Using the EditLive! SDK

Ephox, July 2002

Summary

The EditLive! SDK offers you all of the information you need to start integrating EditLive! into your own web-based solution. This information includes a 30 day trial version of the EditLive! software, EditLive! sample applications for different server platforms, and extensive documentation to simplify the development process.

This article outlines how to get started with the EditLive! SDK if you are new to EditLive!. The steps included in this process are:

1. Installing the EditLive! SDK
2. Viewing the EditLive! Samples
3. Creating your own EditLive! Solution
4. Customizing EditLive!

More Information

1. Installing the EditLive! SDK

With the EditLive! SDK you will have all the information you need to start integrating EditLive! into your own solution at your fingertips.

1. Download the latest EditLive! SDK from here.
2. Save the file to your local machine.
3. After the download is complete, locate the installation file and double-click on it to install it.

2. Viewing the EditLive! Samples

The EditLive! SDK includes a number of sample applications that allow you to get a feel for the EditLive! software, as well as providing some sample source code which you can copy and paste into your own solution. Below are some recommendations of how to use the EditLive! samples included with the EditLive! SDK to learn more about how EditLive! is integrated.

VIEW THE SAMPLE

1. Click Start > Programs > Ephox EditLive! > SDK > Welcome to EditLive!
2. From the side menu click on the "Basic Online Form" link.
3. In the right-hand frame, click on the "View the Simple Online Form Sample" link.

CHECK OUT THE SAMPLE SOURCE CODE

1. Click Start > Programs > Ephox EditLive! > SDK > Samples > Database > Basic > Source Code.
2. Open the file simple.htm in your favorite HTML editor.

READ THE ARTICLE

1. Click Start > Programs > Ephox EditLive! > SDK > Developer Documentation.
2. Expand the "EditLive! 4.0 Integration Samples" folder.
3. Click on "Introductory EditLive! and Databases" to read step-by-step how the sample was created.

3. Creating your own EditLive! Solution

Once you have an idea of how EditLive! can be used, choose the best EditLive! mode for your application purpose. Below is a list of possible situations and useful links for each one.

HTMLSTRING MODE
Using EditLive! With an Online Database or in an Online Form

EditLive! is perfect for replacing a simple text area on an online form to provide end users with the extended functionalities of image insertion, font formatting and hypertext creation.  EditLive! is also ideal to act as the interface for creating and editing content stored in an online database.  Using EditLive! for these purposes takes advantage of HTMLString mode, giving users WYSIWYG editing capabilities of HTML fragments.  Most ISVs, ASPs and VARs will take advantage of this mode.

For a sample article of how to integrate EditLive! in this situation please click here.

FTPSTANDARD MODE
Using EditLive! With Single Web Files via FTP

EditLive! is designed for use with single files from an FTP server, using FTPStandard mode. This mode works by loading the specified page directly into EditLive! from the remote server.  When the changes have been made, and the page has been saved back to the remote server, the modifications are available for viewing immediately on the Web site.  This eliminates the need for the cumbersome task of downloading and uploading files to the remote Web server.  Examples of where this mode may be applied include the administration area of a business Web site where end users can create and manage the content of an intranet or a Web site service, from an ISP or Web host which allows subscribers to edit their personal Web pages online.  This is the perfect solution for small Web developers wanting to offer their clients the ability to update their own content.

For a sample article of how to integrate EditLive! in this situation please click here.

FTPFILEMANAGER MODE
Using EditLive! With Multiple Web Files via FTP

EditLive! can be used to manage multiple Web files on a remote server. This mode offers an interface similar to Microsoft FrontPage with an extra pane to the left of the editing window to show the file directory structure.  This extra pane can be used to access multiple files on the Web server for modification within EditLive!.  Files can also be added to or deleted from the Web directory, or renamed.  This mode is known as FTPFileManager.

The system administrator may wish to offer their end users access to edit multiple files without allowing them to add or delete files from the Web directory.  If this is the case, FTPFileManagerReadOnly mode can be used to only allow the user to modify existing files within EditLive!.

For a sample article of how to integrate EditLive! in this situation please click here.

4. Customizing EditLive!

The functionality within EditLive! is completely customizable as well as offering an extensible toolbar so that you can add your own functionality to be accessed from within the EditLive! interface. The EditLive! API includes over 100 different properties and methods to allow you to completely customize the features offered by EditLive! for your application. Each property and method has its own reference page outlining its purpose, syntax and examples of how it is invoked.

For more information on how the main features within EditLive! can be used please see the EditLive! Advanced Feature Articles.

For more information on the EditLive! API please see the EditLive! API Reference Guide.

Related Reading

EditLive! Integration Basics

EditLive! Integration Samples

EditLive! Advanced Feature Articles

EditLive! API Reference Guide