Persistent & Secure PDF Drive Links in Articles
under review
Akash Sivaraman
When a PDF file is uploaded to Drive, and its link is inserted into an article, exporting the article to PDF preserves the link correctly. Clicking the link opens the file as expected.
However, the generated URL includes a SAS token (Shared Access Signature). Once the SAS token expires, users receive an AuthenticationFailed error when accessing the file. Currently, the SAS token remains valid for approximately 8 hours, after which the link breaks.
Expectation - The nested PDF file should be active at all times
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D360 Product Management
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under review
K
Kavya
Hi Enthusiastic Lizard , Akash Sivaraman,
Thank you for clearly explaining the scenario — this is an important observation.
Currently, files served from Drive use time-bound SAS (Shared Access Signature) tokens for secure access. When an article is exported to PDF, the embedded file links retain this SAS-based URL. Once the token expires (typically after several hours), the link becomes invalid and results in an AuthenticationFailed error.
We understand the expectation that:
Nested PDF files referenced within an exported PDF
Should remain accessible indefinitely
Especially when the exported PDF is intended for offline sharing or long-term distribution
However, the SAS token behavior is part of the current storage security model. Generating permanently valid public URLs for exported documents would require architectural and security considerations.
We’ll review this as an improvement request to evaluate possible approaches, such as:
Generating static/public-access links for exported content
Packaging nested attachments within the exported PDF
Or implementing a longer-lived access mechanism
Akash Sivaraman
+ Enthusiastic Lizard