The File Upload content type is used to add files to the relevant File Store for your website. These files can then be added to a website for an end-user to view or download.  

There are two steps involved when creating a file download for the end-user:

• Step 1 - Uploading the file into the File Store using the File Upload Content Type.
• Step 2 - Linking to the file in the File Store from a piece of content on a page within your website.

The File Upload content type is used to complete Step 1 of the process. The key aspect to remember when using this content type is to make sure you are adding documents that are accessible. Our Document Accessibility guidance will help you with this.

• General Guidance
• Accessibility Guidance
• Form Field Guidance

General Guidance

Please use the following information to help ensure that you are using this content type correctly:

• You need to ensure that all files have been sourced responsibly and you must have consent to use any third-party assets before they are uploaded to the Web CMS.
• You must ensure that files added to the Web CMS comply with and follow the information in the Accessibility Guidance provided in the section below.
• Files must be optimised for use on the web.  This will provide several benefits relating to page load times and download speeds. You can use the following free tools to help with this:
  • Pixlr - Edit, size and optimise images for use on your website.
  • Adobe Compress PDF - This tool can be used to compress newly created and existing PDFs. There are other great document conversion tools available there which may also help.
• Files must follow the correct filename convention BEFORE they are uploaded to the Web CMS. Documents (e.g., PDFs, Word documents, Excel documents, etc.) are the most common files that can downloaded from your website and as such they must adhere to the naming convention as follows:
  • Use only lowercase letters (a to z), numerals (0-9) and hyphens (-).
  • Do not use spaces. Instead, use hyphens to separate words.
  • Do not use special characters (e.g., £, %, &, á) or underscores.
• The Web Support Team are not responsible for any content contained in documents that are added to the CMS.
• Any files you add to a File Store within the Web CMS are not access restricted. They will be viewable/downloadable worldwide. Please log a request for support via the IT Helpdesk if you require access restriction on your content.

Accessibility Guidance

Please use the following guidance to help make sure your content adheres to accessibility regulations:

• Do ensure that any document you add to your Filestore is accessible. Further information is available in the Document Accessibility section of our Accessible Content Guidance.
• Do ensure that any link to a file within the Filestore is descriptive and that the link formatting you use is consistent. Do not use generic link text such as 'Click Here' and 'Read More'.  Further information is available in the Using Links Effectively section of our Accessible Content Guidance.

Form Field Guidance

Please use the following information to help you use this Content Type effectively: