slightly differently so use the links below to find out which service best suits your needs.
Find out more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia.
