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Oct 4, 2024

eCommerce | Adding Equipment Guides, Instructions, & Links to your Website




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Overview

There are multiple ways to add instructions, guides, links, etc. to your item records on your website. This document outlines the different options, along with their pros and cons, to help you decide on the best approach.


Instruct Files

In POR, you may add instructions to individual items using the Instruct field, usually safety instructions or “How to Operate” instructions.

On your integrated website, we can include a link to these instructions on each item page if you choose. Here’s what you need to know:
 

  • Create an instructional PDF document for a piece of equipment.
     

  • Copy the PDF file into C:/POR/Instruct (your installation may differ; your POR folder may be on another drive besides the C: drive)
     

  • In POR File Maintenance, open the serialized or header record. On the Options tab, click the Lookup button next to the Instruct field, and select the name of the PDF document you copied into your Instruct folder. You may reference POR NetHelp: Processes > File Maintenance Processing > Item Instructions if you need assistance.

    • POR allows you to use WordPad and Word documents for your Instruct files. However, ONLY PDF files can be uploaded to the website, so always create PDF files.
       

    • If a header record exists, the Update Website process will ONLY upload the header record to the website, so ONLY the Instruct file assigned to the header will upload to the website. So, although POR allows you to assign different Instruct files to each serialized item assigned to one header record, these will not be uploaded.
       

    • If no header record exists, the serialized item records are uploaded, along with their assigned Instruct files.

 

Pros: You may already have these entered in POR. You have full control over content.
 

Cons: You may have already entered these in POR as WordPad or Word docs, which will need to be converted to PDFs. You may only have one Instruct file per item.


Web Link

You can enter the link to a website (specs on the manufacturer site, a PDF manual on the manufacturer site, a YouTube video, etc.) in the Web Link field in the item record. This field can then be enabled to show on the item page on the website.

Pros: This is easy and fast!

Cons: If the manufacturer changes their links, you could end up with a broken link.


Embedded Links in Specs

In POR, you may embed a link to a specific URL, e.g., the manufacturer's website, a YouTube video on your channel, etc., in the Item Specs. You may also link to PDFs you have loaded into gallery folder(s) that upload from your server to the website (similar to how the Instruct files work, but in a different folder).

Here’s how you do it:

  • Copy and paste the following text exactly:

<a  target="_blank" rel=”noopener” href="https://www.whateverwebsite.com/whatever.html"> Click here for additional information</a>

 
  • Replace the “Click here...” text with whatever text you’d like your link to say.
 
  • If linking to a YouTube video, grab the embed code from YouTube and use the resulting <iframe></iframe> code instead of using the above code to link directly to the video.

 

Pros: You have full control over explaining what the document is about in the link. If you use your own YouTube channel, you will never have broken links.

Cons: You must get the syntax exactly right in your specs for it to work. If you use a manufacturer link or website link that is not under your control and that page changes, you could end up with a broken link.


Example

This page shows ALL three of these options!! https://www.grandrentalstation.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=28&key=0411001%2D1

Their Weblink entered in their item record is:

https://www.mitm.com/products/air-compressors/8-gallon-single-stage/AM1-PH65-08M/423/

Once you click this link, you can see the downside to this option – the page has been changed since the customer entered this link, and it is now a broken link.

Their Instruct file is called 5hp Gas Compressor Safe.pdf, which you can see in the URL once you click on the link.
 

The text in the specs for the Operator Manual is:

“Click <a  target="_blank" href="https://grandrentalstation.com/galleryupload/webdoc/instructions/5hp gas compressor safe.pdf">to view Owners Manual</a>,” which you can see as https://www.grandrentalstation.com/galleryupload/webdoc/instructions/5hp%20gas%20compressor%20safe.pdf once you click the link.

This PDF is uploaded to the website from their Resources gallery folders.


Links on your Resources page

You may also link from your Resources page to PDFs you have loaded into gallery folder(s) that upload from your server to the website.

To get started, see Managing Resource Galleries.

Next, notify the Web Team to add the Guide/Manuals/Literature section to your Resources page.

Pros: This is a simple way to achieve your goal; your docs are easily managed by you.

Cons: This list on the Resources page could get very long.


Enhanced Attachments

Enhanced Attachments allow you to show Specs from your Item File, links to Spec Sheets or other documents, and Videos in a tabbed section on the item record page on your website. See our Enhanced Attachments article for more information.

Pros: This is the best way to include videos and multiple docs about your items; the format looks very nice on the website.

Cons: It does take a minute to get the hang of entering the attachment information in POR, but once you get it, you'll fly through it! You must have Specs for the item for the Literature and Video sections to show.


Example

https://www.dahlsequipment.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=61&key=6112 


 

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