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Content modeling in Drupal

What's possible for your content model is limited – or expanded – by the tool you use to build your site. Drupal CMS provides best-in-class tools for building out your content model and bringing your content to life. Here are some key Drupal CMS terms and features you should know about as you think through the possibilities of your content model.

Content basics

Content types

Content types are like templates for different types of content you'll create: articles, wine tours, or testimonials. Each content type has its own set of fields (e.g., title, image, description).

Fields

Fields are the structure of your content types. Fields store pieces of information in a specific formats, such as text, images, dates, or references to other content.

Example: A Tour content type could have fields for Tour name, Region, Price, and Description.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy helps you group and categorize content. A taxonomy consists of a vocabulary which contains taxonomy terms. A reference field can be set up to point to a certain vocabulary, so that the content editor can choose from terms in that vocabulary when categorizing a content item.

Example: You can use taxonomy to organize tours by region (e.g., Napa Valley, Willamette Valley) or type of wine (e.g., red, white, sparkling).

Entity reference

An entity reference is a field type that allows you to link one piece of content to another.

Example: A wine tour can be linked to a specific region or include a featured image. The region field can use a wine region taxonomy vocabulary, allowing the wine tour content editor to choose a region from a list. Images can also be added to content as references, enabling you to maintain a media library and avoid duplicate images.

Views

Views is a powerful tool that lets you create lists or displays of your content. Views are flexible and allow you to filter, sort, and present content dynamically.

Example: A page that lists all wine tours, and allows the visitor to filter the list by region.

Media library

The media library is a central place to manage your images, videos, and other special files like documents or SVGs. Use the media library to find and reuse media uploaded to your site.

Example: Add an image through the media library, then you'll be able to reference it in any content that has a media field.

Menus are used to create navigation links for your website.

Example: A Wine tours menu item that links to a page listing all tours.

Blocks

Blocks are reusable content containers that can be placed in specific regions of your site.

Example: A content display of two upcoming featured wine tours displayed in the sidebar.

Pathauto

Pathauto is a built-in module that automatically generates SEO-friendly URL aliases based on your content structure. When editing content, look for the URL alias section in the sidebar to view or edit the automatically generated URL.

Example: A wine tour named "Napa Valley Experience" could automatically get a URL like /tours/napa-valley-experience.

Content moderation and workflows

Content moderation and workflow tools allow you to manage drafts, approvals, and publishing processes for your content, making it easier to collaborate with a team.

Example: Copy for wine tour content needs to be reviewed by the winery owner before it can be published.

Why these are useful

  • Content types, fields, and taxonomy help you structure your content logically.
  • Reference fields and views (relationships) allow you to connect and display related content dynamically (e.g., listing tours by region or type).
  • The media library and menus make managing visual and navigational elements intuitive.
  • Pathauto and content moderation simplify SEO and content management processes.

Additional resources

The art of content modeling is a skill that takes practice, and goes beyond what's covered in this guide. This list includes additional resources to help you continue learning and developing your content modeling skills.