Access to Assets Included in Articles

Authors can include images, documents, and other file types inline in articles by embedding assets stored in the CKFinder asset store into rich text article fields. Embedded images are automatically downloaded by the user’s browser and appear in the article page, inline with the text. Other types of assets display differently. For videos, a thumbnail can be shown, and viewing within the context of the article is possible. For documents or other file types, a link appears, and users can download the asset to their desktop for viewing.

To restrict access to embedded assets, the application limits the amount of time for which the asset URL is valid. This time limit applies in case an asset's URL is made publicly available. When a user accesses an asset, the application generates a token that is appended to the URL. The token expires when the configured time period elapses. When the token expires, the URL is no longer valid, and users will see a message that the session token has expired.