Content Editor

Content Editor is the editing form used to modify any content item in Jahia, whether regular content, pages, folders or media files. Its purpose is to let everyone enter content quickly and correctly, without needing to know the technical structure behind it.

Definition and how it works

Since Jahia 8.2, the form opens as an overlay on the page. Its header shows the content’s name, a language switcher, the content type, the publication status and a menu with the work in progress status and copy from another language. An Advanced mode button opens the form full screen with a content preview. Fields are grouped in sections: Content for what visitors will read, Categories for classification, Metadata, Layout for choosing the view and Options for advanced settings. Each field can show help text, badges (required, translation in progress) and a validation message.

The form is not designed screen by screen. It is generated from the content type definition, then adjusted where needed (field order, labels, help text, selectors, hidden sections) through JSON configuration files delivered in a module, a package of code installed on the platform. Sections can also be shown or hidden based on the permissions of the person logged in.

Academy documentation: editing form organization

Content Editor vs Page Builder: the differences

Content Editor differs from Page Builder (the visual page editing interface in Jahia 8.2) and from the building blocks that make up the form itself.

Content Editor and related terms
Term	How it differs from Content Editor
Page Builder	Page Builder, the visual page editor, is for composing the page: placing, moving and arranging content in areas. Content Editor is for entering a content item’s values. It opens from Page Builder as well as from the other jContent views (content folders, media).
Field	A field is one element of the form, tied to a property of the content item. Content Editor is the whole form that brings these fields together.
Fieldset	A fieldset is how a mixin appears on screen, a mixin being a set of properties added to a content type. A dynamic fieldset appears only when a given value is selected in a previous field.

Content Editor in practice

For a "Job offer" content type, developers declare the fields (title, location, contract type, description), then add a JSON configuration that groups the fields, writes the help text and hides a technical section from contributors who do not need it. Recruiters see a short, clear form while the administrator keeps access to the options.

To translate, the contributor switches language in the header, copies content from another language if useful and flags the translation as work in progress until it is finished.

Frequently asked questions

When should Content Editor be opened in Advanced mode?

When the content needs room. By default, since Jahia 8.2, the form opens as an overlay on the page, which keeps the page context in view. The Advanced mode button opens it full screen with a content preview, more comfortable for long content, content with many sections or content being translated. Both displays give access to the same form.

Can Content Editor be adapted to each contributor’s role?

Partly. Whether each section of the form is displayed can depend on the permissions of the person logged in. An author may only see the Content section, for instance, while an administrator sees every option. Developers can also hide fields or make them read-only through configuration. Editorial roles and forms are therefore best scoped together.

How do you translate a content item in Content Editor?

The language switcher in the header moves the form to the language being translated. The menu offers copy from another language, which is handy as a starting point. A badge flags fields whose translation is in progress. The work in progress status prevents unfinished content from being published. Only fields declared as translatable differ from one language to another.