Skip to content

Queue Management

Learn how to manage entity queues effectively on your Drupal site using the Entityqueue Form Widget.

Queue Lifecycle

Queue States

Created
  ↓
Configured
  ↓
Active (in use)
  ↓
[Maintained / Updated periodically]
  ↓
[Options: Keep Active, Archive, Delete]

Creating and Managing Queues

Queue Creation Checklist

Before creating a queue, consider:

  • [ ] What is the queue's purpose?
  • [ ] Which content types will use this queue?
  • [ ] How many items should the queue hold?
  • [ ] Who will assign items to this queue?
  • [ ] How will queue be ordered?
  • [ ] How long will this queue be needed?

Organizing Queues by Purpose

Example Organization:

Display/Presentation Queues: - "Homepage Featured" - "Category Featured" - "Sidebar Highlights"

Content Grouping Queues: - "Recent Articles" - "Popular Posts" - "Staff Picks"

Workflow Queues: - "Queue for Review" - "Awaiting Publication" - "Archived Content"

Campaign Queues: - "Summer Sale 2024" - "Holiday Campaign" - "Product Launch"

Queue Naming Convention

Recommended Pattern: 

[Context]: [Purpose]

Examples: - "Blog: Featured Articles" - "Product: Staff Picks" - "Campaign: Holiday 2024" - "Workflow: Pending Review"

Benefits: - Clear organization with colons - Grouped in alphabetical lists - Self-documenting purpose - Easy to find related queues

Queue Administration Interface

Accessing Queue Management

  1. Go to Administration > Structure > Entity Queues (/admin/structure/entityqueue)
  2. See list of all configured queues
  3. Click queue name to manage contents and order

Queue List View

Column Shows
Name Queue label
Items Current items in queue
Operations Edit/Delete actions

Queue Detail View

When you open a queue:

  1. Queue Information
  2. Queue name and label
  3. Target entity type and bundles

  4. Size limits

  5. Item List

  6. Current items with order
  7. Item titles/names

  8. Quick actions

  9. Ordering Interface

  10. Drag-and-drop reordering
  11. Weight/position adjustment
  12. Remove items directly

Managing Queue Contents

Adding Items to Queue (Admin Interface)

While the form widget is the primary method, admins can also add items:

  1. Open the queue
  2. Click "Add items"
  3. Search for content
  4. Select items to add
  5. Save

Removing Items from Queue

Via Form Widget (for editors): - Edit the content - Uncheck the queue - Save

Via Queue Admin (for admins): - Open the queue - Click remove button next to item - Confirm removal

Reordering Items in Queue

  1. Open the queue
  2. Use drag-and-drop to reorder items
  3. Or adjust weight values manually
  4. Click Save/Update

Order Matters: Queue order affects display on website (typically first items shown first).

Monitoring Queue Health

Queue Metrics to Track

Item Count: - Verify min/max sizes honored - Ensure queue has appropriate content - Monitor against targets

Content Freshness: - Check age of oldest items - Verify recent content included - Identify stale items

Assignment Patterns: - Track which users assign items - Monitor assignment frequency - Identify over/under-used queues

Queue Health Checklist

Monthly Review:

  • [ ] Check item count vs. limits
  • [ ] Remove obsolete content
  • [ ] Verify ordering is current
  • [ ] Review queue effectiveness
  • [ ] Check for broken references

Quarterly Review:

  • [ ] Assess queue relevance
  • [ ] Analyze usage patterns
  • [ ] Consolidate similar queues if possible
  • [ ] Update documentation
  • [ ] Plan for seasonal changes

Handling Queue Issues

Queue Exceeds Maximum Size

Issue: Items in queue but maximum size exceeded

Causes: - Content not removed when unneeded - Queue size limit changed - Bulk imports exceeding limit

Solutions: 1. Remove oldest/least relevant items 2. Increase queue max size if appropriate 3. Create separate queue for overflow 4. Implement automated cleanup (if available)

Stale Items Not Removed

Issue: Old content still in queue

Causes: - No removal scheduled - Editors forget to remove - Unclear removal criteria - Permissions prevent removal

Solutions: 1. Manual removal by admin 2. Create removal checklist 3. Establish content rotation schedule 4. Document queue freshness requirements

Duplicate Items in Queue

Issue: Same content appears multiple times

Causes: - Content added multiple times - Bulk operations created duplicates - Permission/role confusion

Solutions: 1. Remove duplicate items 2. Review content source 3. Check bulk operation logs 4. Clarify assignment procedures

Queue Not Showing in Widget

Issue: Queue created but doesn't appear on node forms

Causes: - Queue disabled/archived - Wrong target bundle - Wrong entity type - User lacks permissions - Cache not cleared

Solutions: 1. Check queue "Status" is enabled 2. Verify target bundle is correct 3. Clear Drupal cache: drush cr 4. Check user permissions 5. Verify queue in list at /admin/structure/entityqueue

Best Practices

Queue Maintenance Schedule

Daily: - Review newly featured content - Monitor queue integrity

Weekly: - Check featured items are still relevant - Remove outdated content - Verify ordering

Monthly: - Comprehensive queue review - Analyze usage metrics - Plan adjustments

Quarterly: - Strategic queue assessment - Archive old queues - Create new queues if needed

Limiting Queue Proliferation

Problem: Too many queues leads to: - Editor confusion - Widget clutter - Inconsistent usage - Maintenance burden

Solution: - Set target queue count (5-10 typical) - Consolidate similar queues - Archive unused queues - Document queue purposes

Queue Documentation

Maintain for each queue:

Queue Name: Featured Articles
Purpose: Display selected articles on homepage banner
Target Type: Article
Max Size: 5 items
Owner: Marketing Team
Removal Criteria: Articles older than 30 days or superseded
Typical Rotation: Weekly
Notes: Always include at least one long-form article

Automating Queue Management

For advanced setups:

Potential Automations: - Automatic removal of items by date - Automatic ordering by publication date - Automatic archiving of queues - Automatic permission assignments

Tools: - Drupal Rules/Workflows - Custom code/hooks - Third-party modules - External scripts via cron

Queue Ordering Strategies

By Publication Date (Newest First)

Use for: News, blog posts, recent updates

Order: Descending by creation date
Result: Newest content first

By Popularity/Views

Use for: Trending content, most read

Order: Descending by view count
Result: Most popular first

By Manual Curation

Use for: Editorial picks, featured content

Order: Admin-defined drag-and-drop order
Result: Editor's chosen emphasis

By Relevance Score

Use for: Recommendations, related content

Order: Descending by relevance algorithm
Result: Most relevant first

Queue Archiving

When to Archive Queues

Archive queues that are: - No longer actively used - Seasonal and out of season - Replaced by other queues - Kept for historical reference

How to Archive

  1. Rename queue: Add "ARCHIVE:" prefix

  2. "ARCHIVE: 2023 Holiday Campaign"

  3. Disable queue: Uncheck active/status

  4. Keep data: Don't delete unless necessary

  5. Document: Note archival date and reason

Re-activating Archived Queues

  1. Rename: Remove "ARCHIVE:" prefix
  2. Enable: Check active/status
  3. Review contents: Clean out stale items
  4. Update permissions: Re-grant access if needed
  5. Announce: Notify team queue is active again

Queue Removal

Before Deleting a Queue

⚠️ Warning: Deletion typically removes all subqueue records

Consider:

  1. Data loss: Is historical data important?
  2. Dependencies: Are other systems using this queue?
  3. Content: Will removing affect site display?
  4. Audit trail: Can queue be archived instead?

Safe Queue Removal Process

  1. Archive first: Rename and disable
  2. Wait period: Keep archived for 30 days
  3. Verify: Confirm no one needs it
  4. Backup: Export data if needed (if supported)
  5. Delete: Remove completely

Performance Considerations

Queue Size Impact

Large queues can impact: - Form widget load time - Database query performance - Admin interface responsiveness

Optimization: - Keep individual queue size reasonable - Set max size limits - Remove old items regularly - Consider separate queues by topic

Number of Queues Impact

Many queues increase: - Widget clutter - Form rendering time - Editor decision paralysis - Maintenance burden

Recommendation: Keep queue count to 5-10 per content type

Next Steps