Cool Modules for Content Editors

12 min read

By Rory Keane

Feb 16, 2016

Our in-house marketer Rory took a closer look at nifty modules specifically geared towards the unsung heroes of content management: content editors

Publication Date

Without this module on your Drupal site, the display date for content is either the created date or changed date. Use Publication Date to help site admins and other content editors distinguish between content that has merely been created versus content that’s ready to be published.

Set Up Correct User Permissions

To enable the Publication Date module for site admins, install the module and adjust permissions for site users who need to review content before it is published. Once that final editor has given the green light, they can edit the “Published on” field to reflect the current date or have it match the created date.

Once this module is enabled and set up with the correct user permissions for content editors it will be available in views or any templates your site uses.

Best Practices

Having an adjustable “Published on” field benefits more users than content editors and site admins. It also helps end users get an idea of chronology. Establishing the date for certain time-sensitive content types is appealing to readers, and this is especially pertinent to Drupal sites which categorize content as News or Events.

View the module on drupal.org.

Watcher

Watch nodes on Drupal sites and get notifications when those nodes are updated, or comments are posted. This module will notify watchers, who can be authenticated users or anonymous users, with template-based notifications using the Token module.

Keep an eye on published content

Extending Functionality

Why watch one piece of content when you can bundle them together? Watcher module allows users to create and share bookmarks in “binders” of watched nodes. This social-minded bookmarking tool makes a Watcher a great way to foster conversations between existing users and enables your site’s visitors to act as evangelists for your brand.

Delighting Users with Good UX

Watcher module requires having the Token module on your Drupal site. The additional fields that are available in the Token module, such as recent purchases or interests for users who are logged in, can create highly customized and personalized notifications. Go beyond a generic message that says, “So-and-so just left a comment on your post,” to something as detailed as, “Ron thought your 2016-02-15 post on DrupalCon Asia was pretty neat!"

Check out the module on drupal.org.

That does it for this month's entry into the Module Spotlight series. Keep checking back for more updates and explore the diversity of the contributed module landscape with your guide for all things open source and Drupal: Promet Source.

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By Rory Keane

Rory joined Promet as chief of content marketing in early 2015. He is a solver of riddles, a destroyer of tacos and an avid urban cyclist who can be found spinning his wheels on Chicago's streets and lakefront trails when he isn't too busy trying to read the entire Internet in one sitting. Rory's background in digital marketing and journalism make him comfortable in the world of Drupal and open source development, where the emphasis on collaboration and sharing jive really well with his belief that a good story demands to be told. Rory has certifications and expertise in leading digital marketing platforms such as Google Analytics, AdWords and Hubspot.