Sharing Files

The Manila Gems feature allows you to include many types of files at your site.

You can use Gems to include almost any type of file that a web browser can recognize and open, either on its own or by using a plugin or helper application. Examples of file types that are often used this way include .pdf (portable document format files readable with Adobe Acrobat), .doc (Microsoft Word), .xls (Microsoft Excel), .ppt (PowerPoint), .mov (movie files), and .mp3 (audio) files.

Here are the steps to putting a Gem on your site:

1. Create or download the file to your computer.
2. Save the file with its normal filename extension - e.g., .pdf, .doc, etc (see partial list above). Be sure that the file name contains no spaces.
3. Go to your site and login.
4. Click on the Gems link in the Editors Only Menu. This will bring up the Gems page.
5. Click on the Create a New Gem link near the bottom of the page. This takes you to the New Gem page.
6. Click on the Browse... button to locate the file you want to upload on your computer.
7. Type a name for your Gem in the Title: box. Use a short and descriptive title since you will use this text to include your Gem on other pages of your site.
8. Click the Post New Gem button to send the file to the server.
9. You will again arrive at the Gems page where your new Gem is now listed.

Note that the listing for each Gem includes its title and a link to its direct web address. The normal way to include a link to a Gem is to type its title surround by quotation marks on another web page at your site, creating a link on the title text in the finished web page. This is the same method used to link to a story or a picture.

When visitors to your site click on the link to a Gem, their web browsers will download the Gem to their computers and the file will open using a browser plugin or other application on their computer. For example, a pdf file might open the Adobe Acrobat Reader on the client computer.

People visiting your pages must have necessary software to view Gem files. This means that they must either have a copy of the application that you used to create the file, or they must have a special plugin that allows them to view it. For example, a visitor who downloads a Microsoft Powerpoint Gem must have a copy of Powerpoint on his or her computer in order to open the file.

Some types of Gem files can be quite large; notably movie and audio files. Be conservative about including such files on your Manila site since there is a limit on the amount of disk storage allocated to each user. Additionally, it may take a long time for site visitiors to download these files. Consider offering alternative version of the information for users on modem connections.

Some Gems can create accessibility problems. While screen-reader software can give disabled web users access to standard web pages, the information contained in your Gems may not be accessible.