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Content Manager extension points (APIs)

Content Manager can be accessed through a variety of browser-based and desktop-based user interfaces, as well as through several APIs.

To jump directly to more information about one of the items in this diagrams, click a link below:

More concise information about some of the concepts above are:

TOM.NET API
TOM.NET (.NET Tridion Object Model) is a Content Manager API for developing Compound Templates and Event Handlers that interact with the Content Manager.:
  • Templating—your Template code, in the form of Template Building Blocks, interacts with the TOM.NET to query the Content Manager for content to publish. Templates can only read content, and do not modify or delete items.
  • Event Handler—you can configure the Content Manager to trigger custom code you write (an Event Handler) whenever a certain type of event occurs, for example, when a user deletes a Page or creates a Schema. You can also interact with the TOM.NET from your Event Handler code.
Core Service API
The Core Service is a Web service that allows applications to interact with the Content Manager. For example, Content Manager clients such as Experience Manager and Content Manager Explorer interact with the Content Manager through the Core Service, and you can use the Core Service to integrate external systems with SDL Web. You also use the Core Service to implement Automatic Activities to control Workflow.
GUI API
The GUI API allows you to add user interface controls to the Content Manager Explorer Web interface, add or modify behavior of new or existing controls, and hook up your own data to the GUI using a Data Model.
Translation Manager API
The Translation Manager API allows you to customize the behavior of Translation Manager. You can use the Plugin System to load custom DLLs created using this API.
Audience Manager API
The Audience Manager API is a Content Manager API for customizing and extending Audience Manager using C# or another language supported by .NET. The API provides access to the Audience Manager item types (Contacts and Segments) and functionality to perform a bulk import of Contacts.
External Content Library API
The External Content Library is an API for developing Providers, Template Building Blocks and Event Handlers that communicate with an external system and expose the multimedia contained in the system in SDL Web.