File Downloads as external links within questions do not work when file is saved within Canvas. If the file is linked from Canvas it will open preview the file from within the 'Files' area in Canvas, potentially giving students access too all course files.
Hi Kip Butts,
Thanks for highlighting this behavior. I do not think many people are aware of this.
When writing a question in Canvas and linking to a file hosted by Canvas, there is a way to set the opening of that file to use or not use the inline preview. See How do I disable inline previews for files using the Rich Content Editor?
In Quizzes.Next, to achieve the effect of disabling inline preview of a file and thus initiating a file download, you would add a URL parameter "download_frd=1" to the end of the file URL.
For example, if the file's URL is: https://example.instructure.com/files/21751947/download?wrap=1
Change this to: https://example.instructure.com/files/21751947/download?download_frd=1
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Kevin Dougherty
Assoc. Product Manager, Assessments
Instructure