Drupal uses content types that act like forms in which you input content – text, images, videos, urls and files – in pre-defined fields and then that content gets stylized for you. Although we have multiple content types available, we try to maintain consistency across them where possible. Below are the common fields used across content types and what they do:

Title Fields

Within Drupal, there are multiple title fields: Title, SEO Title, Short Title, Page Header Title. In most instances, these can all be the same. When you input your title into the top Title field, the rest of the title fields will auto-populate with the same title information.  


Only if you need to change the title in the Title field, or want to use a different title for the other title fields, do you need to input or change content in one or more of the other title fields. 


Below outlines what each title field does in case you need to alter one of them:   


  • The Title field you will find across every content type. It is used to identify the content in the Content tab listing of webpages when logged into Drupal. Within the Article content type, this Title field is renamed Headline, but it serves the same purpose.

  • Leave the Hide title checked (if the content type has this checkbox).

  • The SEO Title is used to provide titles that have been optimized for search engines like Google and Bing. This field is also what creates the url path. Within the Article content type, this title field is renamed SEO Headline, but it serves the same purpose.

  • The Short Title is used in instances where you have a very long Title and need a shorter version for where space is limited, like the Headlines Grid or Entity Reference component. Within the Article content type, this title field is renamed Short Headline, but it serves the same purpose.

  • The Page Header Title field is the title that actually appears on the webpage. We’ll dive into this more in the Header Section below.



Short Description

The Short Description will be displayed by search engines such as Google and Bing, social media networks like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and within our website in sections where the content is referenced like in a Headlines Grid and Entity Reference components. It’s optional, but an important field to fill in, to let users know what content to expect. SEO best practices recommends this field have 160 or less characters and it should be in sentence form.  


Header Section 

The Header section is made up of two tabs, the General Tab and the Background Settings tabs, each containing different fields and selections:  


General Tab

  • The Optional Eyebrow is optional and displays as a smaller intro label.

  • The Page Header Title is described above within the Title fields section. It’s the title that gets displayed on the webpage.

  • The Description allows you to add a small blurb that is displayed below the Page Header Title. This is different than the short description field described above.  



The Background Settings Tab 

This tab allows you to add images to go behind your header, or select a background color, if you’d like. Please be mindful of the contrast between the text and the background color. Use the checkbox(s) under Style options when needed based on the help text guidance.  


 

These options are also available within components and follow the same guidance.   


Topics


The Topics field allows you to select from a pre-determined list of topics as shown within the Topics pages on the flagship site, publichealth.jhu.edu. If you start typing one of these topics in the Topics field, the item will display in a dropdown. You’ll need to select the item from the dropdown.  

 

Topics are optional. You can add more than one topic; however, we recommend no more than three and they should only be added if 1. the content is truly relevant to the topic and 2. the webpage content advances substantive knowledge on the topic.  


While the Topic field is available on most content types, it is only currently utilized on some content types. The two that you most likely will interface with are events and articles. If you use the event or article content types and select topic(s), once published, it’ll appear on that respective topic page(s) under the Events or Headlines section depending on published date. 


Main Content


The Main Content tab will be where you add in the content that goes below the header on your webpage. Some content types have components pre-added since they are used most often. If they are not needed, you can click the Remove button above the component and add in the components that are necessary for your content.   


In some Main Content tab areas, you’ll also see a Featured Image item. Here you can add an image for your content such as an image for your article or an image for your event. 


Additional components can be added into this area to create a vast number of layouts.



Previewing Your Content Edits


The View tab will display the most recently published revision. If your webpage has never been published, it will display the most recent revision.


If your webpage has been previously published, and you have additional revisions in draft or pending review you want to preview, use the Preview button or Latest Revisions tab. These will show what the webpage will look like with the latest edits whether they’ve been published or not.


When using preview and latest revisions, you may notice the header and footer menus and colors and the In This Section sub-navigation may not match your specific content and look different than what you see on the public pages. We are working on resolving this discrepancy in the preview and latest revision displays. The header and footer menus and colors, and the In This Section subnavigation, will show correctly when published.