syndication: share content between installations #

This page is for administrators who run several Exponential installations that share content. syndication exports part of the content tree of one site as a feed, and another site imports it, kept in step by cron. It supports:

• One-way syndication: for example shared content or authentication data between separate databases and client sites.
• Two-way syndication: for example forums, portal networks, social platforms and large e-commerce networks.

The feeds are cached XML plus binary files, one file per exported object, served through a SOAP interface (soap.ini EnableSOAP=true, SOAPExtensions[]=syndication). The admin entry is /syndication/menu.

It started as an eZ Systems extension and was released in public, ported to PHP 8 and documented by 7x in September 2025 (1.1.0).

Set up an export (the main site) #

1. Install the extension, create the tables (sql/mysql.sql, or share/db_schema.dba for every database since 1.3.1) and activate it.
2. Open /syndication/menu, choose Export, then New Feed, and complete the wizard. A subtree source includes the subtree root.
3. Run the cronjob part regularly. Every 3 minutes is suggested, since it carries much load once running:

php runcronjobs.php export_feed

Set up an import (the second site) #

1. Install and activate the extension on the second site.
2. Open /syndication/menu, choose Import, and create an import with the feed's server address and the node of your site that receives the content.
3. If the source is protected, give a login and password (see below).
4. Run the cronjob part by hand first and review the first import:

php runcronjobs.php import_feed

5. Then run it regularly from cron. After the first run, imports are faster and need no regular watching.

Operate it from the admin and the shell #

Open Syndication in the admin. The start page shows what is exported, what is imported, when each cronjob part last ran and what needs attention (a feed without a source, an import without a location, failed items, SOAP off). If the tables are missing it offers to create them. Export all active feeds and Fetch all active imports start the same code as the cronjob in the background and show its progress on the page; a feed's and an import's own page has the same buttons for that one feed or import.

From the shell, the commands show up in ./console list ext:syndication:

./console ext:syndication:status
./console ext:syndication:export --dry-run
./console ext:syndication:import --import=3 --fetch-only

See the specification for every option.

Protect a source with HTTP authentication #

Since 1.2.0 (19 July 2026) the import sends a login and password to the exporting site, so the SOAP endpoint can be protected by HTTP access control. Give them either:

• in the server address: https://<login>:<password>@<host>/, or
• in the Login and Password fields of the import's first step.

The port defaults to 443 for https and 80 otherwise. Keep the credentials of the import out of version control.

Settings #

A kernel patch (kernel_patch/addrelated.diff) is optional but recommended. Install it as a kernel override class, not as a manual kernel edit.

What changed in the Exponential 6 releases #

Related pages #

• Specification
• Velocity engines
• CLI, cronjob and view abstractions
• Extension metadata specification
• Chronicle and release notes
• Change ledger
• Behaviour changes of the extensions
• Months: 2025-09, 2026-07, 2026-09, 2026-10 (all extensions)