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How to Add External LTI Link (Add-On)

Overview of LTI Tool Consumer & LTI Tool Provider

🔹 What is LTI?

LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) is a standard that allows two different platforms (for example, two different eReaders or LMS systems) to communicate with each other securely.

  • One platform provides the content/tool (Provider).
  • The other platform consumes or launches that content/tool (Consumer).

🔹 LTI Tool Provider

  • The Provider is the platform that hosts and serves the content.
  • When your reader/content is being launched on another platform, your system acts as the Tool Provider.
  • Example:
    • Kitaboo has an eBook.
    • A university uses Moodle LMS.
    • Students log into Moodle and click on the book.
    • Moodle (Consumer) requests the book from Kitaboo.
    • Kitaboo (Provider) delivers the book seamlessly inside Moodle without students logging in again.

👉 In short: Provider = we are sharing our content to be launched from someone else’s system.

🔹 LTI Tool Consumer

  • The Consumer is the platform that requests and displays the content from another provider.
  • When you launch another platform’s content on your reader platform, your system acts as the Tool Consumer.
  • Example:
    • Another publisher (say, Pearson) has content hosted on their system.
    • You integrate their content into the Kitaboo Reader.
    • When a student opens Pearson’s course from Kitaboo, Kitaboo (Consumer) requests and launches it from Pearson’s system (Provider).

👉 In short: Consumer = we are embedding other platforms’ content into our system.🔹 Simple Analogy (Restaurant Example 🍽️)

  • Provider = Restaurant kitchen (they cook and serve the food/content).
  • Consumer = Customer’s table (they receive and enjoy the food/content).
  • If Kitaboo serves its content inside another LMS → Kitaboo is the kitchen (Provider).
  • If Kitaboo displays another publisher’s content → Kitaboo is the table (Consumer).

👉 So depending on the scenario, Kitaboo can be both:

  • Provider when giving access to our content on other platforms.

Consumer when embedding other platforms’ content into our reader.

Sample External Tool Creation Process

The sample external tool creation process is outlined below, including the required data and the steps to add and verify it after creation in both the Content tab and the Admin Center.

In the UI, mandatory parameters are marked with an asterisk (*). The following details outline the mandatory and non-mandatory fields for configuring an external tool:

Mandatory Fields

External Tool Content Metadata
  • Title* – Name of the external tool.
  • Custom Parameter* – Custom parameter to be passed while launching the tool.
  • Category* – Tool category selection.
  • Language* – Default language for the tool.

Create LTI Tool

  • Tool Name* – Unique name of the LTI tool.
  • Client ID* – Client identifier provided for the LTI tool.
  • Deployment ID* – Deployment identifier for the LTI integration.
  • Public Keyset URL* – URL for fetching the public keyset.
  • Initiate Login URL* – URL used to initiate the LTI login.
  • Redirection URL – Redirection URL.
  • Method* – Select method for login initiation.
  • Issuer ID* – https://microservices.kitaboo.com (The Issuer ID field is https://microservices.kitaboo.com, and this will remain the same for all external tools on Production) 

Non-Mandatory Fields

  • Description (Content Metadata) – Optional description of the tool.
  • Add Additional Parameter (LTI Tool creation) – Allows adding extra key-value parameters.
  • Cover Image (Content Metadata) – Optional cover image for the external tool.
  • Open in New Tab (checkbox) – Option to open the tool in a new tab. If not selected, the content will open inside an iFrame.

Sign in with your Enterprise Admin credentials.

  • Switch to the Content tab. > Click on the Start New Project button.
 

On the Upload & Create page, select the Add External Tool option from the Create Content list. > Click on the Create button

On clicking the Add External Tool option, the tool details screen will be displayed where you need to enter the required information (as explained previously).

  • After entering all the required details, click on the Create button.

A success message will be displayed:
“External Tool registered successfully” along with the Tool Configuration details such as:

  • Client ID

  • Authentication URL

  • Public Keyset URL

  • Once created, the external tool will be visible under the Content tab.

Click on the three dots (More Options) against the tool name to access the following options:

  • View Info

  • Delete Tool

  • Deactivate Tool

  • Upload Cover Image

  • Upload Book Metadata

  • Update Object Reference ID

External Tool in Admin Center

  • The created external tools can also be viewed in the Admin Center under the External Tool section.

  • Here, you can:

    • View configuration details

    • Edit the tool

    • Delete the tool

On clicking Configuration Details, the complete tool configuration information will be displayed.

On clicking Edit Tool, the tool details screen will open where the available fields can be updated as required.