CMS Downloads Manager: Embed Files with Shortcodes

Overview

The CMS Downloads Manager is a standalone, site-wide file delivery system. It is independent of the e-commerce order download system — no purchase is required to access a CMS download. Files are embeddable on any public CMS page or product description using a shortcode.

Admin Routes

Action	Path
Admin Index	`/admin/cms-downloads`
Create New Record	`/admin/cms-downloads/create`
Edit Record	`/admin/cms-downloads/{id}/edit`
Public Serve Route	`GET /cms-download/{id}`

File Source Types

Each download record uses one of four source types:

Type	`source_type`	Description
Local Storage	`0`	File uploaded to `storage/app/public/cms_downloads/`; served with correct MIME type via streaming response
Direct URL	`1`	`cdn_url` = full public URL; controller issues a `302` redirect
Env S3	`2`	Uses the app-wide S3 credentials from `.env`; generates a pre-signed temporary URL (TTL controlled by `s3_expiration_seconds`, default 3600 seconds)
Custom S3	`3`	Per-record credentials (`s3_custom_*` fields); supports separate AWS accounts, regions, or S3-compatible providers per individual download

Pre-signed S3 URLs are time-limited to the configured TTL (default 1 hour). No AWS credentials are ever exposed to the browser — the signed URL grants temporary access only.

Shortcode Syntax

[download:{id}]
[download:{id} label="Custom Link Text"]

Examples:

Download our user guide:      [download:3]
Get the updated firmware:     [download:7 label="Firmware v2.4.1 (ZIP)"]
Watch the tutorial:           [download:12]
Listen to the audio preview:  [download:15 label="Audio Sample (MP3)"]

Place shortcodes in any CMS page body, left/right sidebar, or product description.

Rendering — Four Output Modes

The rendering engine inspects the file extension (and the force_download flag) to determine which output mode to use:

Mode A — Inline Image

Triggered by: png, jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp, webp, svg, tif, tiff Renders a responsive <img> tag with the file as the src. Poster art is displayed if configured.

Mode B — Video.js Player

Triggered by: mp4, webm, mov, qt — and force_download = false Renders a fully responsive Video.js video player with optional poster art support. The player is mobile-friendly and adapts to container width.

Mode C — Video.js Audio Player

Triggered by: mp3 — and force_download = false Renders a Video.js audio player UI. Supports poster art as a visual thumbnail.

Mode D — Styled Download Link

Triggered by: All other file types (PDF, ZIP, DOCX, EXE, CSV, etc.) or any file type with force_download = true Renders a styled anchor link with a file-type icon. See the File Type Icon System below.

File Type Icon System

Icons are provided by the file-icon-vectors library (v1.0.0 via jsDelivr CDN). Three icon packs are available:

Pack	CSS Class	Style
Vivid (default)	`fiv-viv`	Bold, colourful filled icons
Classic	`fiv-cla`	Clean monochrome style
Square	`fiv-sqo`	Square outline, modern and minimal

Icon Position

Controlled by the show_icon field on the download record:

Value	Position
`0`	No icon
`1`	Icon Left
`2`	Icon Right
`3`	Icon Top
`4`	Icon Bottom

Global Icon Pack Setting

Set the default icon pack for all CMS Downloads at: Admin → Settings → CMS Downloads → file_icon_pack Individual records can override this at the record level.

Display Options

Option	Description
Force Download	Forces `Content-Disposition: attachment` header; bypasses inline image/video/audio rendering (Mode D always used)
Open in New Tab	Adds `target="_blank"` to the rendered anchor link
Active Toggle	Inactive records render as an HTML comment (`{/* cms-download-inactive: N */}`); never throw a 404
Expiry Date	datetime-local picker; the link is silently suppressed after the expiry datetime — no error shown to visitors
Custom CSS	Scoped per-record CSS block using `<style id="cms-dl-style-{id}">` — does not affect other downloads on the same page

CMS Downloads vs. Product Order Downloads

Feature	CMS Downloads	Order Downloads
Access control	Optionally public (no purchase required)	Requires valid order UUID token
Trigger	Shortcode embedded in content	Checkout completion
Expiry	Optional `expires_at` datetime	Order-level expiry + max-download counter
Media playback	Video.js player for video and audio	Not applicable
Admin location	`/admin/cms-downloads`	`/admin/ecommerce/orders/{id}`
Public route	`GET /cms-download/{id}`	`GET /downloads/{orderDetail}/{token}`

Getting Started

Storefront

Admin: Products

Admin: Orders & Sales

Admin: CMS

Payments & Subscriptions

Plugins & Extensions

Support & Helpdesk

Configuration

CMS Downloads Manager: Embed Files with Shortcodes

Overview

Admin Routes

File Source Types

Shortcode Syntax

Rendering — Four Output Modes

Mode A — Inline Image

Mode B — Video.js Player

Mode C — Video.js Audio Player

Mode D — Styled Download Link

File Type Icon System

Icon Position

Global Icon Pack Setting

Display Options

CMS Downloads vs. Product Order Downloads

​Overview

​Admin Routes

​File Source Types

​Shortcode Syntax

​Rendering — Four Output Modes

​Mode A — Inline Image

​Mode B — Video.js Player

​Mode C — Video.js Audio Player

​Mode D — Styled Download Link

​File Type Icon System

​Icon Position

​Global Icon Pack Setting

​Display Options

​CMS Downloads vs. Product Order Downloads

Overview

Admin Routes

File Source Types

Shortcode Syntax

Rendering — Four Output Modes

Mode A — Inline Image

Mode B — Video.js Player

Mode C — Video.js Audio Player

Mode D — Styled Download Link

File Type Icon System

Icon Position

Global Icon Pack Setting

Display Options

CMS Downloads vs. Product Order Downloads