Plugin idea: Looking for advice

I have an idea that (I think) would make embedding documents simpler for non-technical users of WP. Here’s what I envision.

1) You’re creating a post. You position the cursor where you want the embedded content to appear (let’s say a PDF). VIa a plugin (not sure if that’s the best method), the user chooses to upload the PDF to the media library. (So far all of this can be done in WordPress with no modifications). The user uploads the file (PDF).

2) Under the current model, the user now has to find the complete URL of what they just uploaded and enter in some magic code (maybe it’s an “embed src” code or a “gview file” code), depending upon what they’re using to present the embedded document. For non-technical users, this task can be daunting. Instead, it would be ideal if the file were uploaded and the necessary embed code was returned and placed into the editor at the insertion point in the post.

I’ve read the “developing a plugin” primer, as well as the API reference. I don’t see anything obvious that would lead to the development of a file uploader that is capable of returning the complete URL and placing it into the editor at the insertion point.

I’m not a great programmer, but I can find my way around in PHP code. Is PHP the best way to do this, or should I be looking at something else?

Is a plugin the best way to do this, or is there some other method?

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.