External Content Library

The External Content Library (ECL) is an feature for exposing multimedia contained in an external system in SDL Tridion Sites so that you can use the media in SDL Tridion Sites-driven websites.

The following diagram illustrates ECL extension of Content Manager, which includes a GUI extension for Content Manager Explorer:

The diagrams illustrates the two variants of ECL providers, those built as Connectors on the Tridion Integration Framework and legacy Providers built with an earlier architecture. Both can be uploaded to the implementation using the Add-ons feature.

The following definitions explain the key aspects of the ECL implementation:

Client-side ECL
Namespace/Mount Point

A root node in Content Manager Explorer that defines a connection to an external system and which contains (within one or more directories) representations of multimedia that is stored in the external system.

  • For Connectors built on Tridion Integration Framework, each node corresponds to a namespace for the external system. Any given Connector can expose several namespaces for the same system but with different setups, such as "youtube1" and "youtube2."
  • For legacy ECL Providers, each node is a mount point on the external system.
Stub Folders

Stub Folders contains Stub Items, which are Content Manager objects (Multimedia Components and Schemas) that correspond to multimedia content that is referenced in ECL but stored in an external system. When a user adds a reference to an ECL multimedia item, for example by creating a Multimedia Link, ECL generates a corresponding Multimedia Component as a Stub item, basing it on the ExternalContentLibraryStubSchema.

Define the Stub Folder in the Connector's JSON configuration file. To enable users to add external multimedia to Components, you need to add to your Schemas a Multimedia Link that has this Schema as an Allowed Schema.

Server-side ECL
Connector

A Connector is a specific type of Add-on that is specifically used to integrate SDL Tridion Sites with other systems, either other RWS products or third-party systems. Connectors built on Tridion Integration Framework are flexible and agnostic with respect to usability within Tridion Sites—in short, write a connector once and run it everywhere.

Tridion Integration Framework

Tridion Integration Framework support multiple ways for users to access data that is external to the Tridion Sites content management system. External Content Library is one of those ways.

Add-ons

The Add-ons feature supports the uploading and management of extensions, including Connectors. You use the feature also to upload custom configuration for each Connector as <CONNECTOR>.json files.

Legacy ECL Provider

Legacy ECL Providers plug into the External Content Library to communicate with and retrieve multimedia in external systems. Legacy ECL Providers (pre-existing and not built on the Tridion Integration Framework) will continue to work as before.

GUI Extension

The GUI Extension displays external system namespaces (or mount points) in both the Content Manager and Experience Manager user interfaces. Under these root-level nodes, users can see multimedia that is stored and available in the external system.

External Content Library API

You need to develop Template Building Blocks that interact with the External Content Library API to use media stored in an external system in SDL Tridion Sites-driven websites.

Secure Token Service

When using Legacy ECL Provider, the Security Token Service is the identity provider that is responsible for issuing security tokens (SAML). Connectors built on the Tridion Integration Framework do not require the Secure Token Service.