Working with Content

This guide covers how to create, edit, and manage content using the EmDash admin dashboard.

Accessing the Admin

Open your browser to /_emdash/admin on your site. Log in with the credentials you created during setup.

The dashboard displays:

• Sidebar - Navigation to collections, media, and settings
• Content list - Entries in the selected collection
• Quick actions - Create new content, bulk operations

Creating Content

1. Click a collection name in the sidebar (e.g., Posts)

2. Click New Post (or the equivalent for your collection)

3. Fill in the required fields:

   • Title - The content’s display name
   • Slug - URL identifier (auto-generated from title, editable)

4. Add content using the rich text editor

5. Set metadata in the sidebar:

   • Status - Draft, Published, or Archived
   • Publication date - When to publish
   • Categories and tags - Taxonomy assignments

6. Click Save

Note

Drafts are only visible in the admin. Change status to Published to make content visible on your site.

Content Statuses

Every entry has one of three statuses:

Status	Visibility	Use case
Draft	Admin only	Work in progress
Published	Public	Live content
Archived	Admin only	Retired content

Change status using the dropdown in the editor sidebar.

The Rich Text Editor

EmDash’s editor supports:

• Headings - H2 through H6
• Formatting - Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
• Lists - Ordered and unordered
• Links - Internal and external
• Images - Insert from media library
• Code blocks - With syntax highlighting
• Embeds - YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter
• Sections - Reusable content blocks via /section command

Slash Commands

Type / to access quick insert commands:

Command	Action
/section	Insert a reusable section
/image	Insert an image from media library
/code	Insert a code block

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Bold	Ctrl/Cmd + B
Italic	Ctrl/Cmd + I
Link	Ctrl/Cmd + K
Undo	Ctrl/Cmd + Z
Redo	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z
Save	Ctrl/Cmd + S

Inserting Images

1. Click the image button in the toolbar

2. Select an existing image from the media library, or upload a new one

3. Add alt text (required for accessibility)

4. Adjust alignment and size options

5. Click Insert

Editing Content

1. Navigate to the collection containing the content

2. Click on the entry you want to edit

3. Make your changes

4. Click Save

Changes to published content appear immediately on your site. No rebuild required.

Revision History

EmDash tracks changes to content. Access revision history from the editor sidebar:

1. Click Revisions in the editor sidebar

2. View the list of previous versions with timestamps

3. Click a revision to preview it

4. Click Restore to revert to that version

Caution

Restoring a revision creates a new revision with the restored content. The original revision history is preserved.

Bulk Operations

Perform actions on multiple entries at once:

1. Use the checkboxes to select entries in the content list

2. Click the Bulk Actions dropdown

3. Select an action:

   • Publish - Set all selected to published
   • Archive - Set all selected to archived
   • Delete - Permanently remove selected

4. Confirm the action

Searching and Filtering

Search

Use the search box to find content by title or content. Search is case-insensitive and matches partial words.

Filters

Filter the content list by:

• Status - Draft, Published, Archived
• Date range - Created or modified dates
• Author - Who created the content
• Taxonomy - Category or tag assignments

Click Clear Filters to reset.

Scheduling Content

Schedule content to publish at a future date:

1. Create or edit content

2. Set status to Draft

3. Set the Publication date to a future date and time

4. Click Save

When the publication date arrives, the content automatically becomes published.

Tip

Scheduled publishing requires your site to be server-rendered or have a scheduled task that checks for pending publications.

Deleting Content

Delete content from the edit screen or content list:

From the Editor

1. Open the content you want to delete

2. Click Delete in the toolbar

3. Confirm the deletion

From the List

1. Select entries using checkboxes

2. Click Bulk Actions > Delete

3. Confirm the deletion

Caution

Deleted content is permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Consider archiving instead if you might need the content later.

Content API

For programmatic access, use the EmDash admin API:

Create Content

POST /_emdash/api/content/posts
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

{
  "title": "My New Post",
  "slug": "my-new-post",
  "content": "<p>Post content here</p>",
  "status": "draft"
}

Update Content

PUT /_emdash/api/content/posts/my-new-post
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

{
  "title": "Updated Title",
  "status": "published"
}

Delete Content

DELETE /_emdash/api/content/posts/my-new-post
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

Translating Content

When i18n is enabled, you can create translations of any content entry.

Creating a translation

1. Open the content entry you want to translate

2. In the editor sidebar, find the Translations panel

3. Click Translate next to the target locale

4. Edit the pre-filled content — adjust the title, slug, and body for the new language

5. Click Save

The new translation is linked to the original entry and starts as a draft. Publish it independently when the translation is ready.

Switching between translations

The Translations panel shows all configured locales. Click Edit next to any existing translation to navigate to it directly. The current locale is marked with a checkmark.

Locale filter

In the content list, use the locale dropdown in the toolbar to filter entries by language. Each entry shows its locale in a dedicated column.

Tip

Each translation has its own slug, status, and revision history. Publish, schedule, and manage translations independently.

See the Internationalization guide for full details on configuration, querying, and the language switcher.

Next Steps

• Querying Content - Retrieve content in your templates
• Media Library - Upload and manage files
• Taxonomies - Organize content with categories and tags
• Internationalization - Multilingual content and translations