site_integrator

The Site Integrator module enables the integration of external websites into a Drupal site using either an iframe or by merging HTML content directly.

It is common to integrate web tools developed by third parties (not using Drupal) into a Drupal site. The simplest method is to create a page with an iframe that uses the external site’s URL as the source. However, this approach has several drawbacks:

• The initial iframe size must be set manually.
• When the iframe content changes, the iframe needs to be resized accordingly.
• Retrieving the size of the iframe content is often not possible due to security restrictions.
• If the external site requires restricted access, its URL must be publicly accessible to use within an iframe, meaning you’ll need to manage access restrictions on that external site, with no control on the Drupal side. While it’s possible to set up a complex single-sign-on (SSO) system to avoid multiple logins, this may not be straightforward or supported natively by the external site.
• There is no way to dynamically customize the external site’s look and feel to match your Drupal site. Customizing the external site directly may not be convenient, especially if it is also accessed by other websites with different designs.
• The iframe isolates the external site from Drupal, making direct interaction difficult. For instance, you can’t easily create a widget in Drupal that interacts with the external site, such as loading data, selecting options, or performing actions and vice versa.

Features

With this module, you can still use a classic iframe to integrate an external site while accepting the limitations mentioned above. However, you can also opt for an enhanced iframe solution that addresses these issues. By using an iframe with "local" content (i.e., the external site's content is fetched server-side and injected into the iframe via JavaScript rather than using a source URL), several advantages emerge. You can handle iframe content changes, manage access restrictions (i.e., the external site can be accessible only to the web server running Drupal, with Drupal acting as a gateway), and even modify the external site's content on-the-fly to better align with Drupal’s look and feel.

Furthermore, this module allows for complete iframe removal, enabling direct integration of HTML content into a page. This provides real, seamless interaction without the overhead of an iframe, which can consume more memory due to environment isolation. However, this approach may cause conflicts with some external sites, particularly with JavaScript libraries, CSS, or HTML element identifiers. Since the HTML document structure is altered, certain functionalities may not work as expected. In most cases, on-the-fly modifications will be necessary to make this approach successful.

Post-Installation

After enabling the module, navigate to the site’s "Configuration" page. Under the "External Data" section, you will find a link to list, add, or edit "Integrated Sites."