Get the embed code of a web document

Except for certain types of video documents (for instance, a YouTube video) and uploaded files, external web documents must be added with their embed code.

Documents added with an embed code are subject to inactivity suspension rules; we therefore recommend using documents that require less than 15 minutes to complete.

Embed code?

Also called an embed link, Iframe link, or integration link.

Unlike a direct link, that you can enter in your browser’s address bar, an embed code is a snippet in HTML language. It indicates not only the location of the document, but also how the document is displayed and behaves (for example: what is the default size for the document? Does the size adapt to the screen width? Are certain headers hidden? Is fullscreen authorized? Are animations kept?, etc.).

An embed code can have one of two (equivalent) forms:

• <iframe src="https://..."></iframe>
• <embed src="https://..."></embed>

If you can’t see the characters < and > (the « tags »), then it’s not an embed code.

Get the embed code of a document

The official way

The exact steps to get the embed code vary depending on the hosting application. We recommend checking the help site of that application, they will often have articles with titles such as « Integrate XXX in a website » or « Share XXX in your blog » (if you can’t find anything, then it’s not possible to get the embed code — see the next section).

Here are the general steps:

1. From the edition screen of the document, click Share/Publish/Export.
2. Look for an option with the term embed or iframe.
3. Copy the code.
4. Paste the code in the course.

Sometimes, the embed code is included in a larger code block. In this case, only copy the part starting with the tag <iframe... (or <embed...) and ending with </iframe> (or </embed>).

The cheating way

Some web documents don’t reveal their embed code, but you can sometimes « force » it. This technique is a workaround, and has no guarantee of succeeding.

1. Copy the direct link of the document.
2. Go to https://www.iframe-generator.com/.
3. In the field iFrameURL, paste the document’s direct link.
4. If the document is long (longer than a standard page, for instance), select scrollbar → yes in the options above.
5. Click Preview to check how the document will appear when added with the embed code.
6. Click Generate to create the embed code.
7. Click COPY IT to copy the embed code.
8. Paste the code in the course.

The genie of the lamp way

If you feel like a fairy leprechaun, or any other kind of transforming superhero, you can also turn your page into a PDF, and then add it as a document.

1. Open the print menu of your browser (how to do that in Chrome ↗, how to do that in Firefox ↗).
2. In Destination, select Save to PDF.
3. Upload the document in your course.
4. Tada 🧞