Embedding a pdf in the rich content editor

[josh_emmitt]

This guide will go through the steps to embed and display a pdf document in the rich content editor.

1. Add your pdf by selecting "files" under "insert content into the page" on the top right of the page. If you are uploading a new file, click on "Choose file", then "upload" (Figure 1).

Figure 1

2. If you don't like the name of the file that appears in the rich content editor (Figure 1), delete the text. Write what you would like (e.g. CLICK HERE). Highlight this text and click on your pdf which will be under "course files" under the "files" tab of "insert content into this page". This text is now a button to download that file.

3. At this stage clicking on the link will download the file. We want it to auto open. To do this highlight the link and click on "link to url" (Figure 2). Then select "auto-open the inline preview for this link" (Figure 3). Once this is done click "update link" (Figure 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3

4. Finish making any other changes to your page and save the changes. Give it a minute to load and the pdf will appear in the rich content editor (Figure 4).

Figure 4

[rpercival]

I did follow all of these steps and either get an error message or the unhappy face. Does the page have to be published or is it related to naming the file?

[rpercival]

Your directions worked, the documents are embedded now.  I think the documents just had to be processed.

[jaegerd]

Hello,

Thanks for the information. When I click on the Link to Website URL, I don't have an option to auto open. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much,

Dannie Jaeger

[Stef_retired]

 @jaegerd ​, it works for me--but it's been my observation that when people don't see that option, they are either highlighting the entire link (which I know is one of the instructions in the body of the post, but I have seen some funky behavior result from it), or they are forgetting to click in the link before clicking on Link to Website URL. If that doesn't work, try saving the page first, then refresh it, and then re-enter the Edit mode to try it again.

This is the link to the guide: How do I set the auto-open for inline preview for files using the Rich Content Editor?​

[Stef_retired]

Also, what type of file did you upload and are now trying to set auto open on,  @jaegerd ? What your screenshot displays doesn't look anything like my PDF file upload.

[jaegerd]

Thanks so much for your awesome responsiveness!

I am not sure what I was doing wrong, but after closing out of Canvas and taking a little break, I then went back in to try again and it worked. I have my PDF displayed in Canvas! Yay! And I have been able to repeat it with other PDF's.

Thanks again, I love Canvas.

Peace,

Dannie

[Stef_retired]

You're welcome,  @jaegerd ​; sometimes, that's all it takes.

[jchalfant]

Hi All,

I tried the steps in this article and it works. But in the web interface, the PDF display displays in the Box previewer. I like the Box previewer for Word docs or Powerpoint files. But most browsers will display PDFs natively, either in a new tab or a new window. For PDFs, using the native browser capability is much cleaner, IMHO.

Does anyone know if there is a way to get Canvas to let the browser do what it normally does with PDFs?

Thank you,

-J

[jaegerd]

Hi Jay,

You could just post a link to the PDF and then it would open in a new tab.

Not sure if that was what you were looking for or not. I find that I like the links better than embedding, because it does look cleaner.

Peace,

Dannie

[jchalfant]

Hi Dannie,

Thank you for that suggestion. I tried and this does work for PDF files stored at a different URL, e.g. our school's main website. But I could not figure out how to create a "simple link" to a PDF file stored in Canvas Files.

Do you know how to do that?

-J

[jaegerd]

I do not. Sorry.

My understanding is that when you link to a PDF file that you have uploaded into Canvas, when the student clicks on that link, the PDF will be downloaded onto the computer or chromebook and then they can open it up from there.

I know several ways to "embed" the link into Canvas, but I think it is always in a iFrame box that links to another site.

I actually link all of my material - it's very rare that I upload content into Canvas.

I am not an expert, this is just my understanding of it so far!!

Peace,

Dannie

[kathryn_davis2]

Does anyone know if it's possible within Canvas to "auto-open" a pdf to a specific page?  For example, in the following link I've added "#page=22" after the file location/name ... http://www.baumancollege.org/files/bauman_college_catalog.pdf#page=22.  We'd like to direct students to specific pages of reading assignment while keeping our content behind authentication and without splitting the pdf into a ton of separate documents.  Thanks in advance for sharing any ideas you may have.

[kathryn_davis2]

In case anyone else is looking to target an HTML link to a specific page in a PDF, I learned that Canvas currently does not allow the ability to lock content within other areas of a pdf document.