Require terms before download Pro

Some libraries can’t simply hand a file over. Drawing sets carry licence conditions, clinical guidance carries a disclaimer, research data carries a use agreement. FileDeck Pro can put those terms in front of the download and — the part that actually matters — record that the reader accepted them.

FileDeck Pro — Documents → Settings → Downloads → Terms before download.

Setting it up

1. Tick Require visitors to accept terms before any download.
2. Write the agreement in the box below it. Links are allowed, so you can summarise in a sentence and link to the full terms.
3. Save.

From then on, clicking any download opens a dialog with your text and a checkbox. The file is only served after the reader agrees.

It is enforced on the server

This is not a client-side courtesy. When the reader accepts, FileDeck issues a short-lived token and the download endpoint refuses without one. Someone who dismisses the dialog does not get the file.

Two deliberate exemptions:

• Signed share links skip the gate. You created that link for a named recipient — the grant was already made on your side.
• Acceptance lasts for the visit — one hour, carried by a cookie — so a reader agreeing once can then download several documents, across pages and including bulk zips, without being asked again.

The record is the point

Every acceptance is written to the activity log as a terms event, with the document, the time, and the visitor (and their IP, unless you have IP anonymising on). That is what makes it evidence rather than decoration — you can export it to CSV alongside the download log.

What this is not

It records consent; it does not enforce a licence. A document with no access restriction still has a directly shareable file URL, so anyone who already has that URL bypasses the dialog — the same honest caveat that applies to watermarking.

If the agreement genuinely matters, pair the terms gate with an access restriction so the file is served through FileDeck rather than sitting at a public URL.

Using it with lead capture

The two work together. If both are on, the reader agrees to the terms first, then enters their details, then the download starts. Neither gate is skipped.

FAQ

Can I set different terms per document or category?

Not yet — the agreement is site-wide. If you need per-category terms, say so on the support page; it is a natural extension and demand decides the order.

Does it apply to zip downloads?

Yes. Bulk zip downloads go through the same gate.

Will search engines see the dialog?

No. The dialog only appears when a download is clicked, so it does not affect how your library pages are crawled or indexed.