Work In Progress
Work in progress (WIP) is a status applied to a content item or a page to tell other editors that the writing is not finished. The status prevents the content from being published in the languages concerned. Among the cases the Academy documents, a flagged item that is marked for deletion as well can still be published.
Definition and how it works
In a team where several people publish, the WIP status is a simple safeguard against a costly mistake, a draft going live too early. It also makes the state of the work visible to everyone, without meetings or messages. You can see at a glance what is ready and what is not.
In Content Editor, the editor marks a content item as Work in progress, then saves. On a multilingual site, the status can apply to all languages or only to some. A WIP badge shows which languages are concerned. In jContent, a wrench icon appears next to a flagged content item. In Page Composer, the content is grayed out and carries a Work in progress message. According to the Academy documentation, child content created under a flagged item stays unpublished when the item is published, although it can be published individually. Publication, which moves content from the default workspace to the live one, resumes once the status is removed.
Academy documentation: understanding work in progress content
Sources: Using Work in Progress Status, Jahia Academy (Jahia 8.2, page dated 22 May 2024).
Related terms: Content workflow · Workspace · Content Editor · Content item · Content lifecycle · Visibility Condition
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Work in progress vs unpublished change: the differences
A modified but unpublished content item is not necessarily a work in progress. The status is an explicit decision by the editor, who states that "this content is not ready". A workflow, by contrast, organizes the approval of content that is ready.
| Concept | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| Unpublished change | A change that is saved but not yet released. It can be published at any time. The WIP status prevents that. |
| Workspace | The default workspace stores content before publication. Flagged content stays there until the status is removed. |
| Content workflow | The process that organizes reviews and approvals before publication. It applies to content judged ready, after the status is removed. |
Work in progress in practice
A team is redesigning a ten-page section. Nine pages are ready; the tenth is waiting for a visual. The editor marks that page as Work in progress. It can no longer be published while the status is in place. It shows up grayed out, with a Work in progress message, for anyone who opens the section in Page Composer. The other nine pages follow their own course. If the team publishes the whole section in one go, the flagged page is left out, along with the content it holds.
On a multilingual site, flagging only the late language lets you publish the translations that are already approved; properties shared by all languages go live as well.
Frequently asked questions
Does removing the Work in progress status publish the content?
No. Removing the status makes the content publishable, but publication remains a separate action, possibly subject to the site’s approval workflow. An editor can therefore finish writing and remove the flag without the content going live before it has been reviewed and approved by the right people.
Can a single language be flagged as work in progress?
Yes. On a multilingual site, the Academy documentation states that the status can apply to all languages or to specific ones. This helps when a translation falls behind. The ready versions can be published while the unfinished language stays blocked. The WIP badge makes the languages concerned easy to spot immediately.
What does the status protect against?
The Academy documentation presents the status as a safeguard against new or modified content going live by surprise, and its badge shows which languages are concerned. To take content off the site, use unpublishing, a separate action. While the status is set, it prevents publication in the languages concerned, with a few documented exceptions.