# Best Practices for Static Resources

## Displaying the Content of a Static Resource with the `action` Attribute on `<apex:page>`

You can use the `action` attribute on a `<apex:page>` component to redirect from a Visualforce page to a static resource. This functionality allows you to add rich, custom help to your Visualforce pages. For example, to redirect a user to a PDF:

1. Upload the PDF as a static resource named `customhelp`.
2. Create the following page:

   ```markup
   <apex:page sidebar="false" showHeader="false" standardStylesheets="false" 
         action="{!URLFOR($Resource.customhelp)}">
   </apex:page>
   ```

Notice that the static resource reference is wrapped in a `URLFOR` function. Without that, the page does not redirect properly.

This redirect is not limited to PDF files. You can also redirect a page to the content of any static resource. For example, you can create a static resource that includes an entire help system composed of many HTML files mixed with JavaScript, images, and other multimedia files. As long as there is a single entry point, the redirect works. For example:

1. Create a zip file that includes your help content.
2. Upload the zip file as a static resource named `customhelpsystem`.
3. Create the following page:

   ```markup
   <apex:page sidebar="false" showHeader="false" standardStylesheets="false" 
         action="{!URLFOR($Resource.customhelpsystem, 'index.htm')}">
   </apex:page>
   ```

When a user visits the page, the index.htm file in the static resource displays.

**See Also**

- [Using Static Resources](/docs/platform/salesforce-pages-developers-guide/guide/pages-resources.md)