Working with Media

The Media Screen

Your website's Media screen lets you upload files to your website's Images Directory.

Example media files include: GIF, JPG and PNG files.

File Formats

You can upload many different media file formats using the Media screen.

Example: PDF files.

Not all file formats are however by default Permissible File Formats.

And there is a default file size (KB) which may be uploaded.

But you can change the:

Permissible File Format and
File Size settings

using the Options button of the Media screen.

Media Options Button

At the top right of the Media screen you will see an OPTIONS button that looks like this:

The OPTIONS button enables you to change the following media settings for your website.

Legal Extensions (File Types) & MIME Types

You can add more Legal Extensions (FIle Types) and MIME Types to the default lists (see image).

You should however avoid adding those which might compromise your website security, for example, Flash (see below).

Any listed File Types & MIME Types may be uploaded to your website via the Media screen.

Adding file & MIME types without due care could therefore compromise your website's security.

Harden your website's security

Prevent the upload of Flash files.

Legal Extensions (File Types)

Exclude swf files from Legal Extensions:

remove swf, from the list, and
remove SWF, from the list.

Legal MIME Types

Exclude application/x-shockwave-flash files from Legal MIME Types:

remove application/x-shockwave-flash, from the list.

Use PDF format rather than DOC

We recommend using the PDF file format when making document files available for viewing and download from your website.

PDF files are more accessible.

They can be opened and viewed in the web browser without having to be downloaded first.

Links to DOC files are quite scary in that the link when selected triggers the download of the linked file.

This behaviour could leave your website visitors vulnerable to your unwitting spread of malware and viruses.

How to add/remove a File Type

Open the Media screen.
Click on the Options button at top right of the screen.
Then add the file extension of your choice by inserting both the lower case and upper case versions of the new file extension in the field highlighted below.

Maximum File Size

You may wish to upload large non-media files, for example PDFs.

This may require that you increase the Maximum File Size.

You can set any file size limit you wish via the OPTIONS button at the top right of the Media screen.

When you select OPTIONS you will be able to change the Maximum Size (see image below).

Note

You may however find that you are still limited to whatever overarching Server Upload Limit is enforced by your web hosting company.

Read on to find to see what this limit is for your website.

You will need to contact your hosting company's technical support if you want to increase this limit.

How to see what is the current Server Upload Limit

Using the JCE Content Editor select:

Components > JCE Editor > Profiles

from the menu at the top of your website's dashboard.

Then select

Default > Editor Parameters Tab > Filesystem.

The Server Upload Limit will be highlighted as shown in the image below.

Whilst the image shows this figure to be 4 MB, the value will vary depending upon the limit set by your hosting company.

Click image to view larger version.

JCE Content Editor

You may find it quicker and easier to upload image files using the JCE Content Editor whilst editing Articles and Custom HTML Modules.

We tell you how in our Working with Images article.

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