How to efficiently update PDF manual links on multiple product pages?

[MarkLemon]

We sell products with manuals downloadable in PDF format. One manual may be used on several product pages. Originally we saved the files to a different https url, but about a year ago Google put up a warning "Attackers sometimes mimic sites by making hard to see changes to the web address" because our file URL was similar to our store URL. The solution was to put all the manuals into shopify>settings>files, but now there isn't an easy way to update all the product pages when a new version of a PDF manual is uploaded.

A solution I tried was to change the link to all the files from this:

files/Methane-Sensor.pdf?v=1629995420

to this

files/Methane-Sensor.pdf?

But with testing I found that the global servers will continue to see the old link and bring up the old PDF even after it is updated. Sometimes hours, sometimes days.

So I'm looking for an app that would search/replace all my product pages for a particular file name or text string. Otherwise I have to do it manually using the products page search function.

Any suggestions?

[learningtheshop]

Hey Mark,

while I don't know off the top of my head an app that would achieve this, I'd highly recommend looking for one that offers a live support option.

The point being, this is a really dangerous operation to enact on all your product pages and it'd probably help to have someone ready to help as soon as you go through the tutorial/onboarding steps.

Good luck!

[EasifyApps-Zoe]

Hi @MarkLemon,

Your current approach of inserting PDF file links to product descriptions can be time-consuming and tedious to manage in the future. Instead, you can export your product list to a CSV file, edit the attached links, and reimport the file to your Shopify store. However, this method may still require a lot of time and effort for future changes.

A better solution is to use the Free Ease Product Attachments App. This app enables you to easily upload and assign PDF files to specific products from the beginning. If you need to make changes in the future, you can simply re-upload your files and the app will take care of the rest. This approach is more efficient and user-friendly compared to manually editing links in a CSV file.