Drupal CMS: External widgets

Learn to embed external widgets in Drupal.

In Drupal, we use widgets to embed third-party software into a page. Third-party software is not managed by UCL but by external companies. Examples of third-party software are Twitter, YouTube etc.

GDPR

Third-party platforms may not be GDPR compliant. If you are collecting personal data in a form, be sure to run a data protection impact assessment on both the platform and the form content. For example, you must include a clear privacy notice for MailChimp. The Data Protection team in Legal Services will be able to advise.

List of current widgets (updated June 2020)

• YouTube - platform for videos
• Mixcloud - platform for podcasts
• SlideShare - platform for showing presentations
• Issuu - platform for showing publications. (The website embed feature is available to paid users only.)
• Vimeo - platform for videos
• Instagram - platform for sharing images
• Twitter - microblogging platform
• SoundCloud - platform for music and podcast content
• Flickr Image/Slideshow - platform for showing photographs
• Gecko Form
• Google Form 
• Google Calendar
• Eventbrite - platform for events and ticketing
• MediaCentral - platform for showing UCL videos (embed using share URL) - see UCL MediaCentral
• Local Media
• Current Students Fee Schedules
• Evening courses enrolment form
• MailChimp - email marketing (sign-up form)
• Glassdoor - job search and company review
• Medium - blogging platform
• Momento360 - platform for 360 images and videos

To embed the widget

When editing use Chrome, Firefox or Safari but NOT Internet Explorer.

1. Go to the page where you would like to embed the widget
2. Ensure you are in editing mode
3. Click where you want the embedded media to appear
4. In the editing toolbar click on the Embed external widgets icon  -  </>
5. Complete the field with the URL or ID of the individual media item and follow the instructions where relevant
6. You will see a box with the words 'Widget Placeholder' inside it and the URL below
7. Change whatever else you need to change
8. Save
9. Finally, check you are happy with the result, including on a mobile device

Help and support

• Web support.