I use Atahualpa for several sites, and I'm running the latest -- 3.7.13. I note the following change:

* Until now, when I uploaded a PDF file to my Media folder and then linked to it from within either a page or a post, clicking on that link took me (and my visitors) directly to the PDF. This required no settings, but worked as default.

* With the latest release, those links now take me to a page within the blog where the link appears, with its filename. Clicking on that link then takes me to the PDF file.

So why have you chosen to revise this in such a way as to intrude an additional step into PDF retrieval?

I've attached a screenshot so you can see what I mean.

Here's a link to the page of my blog that includes the link to the pdf: <http://www.nearbycafe.com/artandphoto/photocritic/about-a-d-coleman/adc-in-print-and-pixels/recent-publications/>
And here's a link to the result of clicking on that link:
<http://www.nearbycafe.com/artandphoto/photocritic/?attachment_id=19825>

1) swap to twenty-twelve and see what happens
2) what did you set the WordPress 'ATTACHMENT DISPLAY SETTING -> Link To' option to?
3) When was the last time you added a PDF and tested it? might an upgrade of WOrdPress have been done?

1. I don't have this theme installed. Will installing it and testing within it affect my blog when I revert to Atahualpa?

2. I don't know where the Attachment settings are, and haven't touched them, in this or previous iterations. I've used the defaults, obviously, which have somehow mysteriously changed.

3. I'm running the current version of Atahualpa at multiple blogs, all updated recently. Two of these blogs were installed within the past week, the others a year or more ago. The problem is consistent in them all, without my having made any change to the settings.

#2, above, speaks to a problem with your answers in this forum. You assume that the reader knows where things are within the Dashboard. While I appreciate the respect implicit in that, 't'aint so. A p;ath would be extremely helpful.

When you add media to a page there are various Attachment display settings. You need to have link to media selected and not link to attachment page. This is not a theme issue. It is part of how WordPress works.

You assume that the reader knows where things are within the Dashboard. While I appreciate the respect implicit in that, 't'aint so. A path would be extremely helpful.

Yup, as an unpaid moderator with limited time, I do assume anyone using wordpress should know the lingo, knows what things are theme related and what are wordpress or plugin related and that they should have read all the sticky posts in the forum including the one titled 'So..you have a problem and need some help...' Otherwise, if I had to assume no one knew anything and needed to explain, in extreme detail, every step for every question that was asked, how long do you think it would be before I went and did something else?

It's your responsibility to learn wordpress and CSS (and maybe HTML and php) so you can figure out your problem and if you need to ask help from anyone, you should explain the issue clearly with examples and explain the things you have done to try to figure it out. If you can't do that on your own, then you should think about hiring someone to teach you how to do it or to have them do it for you.

Sorry if this seems harsh (I spent 8 hour driving today) but the truth is sometimes I will give the path. Sometimes I'll give an exact answer and sometimes I'll make someone dig in and learn how to solve their own problem. It's my choice when I work unpaid. (Now my paying customers...that's another story)

Somehow an error crept into several links in the new blog. Corrected now. Not sure how this glitch crept in, as I'm consistent in my methods.

However, what you wrote is correct only as far as it goes. You can link to media (PDFs, Word files, etc.) in your Media Library in several ways.

1. You can position your cursor, go to Add media, select the PDF, click insert, etc., as you would with a photo. This will place a link where your cursor is. But that link will have the title of your media, which may not be the text you want to have visible. And if you select text on your post or page from which to link to said media, said text will get replaced by the filename of your media, almost surely not a desired result.

2. You can simply go to your Media Library, find the PDF or Word doc or whatever you want, copy its File URL, then go to the post or page, select the text you want to make into a link, click the Link icon in Dashboard, and add the File URL in the relevant field. The selected text will remain as is, but will become a link to your media.

3. You can start from a Post or Page, click Add Media, find your PDF or whatever, click on it, copy the File URL (bottom right corner, below Media File) without clicking on Insert, close your Insert Media window, and select the text to make into a link per 2 above.

I am aware that the title of a PDF is what will show. I always add the link and then generally go into text mode and change it.

Having made a donation (yesterday, before asking any questions here), I do consider myself a "paying customer." To be even-handed, I donated the same amounts to both moderators. You should have received PayPal notifications to that effect.

If you've more than a million downloads, are the #1 WP theme,and remain uncompensated for your efforts, you're doing something wrong, methinks.

And while I don't expect explanations to get repeated ad infinitum, a link to existing ones would surely help.

I've published websites since 1995. I suspect I know more than most WP users about how websites work. I do know basic HTML, etc. However, the premise of WP -- indeed, all blogware -- is that it's so user-friendly that you shouldn't have to spend much time under the hood, or even know what's going on there.

And I do my best to problem-solve on my own before seeking help. Of course I've looked at the various threads re my Atahualpa problems. If I can't find the answer, I ask questions.

From post #1

So why have you chosen to revise this in such a way as to intrude an additional step into PDF retrieval?

there was nothing done to the theme to cause this. The only changes between 3.7.12 and 3.7.13 was the addition of full width headers and full width footers. Now while it might be possible that those changes are causing some weird issue, it doesn't happen for me

I just tested starting with 3.7.12 and the pdf comes up fine. I then upgraded to 3.7.13 and the pdf STILL comes up fine.

This leads me to believe there is something other than the theme that is causing the issue you are seeing. It could be a conflict with a plugin you have installed, something that changed on your server or it could even be something that changed on your computer or even a change is how you are telling the media file to be displayed.

At this point you need to isolate what is causing the issue.

Per my earlier post (see above) I did resolve this problem -- some error got into the URL I copied and pasted for the PDF. Not sure how that happened at one blog and not the others. Consider this problem resolved.