Prepare attachments
After you’ve chosen an appropriate file type and file name, make sure your attachment is accessible and has all the necessary information.
For all attachments, follow the guidance on publishing accessible documents.
There’s additional guidance if you’re attaching:
- a spreadsheet – read the guidance on releasing statistics from the Government Analysis Function
- a form – read the [guidance on formatting forms](link tbc)
- an official document that is ‘laid before’ (presented to) Parliament – read the [guidance on formatting official documents](link tbc)
- an Easy Read – read the section on creating Easy Read documents in the accessible communication formats guidance.
If you want a CSV file that can be previewed
CSV files can be previewed on GOV.UK if you format them correctly. The preview will show the first 1,000 rows and 50 columns. Users can view it by clicking ‘view online’.
If you want it to be previewable, the CSV file should:
- be tabular (meaning it has columns and rows)
- have a maximum of one heading row or no header row
- have no unnecessary blank lines or empty rows
- use UTF-8 encoding
See a good example of a CSV file that can be previewed. The preview can be seen by selecting ‘View online’ under the attachment title.