The Acquia DAM module syncs assets stored in the Acquia DAM with Drupal’s Media Library, so site creators can search, browse, and select images, PDFs, spinsets, and videos without leaving the Drupal site builder interface. The module leverages embed codes rather than downloading and serving assets through Drupal. To install and configure the Acquia DAM module, follow the instructions in the configuration article. 

Table of contents¶

• Adding assets to Drupal pages 

• Managing asset versions

• Manually syncing asset metadata

• Working with deleted or expired content

• Tracking asset use in Drupal

• Serving content using CDNs

• Upgrading to Acquia DAM 1.1.0

Adding assets to Drupal pages¶

When creating content in Drupal, you can browse assets stored in your Acquia DAM and add them to your page. First, select Media.

If this is your first time using the module, you need to connect your Drupal and DAM accounts. Everyone who uses the module must have a DAM user account and will need to do this step. Select Connect.

A new tab will open and load the DAM. Once you’re logged in, a message will appear asking you to allow the integration. Select Allow. 

Your accounts are linked, and in Drupal, you can now use the module. Select DAM as the media source. 

Choose between five media types  –  document, image, PDF, spinset, or video. You can refine your results further by search or by category. Select one or multiple assets to embed in the page, then select Next. 

Choose a format for your media. It will be added to the Drupal page as an embed code, so that it is synced with the DAM. The maximum width and height for images is 2,048 x 2,048 px.

Under Version, select whether you want the media to update automatically when assets are updated in the DAM or if you want to manually update media yourself. All media types have these version options except spinsets. Select Insert selected. 

 

Managing asset versions¶

The Acquia DAM module checks for new versions of assets uploaded to the DAM approximately every hour. If you selected Manually Update when adding media, you will be alerted when a new version of that asset exists in the DAM. That alert will appear on the edit page. 

Select Update media and review the current media and the new version side by side. Then select Cancel to keep the existing media or Update to change the media to the new version. 

Note that Drupal will only detect a new asset version if it’s uploaded to the DAM. If an asset is switched to a previous version in DAM, the asset embedded in Drupal will not update automatically or alert you that there is a new version. There is a workaround. When switching an asset to a previous version in DAM, follow these steps: 

1. On the Asset Details page, select Switch Version and then select a previous version of the asset.

2. Edit one of the metadata fields. Drupal will detect this as an update to the asset. 

3. Select Set Version as Finalized. 

4. Check your Drupal page in an hour, and you should see the previous version of the asset displayed. 

  

Manually syncing asset metadata¶

In the DAM media report, you can manually sync asset information with the DAM. To view the report, select Content, Media, Media library, and DAM media. Once the sync happens, there is no way to revert the Updated dates back.   

 

Working with deleted or expired content¶

Although assets are synced between DAM and Drupal, if a user deletes an asset in Drupal, it will not be deleted in the DAM. 

If an asset embedded on a Drupal page is deleted or expired in DAM, a gray box will replace the asset on the Drupal page. The module checks for deletions and expirations of assets approximately every hour. 

To check for expired assets across all Drupal pages, go to the DAM media report in Drupal. You can also view expired assets while working in the Drupal edit page, both within the WYSIWYG editor and within the Media section. 
 

Tracking asset use in Drupal¶

Content creators in Drupal can view all assets that have been used in pages, articles, and other content types in the DAM media report. It will also inform them when new versions of assets are available. 

To see where a particular asset has been used in Drupal and other apps, go to the Asset Digest page in the DAM. Then go to Asset associations and select Integration links. Links appear in the list –– along with the date, app name, and description of the page title –– when the asset is inserted into Drupal content through the WYISWYIG, Media Library Field, or Paragraph components.

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Serving content using CDNs¶

Assets from DAM can be added to Drupal content as embed codes, powered by the Amazon CloudFront CDN service to ensure fast and optimized delivery. Each asset has a one-hour cache lifetime. This means if an asset is edited in DAM, it can take up to 60 minutes to have those edits reflected on Drupal pages. There is no way to override this.

Features with DAM 1.1.x¶

Users can now download assets directly from the Drupal file system. This provides an alternative to using embed codes from the CDN. It offers greater flexibility and control over asset usage.

Upgrading to Acquia DAM 1.1.0¶

After you upgrade to Acquia DAM 1.1.0, you can expect several enhancements and changes that improve asset management flexibility and functionality:

• Assets can now be downloaded directly to the Drupal file system. This feature provides greater flexibility by allowing you to choose whether to use embed codes for CDN delivery or download  assets for local storage.
• The upgrade introduces support for additional media types, including Audio and Generic, expanding the range of assets that you can manage within Drupal.
• Multiple assets, such as images, videos, and documents, can be transferred from Acquia DAM to your Drupal web application. The Bulk Import feature streamlines the asset transfer process.
• The upgrade enables you to  mix and match serving methods. After the upgrade, you can use se the embed option for large files and the download option for files requiring local storage. This method helps optimize both performance and storage.
  

For more information, visit:

• FAQs for DAM module version 1.1.x
• What is the difference between the latest Acquia DAM module and the Media: Acquia DAM module?