pdf link to download file

[peteyb]

I have a PDF document on my site that i wish users to be able to download by selelcting either a link or a button.

I understand that the user could click a link to open the page then press save but i wish to make their lives that little bit more easier by having a download/save button.

How can i achieve this?

[Coulix]

<a href="pdf_document.pdf">Rightclick this link and select "save as".</a>
Replace linktext with a image if you want a button.

Most browsers will open the pdf document directly if they just leftclick the link. To avoid that, a common thing is to just zip the pdf first.

[peteyb]

there must be a way to make a left mouse click on the link, image or button trigger the 'save as' or 'save target as' command?

[Coulix]

Javascript, but considered unsafe and blocked many places to run such a command. Would do more damage than good.

[peteyb]

okay, if anyone has any ideas it would be much appreciated

[the tree]

If you know how to, and can, set MIME types then send the .PDF file with "application/octet-stream".

[peteyb]

not sure how to, are there any guides/tutorials?

[felgall]

If your visitors want to download the PDF instead of viewing it in their browser then they will either not have the PDF plugin installed so that left clicking will download it or they will right click if they want to download it before seeing what is in it or they will prefer to view it before downloading (a properly constructed PDF can serve one page at a time so that if they decide after seeing the first page that they don't want it then they don't have to download the rest).

[pcthug]

If you have PHP available to you, use the following script:

<?php

$pdf_file = 'location/of/file.pdf';

if(ini_get('zlib.output_compression')) {
ini_set('zlib.output_compression', 'Off');
}

header('Pragma: public');
header('Expires: 0');
header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0');
header('Cache-Control: private', false);
header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . basename($pdf_file) . '"');
header('Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary');
header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($pdf_file));
readfile($pdf_file);

exit;

?>

[the tree]

If you have PHP available to you, use the following script:Even better, if you have permission to use .htaccess, then just this:<Files thefile.pdf>
ForceType application/octet-stream
</Files>

[peteyb]

pcthug, this opens the save or open option but when either is pressed the new screen is not loaded.

the tree, where does this code need to go. at the moment its just printing the message ForceType application/octet-stream on the screen

[peteyb]

to pcthug, also the file saved and downloaded does not open, error message relating to decoding incorrectly

[the tree]

A plain text file, named .htaccess *exactly*, not all servers will allow you to use it though.