Ektron’s Developer SDK

The Developer SDK for Ektron CMS400.NET contains the following components to help you extend and customize your Ektron CMS400.NET site.

The Developer API which includes:

- Server Control API: An interface for calling the methods and properties of the Ektron CMS400.NET Server Controls. For additional information on the server controls, see Working with Ektron CMS400.NET Server Controls and the Developer API Documentation.

- Web Services API: Exposes a method’s functionality for use with SOAP over HTTP. For additional information on the Web Services, see Implementing Web Services and the Developer API Documentation.

- .NET Assembly API: Similar to the Business API provided in previous version, the .NET Assembly API provides an interface for calling the methods and properties that are exposed in Ektron CMS400.NET. See Also: the Developer API Documentation.

- Plug-in Extension API: The Plug-in Extension exposes event hooks in Ektron CMS400.NET. As a developer, you can utilize these event hooks in Visual Studio C# or VB.NET to create customized events for your site. See Also: Plug-in Extension and the Developer API Documentation.

The Developer API Documentation

The API Documentation contains a detailed description of the functions included in each of the APIs.

To access the Developer’s API documentation in Visual Studio, choose Help >> Contents. Next, choose Ektron CMS400.NET API Documentation from the list of contents. You can also filter the documentation so you see only Ektron’s API documentation. Click Ektron API Documentation in the filter drop down box. You can also access the API documentation online by clicking here and selecting Ektron CMS400.NET API Reference Documentation ).

CMS Extensions

CMS Extensions are developer-defined software modules that modify the behavior of the CMS.

In versions previous to Ektron CMS400.NET version 8.0, developers used the Plug-in Extension Wizard to extend the system. As of version 8.0, CMS Extensions are preferred over the Plug-in system.See Also: Customizing CMS Behavior with Extensions

Ektron CMS400.NET Server Controls Toolbox

The Ektron CMS400.NET’s are now install for you when the Developer SDK is installed. Server controls let you insert, via drag and drop or programmatically, many standard methods and properties within the Visual Studio environment. This means that you can see the effect of your changes in real time -- you don’t have to modify a page then compile a sample project to see the results.