Integrating Drupal with the Collaboro Digital Asset Management System
As part of our comprehensive website redevelopment for the Sydney Opera House (SOH), we integrated the Collaboro Digital Asset Management (DAM) system to streamline their digital asset workflow and enhance content management efficiency. This custom integration process had many benefits developed to meet SOH’s specific needs.
Collaboro selection and purpose
The Collaboro DAM system was selected by SOH through a separate procurement process, aiming to centralise asset management across various platforms, including their website and other digital and print media. The primary goal was to facilitate a unified repository for all digital assets, enabling seamless access and management by the SOH marketing team.
Media storage and management
In our integration, we removed the ability for SOH staff to upload files directly to the website, redirecting all uploads to Collaboro. While images related to the core website theme remain stored within the Drupal file system, all other assets are managed through Collaboro. This ensures consistent and centralised management of assets, enhancing operational efficiency.
Utilisation and content structure
Content editors interact with the Collaboro DAM through a custom interface within Drupal, designed to mimic Drupal’s Media Library for ease of use. Editors can select and add images from Collaboro directly through this interface, streamlining the content creation process. Initially, all assets are stored in a single collection within Collaboro, searchable by name and type, with plans for future enhancements to include additional attributes for more refined searches.
Integration
To integrate Drupal with Collaboro, we developed a custom module that communicates with Collaboro’s API, retrieving necessary data such as date created, file type, CDN URL, and SOH-specific properties. We also implemented a script to regularly check and update asset metadata in Drupal, ensuring consistency across platforms. This script updates metadata, such as alt text, on Drupal pages when changes are made in Collaboro.
Custom Solutions
Custom interface: We built a user-friendly interface within Drupal, allowing content editors to easily access and manage assets stored in Collaboro.
Thumbnail generation: A custom solution was devised for generating thumbnail images within Drupal, leveraging Collaboro’s API. Additionally, custom functionality was developed to allow SOH the ability to override Drupal’s internal thumbnail generation, to allow greater design control.
Metadata synchronisation: Our script ensures that any metadata updates in Collaboro are reflected in Drupal, maintaining up-to-date information across both systems.
Local image optimisation: To provide maximum flexibility and preserve fidelity, content editors will usually upload the highest resolution version of a file available to the DAM. As well as being very large, these files often use a file type that isn’t optimised for web use. By making a local copy inside the Drupal CMS, we could quickly convert the file type to a more web-friendly version, like WEBP for images. This approach also means that if an image needs to be kept private or only viewable via a login, we can control access through the CMS. Since the project was completed, Collaboro have introduced an API endpoint that generates cached, scaled and cropped images to various specifications, removing the need for a local copy.
Conclusion
The integration of the Collaboro DAM system into the Sydney Opera House website not only streamlined SOH’s workflow but also ensured that their digital presence remains cohesive and high-quality across all platforms. By leveraging Collaboro’s capabilities and extending them through custom solutions, we delivered a robust and future-proof asset management system that meets the evolving needs of the Sydney Opera House.
Need to integrate your Digital Asset Management System with your website?
Then get in touch! Whether it’s Collaboro, Acquia DAM or another flavour of Digital Asset Management, we’re sure to be able to make it fit seamlessly into your existing website, making it faster and easier for staff to work with your brand assets, and maximising your investment in your tech stack investment.