How to Create a Web Download Page

Downloads add to a website's interactive capabilities.

From articles to polls to quizzes to flash videos, websites often include a variety of interactive experiences. For example, websites can provide links to a download page from which a user can download an e-book to her computer. Rather than sending an email and attaching a file, a download page makes document sharing instantaneous. Provide more options to your website visitors and offer downloadable documents.

Things You'll Need

• Any text editor or freeware HTML editor
• FTP program
• Server username
• Server password

Instructions

1. Connect to your server. The download button on your download page has to connect to an actual file. Use a file-transfer-protocol (FTP) program such as FileZilla to connect to your server, so you can upload the file to the server. Simply enter your website name, username, and password into the FTP program and connect to your website.

2. Create a directory in the public folder of your website. In your FTP program, click "create directory." Name the directory something easy to remember, such as "Downloads."

3. Use your FTP program to select the file you want to make available for download and click "Upload." Make sure to upload it to the new "Downloads" directory.

4. Create the download page so users can access the file(s). Use your favorite text editor or freeware HTML editor like Coffee Cup to create a new file with the ".html" extension. Name the blank file "download.html" and click "Save."

5. Enter the download code into the HTML page. The download code is a set of instructions the computer uses to access the downloadable file. Here is an example of code you should use:

   <form><input type="button" value="Download My File" onClick="window.location.href='/directory_name/name_of_your_file.zip'"></form>

   The "button" command creates an actual button users can click. The "value" indicates what text will show on the button. Edit the "value" to whatever you want on your button.
   The "onClick="window.location.href=" portion of the code tells the web browser the file's name and its location. To modify "onClick="window.location.href=" make the "directory_name" match the name of the directory your created on the server, in this case "Downloads." Edit "name_of_your_file.zip" to match the actual name of your file.

6. Save all the changes you made to the HTML download page.

7. FTP your new HTML download page to your server. For example, to get your new download page online, you must upload it to your server. Use your server username and password to log in to your server via your FTP program. Select your new download .html page and click "upload." Make sure to upload it into your root "public_html" folder. The root "public_html" folder usually contains your main website files.

8. Test the download page in your favorite web browser. The link should look something like this: http://www.yourwebsite.com/download_page.html

References

• Gold Coast Web Designs: Create Download Link
• W3 Schools: HTML URLs