discussion reply and adding pic or to show pic not link

[Jreynolds8]

I have an assignment that requires starting a discussion and then adding an Excel file but the only way they have available is an attach button. I can add it but it only shows the name of the file and not the contents of the file.  how do I make it visible in the discussion so others can comment without opening the link?  

[Gabriel33]

Don't they have an "Insert" menu above the text box?

If so, they can select Insert -> Document -> Upload Document

After selecting the file, they would then need to click the created link/text, and choose "Link Options". That will make a bar visible on the right end of the screen, where they can choose to allow for "Preview inline" (though perhaps the default, "Preview in overlay" may be enough, so this last step may not be necessary).

It is a bit of work to expect students to go through this, but I believe that's the main option available for this.