How to add a document (media item) and embed it on a page

Owned by richo (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 24 Oct, 2024 by Jo Tayler
4 min read

You must create an online/HTML version of any document or publication you’re adding to the media library. There are few accessibility exceptions to this rule.

On this page:

Before uploading your document

Check for other versions

Check the CMS media library to see if someone else has already uploaded your document.

  1. In the CMS, go to Content > Media.

  2. Use the search bar and filter options to search for the document. It might be under a different name, like a different version or date. Media item names and file names can differ.

Don’t upload more than one version of the same document to the CMS media library, you can update it in the media item.

Prioritise HTML version

Don’t embed documents on a page. Exceptions include if it's also published as HTML or if it's for printing, like a poster.

Prepare your document

Check your document is accessible

If you need to embed a document onto a webpage, it must also be accessible. Word documents and PDFs must include:

  • heading styles and formatting

  • properties applied to data tables (indicating which row is the header row)

  • alt text for informative images

  • descriptive hyperlinks (not 'Click here')

  • a tagged table of contents, if applicable.

Check the document metadata

Metadata is information about the document used for searches. It's also a way of identifying owners and content. At the least, you need to complete the following fields:

  • Document title (all document types).

  • Company (All Word/Excel/PowerPoint docs) or Author (PDF only).

In Word, Excel and PowerPoint, go to File > Info > Show all properties to access these fields. For PDFs you’ll need Adobe Acrobat to edit and add metadata to PDFs.

Naming your document

All uploaded document filenames must not include spaces. Use hyphens (not underscores) to join words, and remove other punctuation. This helps make the filename as easy to read as possible. For example, 'Safe-and-strong-a-victorian-gender-equality-strategy.doc'

With the 'document title', ensure you write it in sentence case. For example, 'Safe and strong: A Victorian gender equality strategy'.

If the document is an annual document, include the year should be at the end of the document. For example, 'Safe and strong: A Victorian gender equality strategy 2017'.

Never use version numbers in file names.

Save any new document version over the top of the old version. Doing this avoids broken links and out-of-date files clogging up the media library.

Create a media item with your document and embed it on a page

The media browser icon allows you to embed a document on a webpage. It automatically displays the correct icon and file size. An option is to display the last updated date.

  1. In the Basic text component, place your cursor where you'd like your document to appear. Select the Media icon in the formatting ribbon to launch the media library.

image-20240408-045632.png

  1. Select on the Add document tab, then Choose document and browse your computer for your document.

image-20240408-045755.png

  1. Add a useful title in the Name field. It does not have to match the file name. See our naming convention rules above.

  2. Select Choose File to upload the document from your local computer drive.

  3. Select the License Type that applies to your document. Most government content is Creative Commons. Copyright is generally used for images owned by the photographer.

  4. In the Department tab, start typing the name of your department and select it from the drop-down menu. This assigns a department to the document so it can be found in the media library search.

  1. Select the Site/site section that the document belongs to. This assigns the document to a site so it can be found in the media library search.

  2. Select Save. Leave the Display as drop-down as Embedded, Align as None and select Embed. Select Display last update date checkbox if your file is regularly updated so users know when it was last updated.

  3. On the live page, it will display like this

     

     

Check where a document is attached

  1. From the CMS Media Library, open the media item.

  2. Select the Usage tab. This lists pages that have the document embedded.

Related articles

Update an existing document in the Media library