Using the Content Item Editor

The content item editor page is subdivided into two sections: the content editor and the sidebar widgets. This article will cover what they are and how to use them.

Content Editor

Occupying the bulk of the page is the content editor. It gives you all the tools you need to write your article.

It is divided into three main sections: the editor tabs, action buttons, and the text editor.

Editor Tabs

If this is your first time using EasyContent and you haven't edited your templates yet, then you're most likely using the default template. This will have two tabs: the Main Tab and the Example Tab (You Can Delete It). There's a third default tab called CMS Fields, but it's hidden by default.

You can customize these tabs by adding or removing fields and you can add new tabs as well. You can learn more about how to do that here. 

Action Buttons

The action buttons allow the currently assigned user(s) to perform various actions (such as submit, approve, etc.) on the content item.

The available buttons will vary depending on the user's role and permissions and the item's current workflow status.

The export tools can also be found here and will be visible to users who have the required permission to access them.

These tools allow the item to be converted to HTML or Word Document or published to a WordPress site if a WordPress connection is set up. Learn more about connecting a WordPress website to your project here.

You can also generate a shareable link, similar to Google Docs, that you can share with anyone on the internet by clicking the "share" button located next to the "save version" button. You can learn more about shareable links here.

Text Editor

The text editor has three fields by default:

• The title widget, which is the article's <h1> tag
• The content widget, the article's body
• The files widget, which lets users add files to the article

You can add additional fields by clicking the "customize template" link in the editor tabs section. Learn more about how you can use and customize templates here.

Sidebar

The sidebar is divided into three tabs: Controls, Comments, and Versions.

Sidebar: Controls

The controls tab, as the name implies, contains the control widgets. Through these widgets, you can change the item's workflow status, change assigned users, add deadlines, and more.

Let's have a more detailed look at all the available widgets here.

Item details widget

This widget holds the item's metadata. Adding proper titles, keywords, descriptions, and categories makes it easier for your writers to understand more about what they need to write about and helps you easily search and organize articles when you're on the content items page.

💡Note that apart from categories, nothing else is published or synced to WordPress when you use the "publish to WP" feature

Workflow status widget

This widget displays the item's current, previous, and future workflow statuses. It also displays who is responsible for them, if any, as well as deadlines, if any. The options that are available here will vary depending on the viewing user's role and permissions.

Click the status name and it will be set as the item's current workflow status. Note that this will only be possible if the user has the appropriate permission.

Messages widget

If you are responsible for at least one workflow status of a content item, users can message you about it through this widget.

Feedback widget

This displays all feedback given to the content item by responsible roles that have the option to leave ratings and/or feedback after approving it.

Sidebar: Comments

Here you can view all comments added to the item. You can also add a new comment, reply to an existing comment, resolve a comment, or edit (your own) comments.

Adding Comments

There are multiple ways to add comments. The first is via the comments tab by clicking the Add new comment button. You can mention other users by typing "@" followed by their name.

💡Our comment system can recognize links. You can add a link to your comment and it will automatically be converted to a hyperlink.

The second way to add a comment is by highlighting some text in the text editor and clicking the insert comment icon from the context menu that will appear.

Lastly, you can hover your mouse over the right edge of a field (like the title field) and the insert comment icon will appear.

Replying to Comments

To reply to a comment, click reply.

Editing and Deleting Your Comments

You can edit or delete your own comments by clicking the three-dot menu next to it.

Sidebar: Versions

You can access all the item versions by clicking on the "Versions" tab.

The "current" version is automatically updated every time a change is made to the content.

You can create a manual version by clicking the "save version" button in the action buttons section.

You can learn more about versions here.

Conclusion

You've learned how to use the content editor to create great content. You are now ready to start creating amazing content with your team! You might also want to check out the templates help article next.

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to send us a message at support@easycontent.io and we'll be more than happy to assist you!