Images & Media

Media including images, files, videos, and social content - can add a dynamic and engaging element to your website. GW Drupal offers several, easy-to-use methods for adding them.

Media Library

GW Drupal uses a Media Library to manage and embed all images, videos, and files on your website. You can access the Media Library by using the Content section of the Drupal Admin menu and going to Media, OR by going to the Media Overview tab on the Dashboard.

Images

Images can be used across almost every single content type to provide visual aids or additional information.

It's important to note that:

• All images should have descriptive alternative text provided to ensure that they are accessible for the web
• Images are accessible via the Media Library interface which offers the ability to rename, add a caption, and add a title
• Once an image is uploaded, it can be reused across the website without reuploading a new instance
• Just like on your computer, two images cannot have the same filename; the name(s) must be unique
• Image file size should not exceed 1MB to ensure page performance 
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  Note: Images cannot be manually cropped within GW Drupal but may be automatically in cropped to different aspect ratios when they're displayed in feeds or directories. To learn more about this process and other image recommendations, visit the Image Sizes page.

Uploading and Embedding an Image

Most content types have a designated image field, called Featured Media, for providing a featured image for the page. Person pages have a similar field but it is called Person Image. These fields will display images in different ways based on content type. However, it is also possible to embed an image directly into the Body text field, which we will go over here. 

Note: Do not drag and drop or paste images directly into the body field. This will create additional code on the page and could result in loading issues.

Within the WYSIWYG Body text editor of the desired content:

1. Click on the Media Library icon ()
   • The Select Media Item to Embed window will open
   • If the image you want to embed has already been uploaded to the site's media library click the image and skip to step 4
2. Click on the Upload Image tab and drop an image in the designated space or select a file on your computer.
3. Describe what's in the image in the Alternate Text field
   • Be descriptive, do not use file names, event names, program names, etc...
   • Describe the activity in the image and include all text in the image
   • This alternative text will stay with the image even if it is used in multiple places on the site
4. Click on the Select Image(s) button
5. Choose the image Alignment, Display As size, and add a Title or Caption if needed
6. If you would like the image to link to something, use the Link To field to add a URL or type the name of existing content on your site.
   • Check the Open in new window box for documents and any external website, including other GW websites
7. You can modify existing alternative text here as well
8. Click the Embed button to add the image to the body field

You should now see your image in the Body editor

Media Files

Media files such as PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations can be uploaded and stored on your site. These files can then be linked to and downloaded from most content types.

 Note: Uploading video files is not supported on GW Drupal sites. Videos can be linked or embedded using a video hosting service such as Vimeo or Youtube.
 

Uploading Media Files

In GW Drupal media files can be uploaded to the Media Library using the Drupal admin menu which is accessible on any page when you are logged in. Use these instructions to upload files. 

1. Using the Admin menu hover over Content, then Media, then Add Media, then File
   • You can also add media files from the Media Library page by using the Add Media button
2. Choose a file from your computer 
3. Name your file for Media Library organization

4. Verify the file you are uploading is accessible and check the corresponding boxes

5. Click Save

Uploading Media in Bulk

If you have multiple files that need to be added at the same time you can follow these steps to use the Bulk Media Upload feature.

Keep in mind: Be selective of the items you are uploading in bulk. The more files you add, the slower you site will perform, and locating files in your media library will be harder.

1. Using the Admin menu hover over Content, then Media, then Bulk Media Upload
   1. This can also be done from the Dashboard using the Create Media tab at the top of the page
2. Drop or select the files your want to upload
3. Click Submit

Linking Files

Files such as PDFs or PowerPoint presentations can easily be added to Links. Follow these instructions to link a file.

1. Highlight a word or string of text then use the link button () in the top row of the WYSIWYG text editor to open the Add Link window
   • Be sure to add the file type in parenthesis after the link text 
     • Example: GW Drupal Overview Presentation (PPT)
2. If you've already uploaded the file you want to link to your site's Media Library, use the URL field to search for the file by name
3. Alternatively, you can use the Media Library button to select or upload and link a file directly from the Add Link window
    

   

4. In the Advanced section, check the Open in new window/tab box to have your file open in a new tab.
5. Click Save