Generating content in Drupal seems to be quite simple – all we have to do is to fill in a form, click Save, and that’s it. However, there are quite elaborate node forms that challenge reading. So, how to improve content management experience among the users? Here are some helpful tips for you.

1. Keep only the important modules

First of all, keep it simple. Make sure you have only activated the modules you really need and use.

Second: consider permissions. When you log in for the first time to your Drupal account, you become the # 1 user – the one who always have the permission to do anything within the system. Of course, it’s a benefit when you build a site, but not secure in case you use daily business of a site as this user can avail more functionality than needed. Drupal’s permission system allows you to control the availability of features to your users – you can choose to present one feature and hide another.

2. Readjust the node form

So, since you’re now done with the interfering clutter and have paved a way for general improvements, you can rearrange the node form and fields. There are a handful of options here.

First, don’t forget about the wonderful Fieldgroup module coming with CKK. It allows you to arrange your content fields on the node form. This facilitates reading of elaborate content types with many elements. You can opt for making them collapsed (hidden) by default if you seldom use its elements.

The second and perhaps the handiest option is when doing custom layouts on node forms, either with CSS or through templates. All the field groups have their class names which gives a an easy way to customize their appearance.

3. Select the input format automatically

Input formats are an excellent way to pick what type of markup and HTML tags you want various roles to have the permission to use. However, standard Drupal has one restriction – you can choose just one default input format for all the users in every context. The thing is that you have to teach content editors how to modify input formats (of course, if they have the permission) if the default isn’t appropriate.

Fortunately, there is a module to address this problem. Better formats allow you to pick default input formats for each role, and even set it in a different way for each node type.

4. Customize node forms easily

Node Form Columns and Vertical Tabs are two modules that enhance your node forms’ usability easily. Node Form Columns allows you to easily arrange all the fields and options into columns and a footer region. It’s especially useful for elaborate node types.

In contrast to Node Form Columns, Vertical Tabs transforms some of the administrative fieldsets at the bottom of the form into vertical tabs, which is beneficial for admins who have the permission to the majority of the options.

Of course, there are a lot of Drupal tips to enhance the content editing experience on this platform. If you practice some which are not mentioned in this blogpost, feel free to share in the comment section.