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Extend Content versioning with draft states and by expanding it to more entities and attributes

Person in Charge:
Marco Schubert
Status:
Looking for Volunteers
Modified Date
Thursday, 13 November 2025

Description

Extension of Joomla!’s content versioning to include draft states as well as additional entities and attributes. This enhancement enables not only articles but also categories, modules, and menu items to be versioned and saved as drafts. Editors can prepare, internally review, and later publish content without modifying or affecting live content. The ability to easily review these states (who did what, when, and how) is crucial for many Joomla users.

Important Scope

  • Integrate draft states that are logged within the versioning system.
  • Log all changes within versioning (including changes to publish status, approvals, and custom fields).
  • Extend the existing versioning functionality rather than replacing it — all actions, including edits, status changes, and approvals, must be recorded in the version history.
  • Ensure that edits made in a draft do not update or overwrite the currently published content.
  • Extend versioning to include the most entities and attributes (like categories and menus).
Added Value / Benefits
  • Increases editorial flexibility and quality assurance.
  • Enables safe revisions without jeopardizing existing live content.
  • Facilitates structured collaboration between creators and approvers, allowing website administrators and subject matter experts to work together efficiently.
  • Improves workflow efficiency for larger teams with approval processes.
  • Supports content governance and change traceability.
  • Enables potential use in manual/documentation management scenarios.
Beyond Current Scope
  • Independent approval processes separate from the existing workflow functionality.
  • Integration of a new logging system for versioning.
  • Redesign of the versioning interface.
Requirements/Dependencies
  • Users want to be able to save content (including existing articles) as drafts without altering the originally published version.
  • Authorized users (including possibly the creator) should be able to publish draft content through a structured approval process that can be customized or extended via workflow adjustments.
  • Administrators, authorities, and other interested parties require transparency regarding versions and draft states (traceability)
  • The versioning system should be available for all entities and attributes (e.g., menus, categories, custom fields, etc.).
  • Versioning should be easily implementable in custom plugins/extensions, with proper documentation for the API interface.
  • Changes within a content item should be visually highlighted (e.g., color-coded) in the versioning view.
USPs
  • Visual Change Tracking – Every modification between versions is clearly displayed with color-coded highlights, making content differences instantly visible without technical comparison tools
  • Human-Readable Version History – Editors, approvers, and administrators can immediately understand what changed, by whom, and when — no database diff or manual comparison required.
  • Governance and Compliance Ready – Automatic logging of edits and approvals supports internal review processes, compliance standards, and documentation requirements.
  • Field-Level Change Visualization – Changes are tracked and highlighted per field (title, text, category, status, custom fields, etc.), giving precise insight into each edit or approval step.
  • Approval Transparency – All approvals and state transitions are visually documented in the same versioning view, ensuring clear accountability and traceability for editorial workflows.
How to participate?
Contact Marco Schubert on Mattermost
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