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To get the core question out of the way first: has anyone used the Ektron content APIs and can comment on using them to get Ektron CMS content instead of using native Ektron controls? I'd like to use these APIs in an ASP.NET MVC site.

Now the background: we have a client with an existing site that is a fusion of Ektron (for basic content) and a custom database/codebase for other pieces of functionality (product data, ecommerce, etc). We need to build what amounts to a microsite for a specific product line, with the following requirements:

  • Drive as much basic content (copy) as possible from the Ektron CMS
  • Most other content would come from the custom database
  • Ecommerce functionality should integrate with the main site's cart (the cart is custom-built and can be extended if necessary)
  • Login status may need to be shared (I know there is already an SO question that addresses this piece)

I'd rather not struggle with WebForms and attempting to style Ektron controls, so I would like to recommend that we build the subsite as a standalone MVC application. Are the Ektron content APIs robust enough to support such an approach, or would this route just lead to tears and broken dreams?

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

super_seabass
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1 Answers1

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I coded a site with a large proportion of non-Ektron controls, but I used Webforms.MVP rather than MVC. This allowed me to mix-and-match MVP controls with the Ektron controls.

Ektron has got a couple APIs - there is an older web service based API which should be accessible from a non-Webforms project. I am not sure if it is possible to access the newer APIs (i.e. the non-web service API and the newer Framework API) fomr a non-webforms project. You would probably want to do a quick proof of concept for this to confirm.

The robustness of the Ektron APIs is a bit variable. Generally I have found dealing with simple HTML content to be good. Membership/login isn't too bad either. From memory, I've had problems with the more obscure components - eCommerce, Taxonomies, Blogs, Calendars. Generally, the problems include-

  • Empty properties
  • Lack of documentation

The newer Framework API (initial release in v8.0, covering Content and Folders, with a full release in v8.5, due in Aug 2011) is a lot easier to use, though I've still had occasional problems with empty properties.

Overall, as long as you're sticking to HTML content, you should be fine, provided you can access the API from a MVC project.

Spongeboy
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  • The client is using 8.0.1 so the Framework API is accessible to us. I think we only need Content and Folders, and a test I did yesterday with accessing Content from an MVC project (using the Framework API) was successful. You just need to include all the Ektron DLLs and make sure your web.config has the connection string it expects for the DB - without that connection string you get an unhelpful null reference exception. Knowing the components that could be troublesome is useful, thanks! – super_seabass Jun 09 '11 at 18:52