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Where can the files live?

The file to embed must first be publicly available somewhere on the internet, in order for Google to retrieve the document for conversion. You can upload it to your WordPress site using the standard techniques, or link to a file on another site.

How do I embed a file in my page or post?

There are several ways you can insert a supported document, depending on your preference:

• Manually enter the shortcode (explained below).
• Upload a supported file type from a page or post, and from the Media Library, click the "Insert" button.
• Use the Google Doc Embedder button in the Visual editor to insert the [gview] shortcode.
• Paste the URL into the HTML editor, select it, and click the "GDE" quicktag button (HTML/Text editor).

To manually insert the [gview] shortcode into your page or post to embed the file, use the syntax below (use of the HTML tab in the editor recommended):

[gview file="http://url.to/file.pdf"]

Note: the file= attribute (generally pointing to the full URL of the file) is required. If the majority of your files are referenced from the same directory, you can set a File Base URL in GDE Settings and only put the changing portion in the file= attribute (or a full URL for a file outside of that base URL). File Base URL will be prepended to the value of file= unless file= starts with http or // (dynamic protocol selection).

Common optional attributes:

• profile= : Enter the number or name of the desired profile for the viewer to use (default profile is used if not specified)
• width= : To override the profile's default width of the viewer, enter a new width value - e.g., "400px" or "80%"
• height= : To override the profile's default height of the viewer, enter a new height value - e.g., "400px" or "80%"
• page= : Set to the number of the page you want the document to open up to (if not page 1)

For a list of all available attributes, see Usage.

What are "Profiles"?

Profiles allow you to create a unique batch of settings and access them from the viewer using only a profile ID (or name), rather than writing a horrifically complicated shortcode. This allows each instance of GDE (even on the same page) to be completely customizable while keeping the shortcode syntax simple.

Will it embed files that are password-protected or stored in protected folders/sites?

Most likely, no. If your file requires a login to view - such as being saved in a password-protected directory, or behind a firewall (on your intranet, etc.), the viewer will probably not be able to access the file. This is what is meant above, that the document should be "publicly available." Please save the file in a publicly accessible location for best results.

What about private documents?

The file must be publically available, but there is no reason why you need to publish the location. With GDE you can hide the URL as well as block direct downloads of the file. In combination with robots.txt and other mechanisms for blocking search engines or file browsing on your site, the document can be effectively private to everyone but the viewer itself.

Does it work with files saved in Google Docs/Drive?

This plug-in utilizes the viewer from Google Docs in a standalone fashion. There is no direct integration with Google Docs and even those documents stored there and shared publicly do not embed reliably with their standalone viewer (ironically), so at this time that use is not supported by the plug-in. Please store your original documents somewhere on your web site in their native supported formats.

Does it work in Multisite environments?

Yes, though the plugin does not support network activation at this time. For now, please activate individually on muultisite installs. I will work to improve this in a coming version. Otherwise, more granular multisite options are planned for future versions based on demand. If you use GDE in a multisite environment, I welcome your feedback on what functionality you would like to see.

Other Common Questions

More common questions are answered on the GDE web site here.