Getting Invalid URL when trying to link

[klal]

I am trying to post links to files that are stored on Wetransfer.com. The file paths are valid, certainly not traditional looking links, but are reachable. Any time I try and insert a Website URL link, which look something like the below (that is not an active link, just an example), I get the Invalid Link in red.

​https://we.tl/t-6Xs18RPiOc

This has been on and off, but now it seems that it is not working at all. In the past, I was able to get this to work by multiple attempts/and or setting another link, removing and then reinserting. Hardly an ideal method, but I was able to get it to work. Now, no luck at all.

[NJRFTF]

@klal 

What do WeTransfer say about this issue?

https://wetransfer.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new 

It's also possible that Weebly is using some form of link scanner because these shortened urls are so commonly used to mask the origin of the file for malware purposes.

[klal]

Actually, it's not limited to just the wetransfer links, though I understand your premise. I've even tried to populate the field with a default http://google.com or other link and it's come back as invalid. After an hour or so of attempts today, it finally went through, but there's no rhyme or reason to it. I've tried multiple browsers as well, so it would seem that there's an issue on the Weebly side. For a while, adding a link, like Google, then removing it and adding the desired link would work as a workaround, but in the last few days, in particular today, it's been totally unreliable.

[seicolegwr]

@klal 

NJRTRF is correct. The problem with shortened/condensed URLs is that the actual domain name of the site you're sending people to is obscured. This is commonly exploited by phishing and other malware sites who then redirect people to their spoof sites. 

There are websites where you can input the shortened URL to extract the legitimate full URL (e.g., checkshorturl.com) Use this full URL for your links and your link problem should go away.

Hope this helps, Gary

EDIT: I've just noticed you've tried default full length URLs ( I read your reply too quickly) - but - the example you gave http://google.com is, strictly speaking, invalid. Most up to date browsers will block websites that only have http content as 'not secure'. It's best to link to https versions of sites. 

[PaulMathews]

If you're using the free version of WeTransfer, file links are only transient per this article: https://wetransfer.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202603916-How-long-are-transfers-available-to-downl.... Regarding other urls that you've tried, that seems odd. While the example Google link was technically incorrect (it runs over https not http) that should still have resolved properly to the (secure) Google home page. I haven't ever encountered a situation with an external file link in Weebly that didn't work so this suggests an issue external to Weebly if indeed there is an issue. Perhaps try using a different browser; preferably one where you haven't used the Weebly editor before and see if you can replicate the link issue (with a standard, well-known address). If you cannot replicate the issue on a different browser, this suggests that the browser you're using is where your problem is (extensions, cache, security settings, etc.).