Simply put, there are about a gazillion different types of files that can be uploaded to your website. But, just as simply, there are only a few which should be uploaded to your website.
Recommended file types
You can upload any type of file into the File Library. But, you must understand that unless the general public has the ability to view the file, it will be worthless. Here are some recommendations of file types:
Graphic Files - Essentially there are two types of graphic formats supported in the Site Builder:
JPEG (.jpg) - JPEG files are typically used for photographs. JPEG files are compressed, and when compressing you can control the 'quality' of the file.
GIF (.gif) - GIF files are generally used for most graphics other than photographs. The file size is typically determined by the size of the image, and the number of colors used.
The following file types are not supported as graphics in the Site Builder (or most of the web for that matter)
- TIFF
- PNG
- BMP
- PICT
- EPS
- PDF (see description of PDF below)
- Corel Draw
Data Files
PDF - Adobe Acrobat - Other than HTML, these are the 'most universal' files. PDF documents have the advantage of combining text and graphics in a format that will look nearly identical on every computer. To create a PDF document, you may need to purchase Acrobat Distiller/Writer. It is available for about $60 from the UC Davis bookstore. Creating a file once you have the distiller is very easy. PDF documents will open in a new window, they cannot be displayed along with the other items on a page. A link will be created when using the File Library to access a PDF document. PDF files will load slower, because the users browser must start the Acrobat program on their computer after the file has been downloaded.
HTML - HTML pages are great, they will load directly in the users browser and are the fastest way to download data. The bad part of an HTML document is that each graphic will be a separate file. Typically you should copy/paste the text from an HTML document into the Site Builder pages directly rather than putting the file into the file library. If you have a complex HTML document with graphics that you want to include on your Site Builder site, you will probably need to set up an FTP Account. Call Karl at 530-754-6596 to do this.
Word - Microsoft Word files have a few advantages, which must be weighed against their disadvantages. They allow you to create documents that will be used as forms to be filled in later, or documents that can be changed by the users that download them. The disadvantages come up when your users do not have Word to display the files. The files can also be very large. New versions of Internet Explorer can display Word files even if the user does not have Microsoft Word.
PowerPoint/Excel - PowerPoint and Excel documents are a good way to present information in an interesting fashion- but they have the same problems as Word. File sizes can be huge! The user cannot view the file if they do not have Power Point. New versions of Internet Explorer can display PowerPoint files even if the user does not have Microsoft Word. Unless you have a specific reason to use Power Point, it is not recommended that you put a PowerPoint document on your site.
Microsoft Publisher - Microsoft Publisher is the least recommended of the standard Office programs. It is highly suggested that you convert to Adobe Acrobat.
Adobe Pagemaker - Once again, this file type is not recommended to be used. Pagemaker is good to create your newsletter, but convert it to Adobe Acrobat before putting it on your website.
Other File Types - No other data file types can be used by enough of the public to make sense putting them on your site. It is recommended that you convert to Adobe Acrobat. If the file must remain in its original format, we suggest that you put a note in the link, telling the users what type of file it is.