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Nuxeo Live Connect

Updated: July 17, 2023

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Live Connect allows you to create a content application that handles cloud files (Dropbox, Google Drive, in the future One Drive, Box...) as if they were local files. Files remain in the cloud but they are referenced in the Nuxeo repository as if they were stored within it. This allows the user to benefit from thumbnailing service, full text, conversions, etc.

Live Connect for Google Drive also brings the "Cloud Edit" mode. Your application based on the Nuxeo Platform can provide the users with a direct link to the SaaS applications that you can use for editing Google Drive files (Google Docs, Office 365, Pixlr, etc.).

Live Connect is designed to allow many implementations. Default implementations are:

  • Live Connect for Google Drive
  • Live Connect for Dropbox

Live Connect Features

Live Connect provides a set of features described below.

  • File download: File download is made by redirecting the user's browser to the native download URL of the considered backend.
  • Full-text indexation: The text of the content is extracted and sent to the Elasticsearch index so as to be able to perform native Nuxeo Platform search using NXQL and standard search screens of the JSF UI.
  • File conversion in PDF, using the provider's conversion system: When a PDF conversion is asked for a Live Connect file, the user's browser is redirected to the provider's direct URL for getting the PDF version.
  • File preview, using native provider's preview.
  • Thumbnail generation, using provider's thumbnail.
  • Apps link: Links that can be used to edit the file in the cloud.
  • Update of the document: If a document is updated on the backend, the reference will be updated (full text index, thumbnail, filename...)
  • Native versioning: When a version of the document is created in the Nuxeo Platform, a versioning order is sent to the backend so as to make a version of the file on the backend and make sure to be able to get back the file in the future.

Depending on the backend capabilities of the provider, not all features are available.

The table below shows the available features for each default implementation.

FeatureAvailable for Google DriveAvailable for Dropbox
Download URLYesYes
Full-text indexationYesYes
PDF conversionYesYes
PreviewYesYes
ThumbnailYesYes
Link to cloud appYesNo
VersioningYes (non-native Google Drive documents)Yes*
Update of the documentYesNo

* Provided by the Nuxeo Platform

Live Connect For Google Drive

Functional Overview

Creating New Google Drive Documents

On the document creation form, a Google Drive button enables you to browse your Google Drive content and select a document stored there.

This option is available for the following Nuxeo document types:

  • File
  • Picture
  • Video
  • Audio

Editing Content

Native documents stored on Google Drive can be edited using the native Google Drive application: Google docs, Pixlr, etc.

You can fill their metadata like any other metadata.

Content edit actions are tracked in the document history in the Nuxeo Platform and in Google Drive.

Browsing and Searching Content

Google Drive documents can be searched in the Nuxeo Platform like any other document: their content is indexed in the platform, as well as their metadata. They are displayed in search results like a Nuxeo document. Their thumbnail is provided by Google Drive.

Setting Up Live Connect for Google Drive

Step 1: Preparing your application accounts on the Google developer console

  1. Go to https://console.developers.google.com/project.
  2. Create a new project.
  3. Enable Drive API: In APIs & auth > APIs click on Drive API (maybe search for it first to filter the list) and then on the Enable API button.
  4. Edit your consent screen: In APIs & auth > Credentials click on OAuth consent Screen, fill the product name (the name of your application). You can also upload a logo, etc. This is what is displayed when the user authenticates through Google.

  5. Create a new OAuth Client ID: In APIs & auth > Credentials click on Add credentials and select OAuth 2.0 client ID.

    1. Choose Web Application.
    2. For Authorized JavaScript origins set the URL of your server. Ex: http://localhost:8080
    3. For Authorized redirect URIs set the following URL, adapting the hostname and port to your case: http://NUXEO_SERVER/nuxeo/site/oauth2/googledrive/callback

The console redirects you to a page where you can see the client id and secret id values. You will need them in the next steps.

Step 2: Configuring the Nuxeo Platform

  1. Install the package Nuxeo Live Connect if it is not already installed.
  2. In the Admin tab, go to Cloud Services > Service providers.
  3. In the OAuth2 Service providers section, update the service whose name is “googledrive” by clicking on the Modify button.
  4. Set the client id and client secret values with the one you got on the previous step.
  5. Make sure the Enabled box is checked.
  6. Save.

You are ready to use it, just go in the workspace section and create a file object: you can use the Google Drive file picker

To use the Google Drive file picker with Internet Explorer 11, the following URL must be added to IE11's trusted sites zone: https://accounts.google.com.

Live Connect For Dropbox

Functional Overview

Creating New Dropbox Documents

On the document creation form, a Dropbox button enables you to browse your Dropbox content and select a document stored there.

This option is available for the following Nuxeo document types:

  • File
  • Picture
  • Video
  • Audio

Browsing and Searching Content

Dropbox documents can be searched in the Nuxeo Platform like any other document: their content is indexed in the platform, as well as their metadata. They are displayed in search results like a Nuxeo document. Their thumbnail is provided by Dropbox.

Setting Up Live Connect for Dropbox

Step 1: Preparing your application accounts on the Dropbox App console

  1. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps.
  2. Click on App console.
  3. Click on the button Create app.
  4. Select Dropbox API
  5. Select the permission Type Full Dropbox
    • The App folder permission won't work due to limitations in Dropbox API
  6. Enter the name of your application.
  7. Click on the button Create app.
  8. From the Settings tab, copy the App key and App secret.
  9. In the OAuth 2 > Redirect URIs set the following URL, adapting the hostname and port to your case: http://NUXEO_SERVER/nuxeo/site/oauth2/dropbox/callback.
  10. In Drop-ins domains set the domain name of your site.

Please note that Dropbox only allows http for localhost. For all other sites https must be used. Please see HTTP and HTTPS Reverse-Proxy Configuration.

To enable additional users on your application, go to Settings > Development users and click on Enable additional users.

Step 2: Configuring the Nuxeo Platform

  1. Install the package Nuxeo Live Connect if it is not already installed.
  2. In the ADMIN tab, go to Cloud Services > Service providers.
  3. In the OAuth2 Service providers section click on the Modify button of the 'dropbox' service provider.
  4. Paste the Dropbox App key in ClientID.
  5. Paste the Dropbox App secret in Client Secret.
  6. Make sure the Enabled box is checked.
  7. Now go to the HOME tab and click 'Cloud Services' tab and click the Connect to Dropbox button or just create a new Dropbox document.

To use the Dropbox file picker with Internet Explorer 11, the following URL must be added to IE11's trusted sites zone: https://www.dropbox.com.

Live Connect For Box

Functional Overview

Creating New Box Documents

On the document creation form, a Box button enables you to browse your Box content and select a document stored there.

This option is available for the following Nuxeo document types:

  • File
  • Picture
  • Video
  • Audio

Browsing and Searching Content

Box documents can be searched in the Nuxeo Platform like any other document: their content is indexed in the platform, as well as their metadata. They are displayed in search results like a Nuxeo document. Their thumbnail is provided by Box.

Setting Up Live Connect for Box

Step 1: Preparing your application accounts on the Box App console

  1. Go to https://app.box.com/developers/services.
  2. Click on Create a Box Application.
  3. Enter the name of your application and select Box Content.
  4. Click on Configure your application.
  5. In redirect_uri set the following URL, adapting the hostname and port to your case: http://NUXEO_SERVER/nuxeo/site/oauth2/box/callback.
  6. Copy the client_id and client_secret.
  7. Click on button Save Application.

Please note that Box only allows http for localhost. For all other sites https must be used. See HTTP and HTTPS Reverse-Proxy Configuration.

Step 2: Configuring the Nuxeo Platform

  1. Install the package Nuxeo Live Connect if it is not already installed.
  2. In the ADMIN tab, go to Cloud Services > Service providers.
  3. In the OAuth2 Service providers section click on the Modify button of the box service provider.
  4. Paste the Box client_id in ClientID.
  5. Paste the Box client_secret in Client Secret.
  6. Make sure the Enabled box is checked.
  7. Save.
  8. Now go to the HOME tab and click Cloud Services tab and click the Connect to Box button or just create a new Box document.

To use the Box file picker with Internet Explorer 11, the following URLs must be added to IE11's trusted sites zone:

Adding Trusted Sites to Internet Explorer 11

In order to be able to use the external file pickers provided by Live Connect, certain URLs must be added to the list of trusted websites. This can be done as follows:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Click the Internet Options menu entry
  3. Go to Security > Trusted sites
  4. Click on the Sites button and add your URL

Advanced Live Connect Configuration

Synchronization

Since cloud files can be changed externally Nuxeo Live Connect relies on a scheduled synchronization process to ensure local metadata is kept up to date. Things like the document's title, thumbnail, full text for indexing, etc, are not updated in realtime since they rely on this regular synchronization job which is set to run every 5 minutes by default.

To change this interval users can override the default contribution:

<component name="org.nuxeo.ecm.liveconnect.scheduler.override">
  <require>org.nuxeo.ecm.liveconnect.scheduler</require>

  <extension target="org.nuxeo.ecm.core.scheduler.SchedulerService" point="schedule">
    <schedule id="blobProviderDocumentUpdate">
      <event>blobProviderDocumentUpdateEvent</event>
      <!-- default is 0 0/5 * * * ? (every 5 minutes)  -->
      <!-- change it to run every 30s -->
      <cronExpression>0/30 * * * * ?</cronExpression>
    </schedule>
  </extension>
</component>

Note: Synchronization requires service calls that might be subject to quotas and/or limits. Please refer to each provider's documentation for further information.

Known General Limitations

  • Nuxeo Drive is not compatible with files that are stored on a Live Connect backend: files will be downloaded, but it won't be possible to update them.
  • Native versioning: Only non-native Google Drive documents have revisions created on the Google Drive side.