This document provides an overview of modules and features that can improve the Drupal backend experience. It discusses both issues with Drupal 7 and strengths of its core, contributions that solve problems, and recommendations for configuration and custom development. Key areas covered include content authoring, listings/filtering data, navigation, usability improvements, dashboards, and new features included in Drupal 8.

1. Care for you backoffice
Guillaume BEC
Julien DUBOIS

2. Battle plan
• Drupal 7 sucks!
• Drupal 7 rocks!
• Thank you contrib!
• What’s new in Drupal 8

3. Drupal 7 sucks
But it comes with painful screens / operations for a
daily usage :
• Node edit
• Content view
• User view
• Overlay
• Limited Bulk Operations
• No WYSIWYG

4. Drupal 7 rocks
Remember, core brings few base pieces that are
interesting:
• Dashboard
• Shortcut
• Contextual links
• Toolbar
• Custom admin form

5. Thank you contrib
Core developers are relying on contrib in order to
solve some issues.
Let’s review some of them…

6. Page structure
Panels
• Variants
• Layout
• Plugins
Display suite

7. Page structure
Field group / Edit
Edit
Field group

8. Listings
Views / VBO / Search API
 Build screens that display the appropriate
information
 Code the 3 top actions that your users will use
bulkly
 Compute complex data and index them

9. Search API

10. Admin views

11. Navigation
Admin / Admin menu
 Reorganize your menus
 Match your organization
 Segment by division if necessary

12. Usability
Chosen / Hierarchical select
 Multi select lists sucks!
Chosen
Hierarchical select

13. Usability
Views megarow

14. Usability
WYSIWYG
 CKeditor / BUeditor / Tiny MCE
BUEditor
Better formats

15. Usability
Conditional Fields

16. Dashboards
Total control admin

17. Dashboards
Clients love dashboards

18.  Useful for features but also for content editors!
Content management
Diff

19. Content management
Media

20. Content management
Scald

21. Content management
Assets

22. Content authoring
Override node options

23. Publish button / Save draft / Add another
Content authoring
Save draft
Add another
Publish button

24. Content authoring
Scheduler

25. Content authoring
Linkit

26. Content authoring
Field validation
Client side validation

27. Webmastering
Views UI Basic

28. Admin themes
Rubik

29. Pro Tips
 Write understandable field help texts
 Build admin screens by role or need
 Switch labels to inline
 CSS  (float, margin, borders are quick wins)
 $form[‘BES’][‘#access’] = FALSE;

30. Code!
Sometimes contrib is not enough, you need to push
it further.
 Code your views handlers
 Code your field widgets
 Code your ctools plugins
 Build new contrib modules

31. What about Drupal 8?
Well for the content editor, it’s mainly UI related (but
it still important!)
 Edit in place in core
 WYSIWYG in core
 VBO(ish) in core
 Views in core
 Draft in core
 New content page
layout

32. Credits
http://curveagency.com/blog/building-better-
dashboard-experience-drupal