File Attachments

HarvardSites Drupal supports file attachments in the following formats: TXT, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PDF, PPT, PPTX, and RTF. There are several ways to upload and link to a file attachment. Here we provide an overview of each and link to instructions and more details.

NOTE: Site visibility settings do not protect access to file attachments. Please use Harvard’s secure SharePoint platform for storing and sharing private documents. See guidance on Sending and Sharing Files for more details about tools that support other file formats and secure file-sharing.

Add an attachment as a Resource

We recommend adding file attachments using the Resource content type. Documents provided using the Resource content type can include additional details, such as taxonomy terms, and can be referenced and added globally to multiple pages. In addition, a document provided as a Resource can appear on generated pages, such as search results and taxonomy pages, and in a Resource List Component and Listing Page. 

When a file attachment is part of a Resource, managing file updates and changes is straightforward. You simply replace the file attachment with the new file, either in the Resource edit screen or the Media Library. All links to the Resource will stay functional, even if the document filename changes. 

When creating a Resource to serve as a link to a file attachment, use the Download File option in the Resource Type menu (see how to use the Resource content type for instructions).

Add a File Attachment to another content type

You can add one or more documents as file attachments to content types (with the exception of the Resource content type). See the File Attachment section in the right sidebar of the content edit view.