Working with Content

Content nodes are the building blocks of your curriculum—the courses, units, lessons, activities, and other content types defined by your structure. This guide covers how to create, edit, and manage them effectively.

Before You Begin

You need:

• Author or Admin role in your account
• An existing curriculum to work with
• Understanding of your structure (which node types exist and how they nest)

If you don't have a curriculum yet, see Creating Curricula.

Understanding Content Nodes

What is a Content Node?

A content node is a single piece of structured content in your curriculum. Each node has:

• Type: Defined by your structure (Course, Unit, Lesson, etc.)
• Attributes: The data fields specific to that node type (title, description, duration, etc.)
• Position: Where it sits in the hierarchy and its order among siblings
• Workflow Status: Draft, In Review, Approved, or Published

The Content Tree

Your curriculum content is organized as a tree:

Course: Grade 3 Math
├── Unit: Addition & Subtraction
│   ├── Lesson: Adding Two-Digit Numbers
│   │   ├── Activity: Practice Problems
│   │   └── Assessment: Quick Check
│   └── Lesson: Subtraction with Regrouping
│       └── ...
└── Unit: Multiplication Basics
    └── ...

The structure rules determine:
- Which node types can be at the root (top level)
- Which node types can contain other types (parent-child relationships)
- What attributes each type has

Adding Content Nodes

Adding a Root Node

Root nodes are top-level content (e.g., the "Course" in a course-based structure).

1. Open your curriculum from Content → Curricula
2. If the curriculum is empty, you'll see an "Add [Node Type]" button
3. Click the button to create your first root node
4. Fill in the required attributes (see "Editing Attributes" below)
5. Click Save

After creation:
- The new node appears in the tree
- You're taken to the node's detail view
- The node starts in Draft status

Adding a Child Node

Child nodes are nested under parent nodes (e.g., "Lesson" under "Unit").

1. In the content tree, find the parent node
2. Click on the parent node to select it
3. Look for the Add Child button or action
4. If multiple child types are allowed, select the type you want
5. Fill in the attributes
6. Click Save

What you can add as a child:
- Only node types allowed by the structure rules
- For example, if "Unit" allows only "Lesson" children, you can only add Lessons to Units

Allowed child types are shown:
- In the Add Child dropdown (if multiple types allowed)
- As a single "Add [Type]" button (if only one type allowed)

Understanding Required vs. Optional Attributes

When creating a node, you'll see attributes marked with an asterisk (*):

• Required attributes (marked with *) must have a value before submitting for review
• Optional attributes can be left blank
• You can save a Draft with incomplete required fields (you'll see warnings)
• You cannot submit for review until all required fields are complete

Editing Content

Opening the Editor

There are several ways to open the editor for a node:

From the tree view:
1. Click the node in the tree to select it
2. Click the Edit button in the detail panel

Direct link:
1. From the curriculum page, click any node
2. You'll see the node detail view with an Edit link

The edit page shows:
- Breadcrumb navigation showing where you are in the hierarchy
- Node type and title in the header
- Workflow status badge (Draft, In Review, etc.)
- All attribute fields organized by type

Editing Attributes

Attributes appear as form fields based on their type:

Editing workflow:
1. Modify the fields you want to change
2. Click Save to save your changes
3. You'll see a "Changes saved" confirmation
4. You're returned to the curriculum view with the node selected

Tips:
- Changes are saved when you click Save (not auto-saved)
- For long editing sessions, save periodically
- Missing required fields show warnings but don't prevent saving Drafts
- You can navigate away; changes won't be saved unless you click Save

Rich Text Content

If your node type includes a rich text attribute (common for "content", "body", or "description"), you'll see a rich text editor with formatting options:

Available formatting (depends on your configuration):
- Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
- Headings (H2, H3, H4)
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Links and images
- Code blocks
- Blockquotes

Using the rich text editor:
1. Type or paste your content
2. Select text to format it using the toolbar
3. Use keyboard shortcuts for quick formatting (if enabled)
4. Preview how it will look before saving

Organizing Content

Viewing the Hierarchy

The content tree shows your curriculum's structure:

• Indentation indicates nesting level
• Expand/collapse icons (▸/▼) show or hide children
• Selected node is highlighted
• Detail panel on the right shows the selected node's information

Reordering Nodes

Change the order of nodes at the same level (siblings):

Using move up/down:
1. Select the node you want to move
2. Click Move Up or Move Down buttons
3. The node swaps positions with its sibling
4. Order is saved automatically

Note: You can only reorder siblings (nodes with the same parent). You cannot change position across different parents this way—use Move instead.

Moving Nodes to Different Parents

Relocate a node to a different part of the tree:

1. Select the node you want to move
2. Click the Move action
3. You'll see a list of valid destination parents
4. Select the new parent
5. Click Confirm Move

Valid destinations:
- ✅ Any node whose type allows your node type as a child
- ❌ The node itself (can't move into itself)
- ❌ The node's own descendants (can't create circular references)
- ❌ Nodes whose type doesn't allow your node type

Moving to root:
- If your node type is allowed at root, you can move it to top level
- Select "Move to Root" or leave parent selection empty

What happens when you move:
- The node and all its children move together
- Position resets (moved node becomes last among new siblings)
- All content and attributes are preserved

Deleting Content

Delete a Single Node

1. Select the node in the tree
2. Click the Delete action
3. Confirm the deletion

⚠️ Important warnings:
- Deleting a node also deletes all its children
- This action cannot be undone
- If you're unsure, consider moving the node elsewhere instead

What gets deleted:
- The node itself
- All descendant nodes (children, grandchildren, etc.)
- All attribute data
- All workflow history
- All standards alignments

What is NOT deleted:
- Other nodes in the curriculum
- The curriculum itself
- The structure or node type definitions

When You Cannot Delete

You cannot delete a node if:
- You don't have Author or Admin permission
- The node is in a published state (unpublish first)
- The node is part of a locked curriculum (contact your admin)

Working with Attributes from Bundles

Your administrator may have applied attribute bundles to node types. Bundles are collections of attributes applied to multiple node types for consistency.

How bundles appear:
- Bundle attributes are grouped together in the editor
- Bundle name appears as a section header
- Required fields in bundles are marked with asterisks (*)

Example:
If your "Lesson" node type has a "Basic Info" bundle, you might see:

Basic Info Bundle
- Title *
- Description
- Thumbnail

You cannot:
- Remove bundle attributes from individual nodes
- Change which attributes are in a bundle (admin only)

You can:
- Fill in the attribute values just like direct attributes
- Leave optional bundle attributes blank

Content Workflow States

Every content node has a workflow status that tracks its progress:

Submitting for Review

When your content is ready for review:

1. Ensure all required fields are complete
2. Click Submit for Review button
3. The status changes to "In Review"
4. Reviewers are notified (if notifications are enabled)

Requirements to submit:
- All required attributes must have values
- You must have Author or Admin role
- Node must be in Draft status

What happens after submission:
- You can view the node but cannot edit it
- Reviewers can approve or request changes
- If changes are requested, status returns to Draft

Publishing Content

After approval, you can publish the content:

1. Select the approved node
2. Click Publish
3. The status changes to "Published"

Published content:
- Considered final and ready for use
- Can be exported or accessed via API
- Can be unpublished to make edits (returns to Draft)

Note: Publishing workflows may be customized by your organization. Some accounts require admin approval before publishing.

Working with Inherited Content (Variants)

If you're working in a variant curriculum, you'll see content inherited from the parent curriculum. See Using Variants for complete details.

Quick overview:
- Inherited nodes (blue badge) come from the parent unchanged
- Overridden nodes (amber badge) have customized values in this variant
- Added nodes (green badge) only exist in this variant

To edit inherited content:
1. Click the inherited node
2. Click Create Override
3. Edit the attributes
4. Save—your changes apply only to this variant

To revert to parent content:
1. Click the overridden node
2. Click Revert to Inherited
3. Confirm—your custom changes are discarded

Aligning Content to Standards

If your curriculum has a standards framework assigned, you can align content nodes to specific standards. See Standards Alignment for complete details.

Quick overview:
1. Open the editor for a node
2. Look for the "Standards Alignment" section
3. Click Add Standard
4. Search for and select standards
5. Save your changes

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive titles:
- ✅ "Adding Two-Digit Numbers with Regrouping"
- ✅ "Unit 3: Fractions and Decimals"
- ❌ "Lesson 1" (not descriptive)
- ❌ "Math Stuff" (too vague)

Be consistent:
- If you start with "Unit 1", continue with "Unit 2", "Unit 3", etc.
- Follow your organization's conventions

Content Organization

Plan your hierarchy:
- Sketch out the structure before creating nodes
- Create parent nodes before children
- Use meaningful organization that matches how teachers will use the content

Keep it shallow when possible:
- Deep nesting (5+ levels) can be hard to navigate
- Consider if you really need that many levels

Workflow Management

Submit early, submit often:
- Don't wait until everything is perfect
- Get feedback on draft content
- Iterate based on reviewer comments

Complete required fields first:
- Fill in required attributes before optional ones
- This prevents submission blockers later

Use descriptive change notes:
- When updating content, note what changed
- Helps reviewers understand your edits

Data Entry Efficiency

Use copy/paste for similar nodes:
- Create one node with common attributes
- Copy values to similar nodes
- Adjust unique fields

Fill in bundles once, reuse often:
- If multiple node types share a bundle, consistent data entry makes updates easier

Common Questions

Can I edit published content?

Yes, but you must unpublish it first. Click Unpublish, make your edits, then submit for review and publish again.

What happens if I delete a parent node?

All children of that node are also deleted. This cannot be undone. Be very careful when deleting nodes with children.

Can I move a node to a different curriculum?

No. Nodes belong to one curriculum. To reuse content, create a variant or copy the content manually.

Why can't I add a certain node type as a child?

The structure rules determine allowed children. If you can't add a type, it means the parent node type doesn't allow that child type. Contact your administrator to modify the structure if needed.

Can I change a node's type after creation?

No. Node types are permanent. If you need a different type, create a new node and delete the old one.

Why are some attributes grayed out?

If you're viewing an inherited node in a variant, you may see read-only attributes until you create an override.

How do I know if content is ready for review?

Look for warning messages about missing required fields. If there are no warnings and the content is complete, it's ready to submit.

Can I work on content offline?

No. CurryCMS requires an internet connection for all editing operations.

Troubleshooting

"You are not authorized to edit this node"

You need Author or Admin role. Contact your account administrator for proper permissions.

"Cannot add child node - no valid types available"

The node type you selected doesn't allow any children, or all allowed child types are restricted. Contact your administrator to review the structure configuration.

"Required fields are missing" warning on save

This is just a warning. You can save Drafts with incomplete required fields, but you cannot submit for review until they're complete.

"This node cannot be moved to that parent"

The destination node type doesn't allow your node type as a child. Check the structure rules or choose a different destination.

Changes aren't saving

• Ensure you clicked the Save button
• Check for validation errors in red text
• Verify you have an active internet connection
• Try refreshing the page and editing again

Node disappeared from the tree

• Check if you accidentally deleted it
• Check if someone else moved it to a different location
• Expand parent nodes—it may be collapsed
• Use search to locate it

Next Steps

Now that you can create and edit content:

1. Using Variants - Create localized or adapted versions
2. Standards Alignment - Link content to educational standards
3. Workflow & Publishing - Understand the review and publishing process (coming soon)

Related Documentation:
- Creating Curricula - Start a new curriculum
- Author Overview - Your role and capabilities
- Using Variants - Work with curriculum variants
- Standards Alignment - Align to standards frameworks