Best workaround to view/download uploaded files

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1

Hi everyone!
I’m new to Glide and I’m exploring its various components, including file management for documents and other types of content.
I’m finding it a bit difficult to quickly view or download files after uploading them.

From what I’ve researched, it seems there are some server-side limitations, but once a file is uploaded, I still need to be able to view or download it easily.
I also tried using the “Link” component, but its design isn’t customizable and doesn’t look very nice as a solution.

Has anyone else run into this issue? How did you handle it?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their experience!

2

Try the Web Embed component.

3

Web Embed component?
I don’t understand…how this might work you don’t see the file column…maybe I need to understand better how to set it…

4

When you upload a file, you will get a URL. Use that as the source of a Web Embed component.

5

Look I don’t know if it just happens to me…, but the Web Embed component doesn’t see the upload file column where the url is as a source…

6

What type of column are you uploading the file to, and what type of file is it?

7

I used the multiple files column and uploaded a png and a pdf for testing.
In the column I see the URLs https://storage.googleapis.com/glide-prod.appspot.com/uploads-…

In the collection I see files but I can’t open or download them…

8

ah, that’s your problem. A multiple files column is an array type, and you can’t use that in a web embed. Do you actually need to be able to upload multiple files to the same column? If not, just change it to a URL type. If you do need the multiple files column, then you’ll need to do something like exploding the array into a list with a helper table.

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9

Wooow now I like it!
Thanks Darren!
By changing the type of column I saw that I could already open the file in a new window but I also appreciated the possibility of detail with the Embed.
Congratulations for the tip.
To be explored to decide which best user experience is most useful.

Thank youuuuuuuu

10

Sounds like we need a tutorial for this. Until then, here’s how:

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11

Hi Paolo, welcome to Glide!

You’re right — Glide has some limitations when it comes to direct file handling. Here’s how you can make it smoother:

  • To open or download files: Use a Button or Link component with the “Open link” action pointing to the file URL.

  • To preview files: If it’s an image or PDF, you can display it directly using the Image or WebView components.

  • Note: Not all file types are supported in WebView (e.g., DOCX, ZIP, etc.), so those will only be accessible through download.

If you want a cleaner design than the default Link component, the Button option usually looks more polished and lets you control the style better.

– Gideon
Glide Certified Expert

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