Overwriting a File

Updating a document or image file

If you have a document or image that you are using on your site that needs to be replaced with a new version, then you can use the overwrite feature to quickly update the file and keep all links intact.

Some examples of when you would overwrite a file:

  • Updating a faculty profile picture
  • Replacing a PDF or Word document that has new information regarding policies, guidelines, instructions, etc.

Remember, the CMS is not intended to store files that are not actively linked to your pages and different versions of the same file should be stored outside the CMS. The document and image files in your site's _files folder should all be files that are currently used on your pages.

Continue reading for instructions on how to overwrite your document or image files.

how to overwrite an image or document file

The overwrite option will let you quickly update a file while keeping existing links intact. 

Before you upload the new file to the CMS, the new version of the document or image file on your computer or other external storage will need to have the same file name as the file already in the CMS that you are going to replace. 

If you do not have a matching file name before you begin, you will have the option to rename it later on during the overwrite process.

Reminder: file names in the CMS should have no capital letters and use hyphens or dashes instead of spaces.

In Modern Campus CMS, navigate to where the file you're replacing is located. Select the Upload button. Make sure you are in Staging, not Production.

upload the file

After you select Upload, in the window that appears, check that your preferences are set as the default options: the Type as "Upload Files" and the Access Group as "Inherit Existing."

file upload menu

Select the check box next to "Overwrite Existing." If you do not check the Overwrite Existing box, then when you try to upload the file the status will show up as 鈥淔ilename already in use鈥� and will not allow you to move on to the next step.

select the overwrite box

Select the "+ADD" button and search your computer for the new file or drag it from the desktop. When the "Overwrite Existing" box is checked, the filename should appear without any error messages.
add file to upload

 

Optional: After you have chosen the file to add, the three dots to the right of the file status will give you the option to either rename or remove the selected file. 

If your new file name does not already match another file name that you are going to overwrite, then you can rename the file with this feature.

If you have chosen the wrong new file, then you can use this feature to remove the selected file and then select a different file before you continue.

Select add or access additional options

Once you and the system are happy with the file, select the Start Upload button.

start upload button

Publish the document or image by either selecting the check box to the left of the file name and then selecting publish from the toolbar or by selecting the three dots to the far right of the file and selecting publish from that menu. After publishing the file, also republish the page(s) that the document or image appears on.

Note: Remember to publish the both the file and the page twice; once to Dev and once to the default of Production.

publish

If you check the page(s) where your document or image are used, and the old version is still appearing, try the following:

  • Refresh the page in your browser.
  • Hard refresh the page by selecting Shift+Ctrl+R (for PC) or shift+command+R (for mac) on your keyboard.
  • Open an incognito or private window in your browser and check the page again.