Goodbye media browser - welcome media library

With the Drupal 8.8 release, one of the last Sector media roadmap milestones is met - the new stable media library in core! 

As part of our ongoing quest to reduce technical debt and get ready for Drupal 9, we decided to adapt the media library release in our first 8.8-compatible Sector release.

A new look with fewer clicks 

The new media library makes it easy to add new media to your site or find media you already uploaded. The new core library replaces the Sector media browser with a robust, easy to use, and customisable interface. 

The new media library in Sector.

One button to rule them all

The new single media button in the WYSIWYG toolbar replaces the previous three custom buttons for images, files, and videos

The new media button in the WYSIWYG toolbar.

For entity reference fields, the previous 'Select image' button is now just 'Add media' and can be configured to work with images, files, and videos. 

New 'Add media' button for entity reference fields

Easier to maintain for site builders 

Behind the scenes, the new media library configuration allows us to combine four Sector media browsers into one media library - this cuts down on time for both maintaining sites and training site builders.

Now that the custom media embed buttons in the WYSIWYG toolbar are obsolete, three sets of configuration have been combined into one.

All in all, the media library configuration is straightforward and easy to understand, and helps us to create a consolidated and consistent experience for site builders. 

Cut down on contributed modules and custom code

The update is also good news for our ongoing quest to reduce technical debt. We can now deprecate contributed modules - Media Entity Browser, as well as its dependencies Entity Browser and Inline Entity Form, and the Video Embed Field. 

So, goodbye media browser - welcome media library!