I'm attempting to create download links on several pages for .m4v video files. One of the pages is here: http://gkeagles.org/drew-austin-qb-2/. The setup is intended to be somewhat similar to the Screencast pages on CSS-Tricks, where visitors can watch online or download.
The problem I'm having is in creating the download link. My understanding is that I would simply use an <a href> element: <a href="video-url">Click Here</a> to download. When I do so, however, clicking on the link doesn't initiate a download, it just tries to navigate to the specified url. As a stop-gap in the meantime I'm going to upload a .zip of each video and link to that, which should force a download. Is there a way to force a download when linking to a .m4v file?
However, do check -- adding this line may mean that if you try to play a .m4v video (though a video player, rather than linking it) the file will attempt to download. If that is the case (I'm not sure off the top of my head), using a .zip file may be the best way to go. Perhaps other members will have some additional ideas as well.
Thanks for the info -- I had looked at this technique as well but wasn't sure. Added the line to my .htaccess file, but it didn't work.
One important piece of information i forgot to add in my initial request: the site is built in Wordpress, so I'm attempting to add the download links in posts. I don't know if that makes a difference, but thought I should mention it.
Update 4/13/10: I really, really hope someone out there will take pity on me and offer some help on this one. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I'm attempting to do this inside a WordPress post: no matter what I do (including one attempt to use php to force a download) clicking on the file link just tries to open a new page. I'm due to hand the project over to the client tomorrow and would really like to have this issue solved before then.
Did you ever get an answer for how to write html so that an m4v video link is downloaded instead of played? I too want to do that on my site. Thanks, Wayne
The problem I'm having is in creating the download link. My understanding is that I would simply use an <a href> element: <a href="video-url">Click Here</a> to download. When I do so, however, clicking on the link doesn't initiate a download, it just tries to navigate to the specified url. As a stop-gap in the meantime I'm going to upload a .zip of each video and link to that, which should force a download. Is there a way to force a download when linking to a .m4v file?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Try this: create a .htaccess file in the server root (or add to it if that file already exists) and add these contents:
(according to http://www.askapache.com/htaccess/ultim ... ample.html -- see the "## FORCE FILE TO DOWNLOAD INSTEAD OF APPEAR IN BROWSER ###" section).
However, do check -- adding this line may mean that if you try to play a .m4v video (though a video player, rather than linking it) the file will attempt to download. If that is the case (I'm not sure off the top of my head), using a .zip file may be the best way to go. Perhaps other members will have some additional ideas as well.
Thanks for the info -- I had looked at this technique as well but wasn't sure. Added the line to my .htaccess file, but it didn't work.
One important piece of information i forgot to add in my initial request: the site is built in Wordpress, so I'm attempting to add the download links in posts. I don't know if that makes a difference, but thought I should mention it.
Update 4/13/10: I really, really hope someone out there will take pity on me and offer some help on this one. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I'm attempting to do this inside a WordPress post: no matter what I do (including one attempt to use php to force a download) clicking on the file link just tries to open a new page. I'm due to hand the project over to the client tomorrow and would really like to have this issue solved before then.
Did you ever get an answer for how to write html so that an m4v video link is downloaded instead of played? I too want to do that on my site. Thanks, Wayne