A BETTER WAY TO SHARE THE WORK
Choose HTML or PDF around what the reader needs to do
A reading link and a fixed file solve different delivery problems. Start with the recipient's requirements, not a favorite format.
New to creating with an agent? The request will guide it through the task. Bring your notes; you don’t need to write HTML.
Should I share my report as HTML or PDF?
Choose an HTML reading page when recipients need a browser-friendly explanation that can be revised at the same link. Choose a properly prepared PDF when a fixed-layout file, offline copy, print workflow or specified archive format is required. Check accessibility, access and recipient expectations in either case; sometimes the job needs both.
01 / SEE THE DIFFERENCE
The same report, two recipient requirements
Fictional Cedar review: one manager reads on a phone; an archive coordinator requires a fixed PDF file.
Report facts: 18 requests closed of 24 eligible in August, 75%. Manager wants phone reading and future corrections. Archive coordinator requires a fixed PDF file kept offline. No signatures or editable calculations requested.
- Common facts
- 18 / 24 = 75%. Both deliverables must preserve period, definition and evidence.
- Manager
- An HTML reading page fits phone reading and reviewed corrections at one link.
- Archive coordinator
- Prepare a fixed PDF with an appropriate document tool, verifying the archive's exact requirements.
- Boundary
- The example is a decision brief, not a generated PDF or proof of archive compliance.
Open a complete fictional HTML example, with its source notes →
Create my report format decision brief02 / MAKE IT YOURSELF
Start with the evidence. Shape the page around the reader.
Ask whether the recipient needs a link or a file
A reader reviewing on a phone may value reflowing content. A recipient submitting a fixed file to an archive may need a specific document format. Confirm the requirement instead of assuming everyone prefers the same delivery. HTML is not automatically well designed, and a PDF is not automatically inaccessible.
Choose how editions should behave
A share/artifacts HTML page can be updated at its existing URL. That helps corrections but means the current link is not an immutable copy of an earlier edition. Keep separately approved snapshots when a historical record matters. A downloaded PDF remains that file; distributing a new edition does not replace copies already saved.
Review accessibility and layout in the actual output
For HTML, inspect headings, reading order, contrast, text resizing and phone layout. For PDF, use the appropriate document-authoring and accessibility checks, including structure and reading order. GOV.UK recommends HTML for web publishing; Adobe documents PDF's fixed-document, print and specialized archival uses. Neither removes the need to test your result.
Respect requirements outside the reading task
Keep editable calculations in a spreadsheet and signatures in an approved signing workflow. If PDF is required, create and verify it with an appropriate document tool; share/artifacts does not provide PDF export in this workflow. Browser printing is not a guarantee of print-production quality or archive compliance.
03 / TRY THIS PROMPT
Copy this into your agent. Add your source material.
Use the conversation where you already did the work, or start one with your notes. Replace the placeholders and supply any missing context; only attach information you are allowed to share with your agent.
Get the ready-to-copy creation request for guided questions, this task, and a draft review before anything is published.
Create a static HTML format-decision brief from my recipient requirements and approved report context. Compare an HTML reading page with a PDF for browser reading, fixed layout, offline delivery, corrections, printing, accessibility and any stated archive requirements. Recommend by the actual job and state unknown requirements. Do not claim one format is universally better. Preserve source facts in any illustrative comparison. Ask only for missing essentials using existing authorized context. Use my saved artifact style if available. This task creates a reading decision brief only: do not generate or promise PDF export, archive certification, signatures, editable calculations or an application. No scripts or forms. Show the draft for review. Do not publish or change access without separate explicit approval.
04 / BEFORE YOU SEND
A polished page still needs your judgment.
- Are recipient format and offline requirements confirmed rather than assumed?
- Does the choice distinguish a current editable edition from a preserved historical copy?
- Have accessibility and layout been checked in the actual chosen output?
- Are PDF production, archive standards, signatures and calculations assigned to appropriate separate workflows?
When HTML fits
A decision brief that helps choose a delivery format before producing or distributing the final report.
When another format fits better
This comparison is not a PDF converter, accessibility certification or archive-compliance assessment. A hosted HTML link should not be assumed to work offline.
FROM DRAFT TO A LINK
Make it clear. Make it yours. Then share it.
Keep creating and revising in the agent you already use. With a compatible connection, share/artifacts publishes the reviewed HTML so you do not have to rebuild it in another editor. Ask your agent to use your saved artifact style for headings, color, and tone; review the result before sending it.
Choose who should be able to open the page and verify the returned link. For corrections to the same deliverable, update the existing artifact without changing its link. Publish a separate artifact when the old edition needs to remain available.
These are static pages, not live apps: no scripts, forms, or automatic data refresh. Source collection and scheduling depend on your agent and its available tools, not on share/artifacts.
Make this with my agentQuestions before you start
Can a PDF have selectable text and links?
Yes. Do not confuse a scanned image PDF with every PDF. Check the actual file's text, links, structure and accessibility rather than assuming all files behave alike.
Can share/artifacts export my page as a PDF?
This workflow does not provide PDF export. If a PDF is required, use an appropriate document tool and verify the resulting file. A browser print dialog is not a promise of an accessible or archive-compliant PDF.
Can I deliver both formats?
Yes, using suitable tools for each. Keep the facts and edition dates consistent, explain which version is current, and preserve the required record separately. Do not imply that updating the HTML replaces downloaded files.