This self-help guide is designed for content contributors who are new to Drupal or need a quick reference for common tasks. It covers the basics of creating, editing, and managing content on a Drupal-powered website.
Note: The specific user interface and available options may vary depending on your site's Drupal version, configuration, and user permissions. If you can't find a specific feature, please contact us for help.
Drupal Terminology
- Node: This is Drupal-speak for a single piece of content, such as a basic page, an article, or a blog post.
- Content Type: A content type defines the structure of a node. For example, the "Article" content type might have fields for a title, body, an image, and tags, while a "Basic Page" might only have a title and body.
- Revision: Drupal's revision system saves a new version of a piece of content every time it is edited. This allows you to track changes and revert to a previous version if needed.
- Taxonomy: This is Drupal's system for categorizing content. A "Vocabulary" is a collection of "Terms" (e.g., a "Blog Tags" vocabulary with terms like "Drupal," "web design," "CMS").
Getting Started
How to Login
To access the content management features, you'll need to log in to your Drupal site. You will use your university username and password to log.
- Navigate to your site's login page (often
your-site.umn.edu/saml/login). - Enter your username and password.
- Click the "Log in" button.
Once you are logged in, you will be redirected to your user page. Click the site name to navigate to the homepage.
If login was successful, you will see the black administrative toolbar at the top of the page. The the admin toolbar is not present contact us.
Adding and Editing Content
Creating new content
- In the administrative toolbar, click on Content.
- Click the + Add content button.
- Select the Content Type you want to create (e.g., "Article," "Basic Page," "Blog Post").
- Fill in the required fields on the form. Required fields are typically marked with a red asterisk (*).
- Title: Enter a descriptive title for your page or article.
- Body: This is the main content area. You can use the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor to format text, add links, and embed media.
- Other Fields: Depending on the content type, you may have other fields like image upload, tags, or a summary.
- On the right-hand side of the page, you'll find additional options in the sidebar:
- Menu Settings: Use this to add a link to your new page in the site's navigation menu.
- URL alias: This allows you to create a user-friendly URL (e.g.,
your-site.umn/about-us) instead of the default numerical URL (e.g.,your-site.umn/node/123). - Publishing options: This is where you control the content's status.
- Save your content.
Editing Existing Content
There are two primary ways to edit content:
- From the Content list:
- In the administrative toolbar, go to Content.
- Use the filters to find the piece of content you want to edit.
- Click the Edit link next to the content item's title.
- From the page itself:
- Navigate to the live page you want to edit.
- If you have the appropriate permissions, an Edit button or tab will appear above the page's content. Click on it.
Once you are in the edit form, you can make your changes and then save the content.
Formatting and Media
Using the WYSIWYG Editor
The WYSIWYG editor provides a user-friendly interface for formatting your content. It typically includes buttons for:
- Bold and Italic text
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Headings (e.g., Heading 2, Heading 3)
- Heading 1 is reserved for the page title only and should not be used in the content field.
- Adding links
- Inserting images and other media