Create content

Update published content

IMPORTANT: This article describes new functionality that is not yet enabled for all Pangea services. Information about the rollout plan is available here.

What's inside this article:


Basic information

The Content approval workflow supports updates to published content. When Content approval is enabled for your service in Pangea CMS:

  • Changes to published content can be saved internally without overwriting the published version.
  • All changes to published content need approval before publication. This ensures a second set of eyes to check the quality and accuracy of the updated content.

Content approval applies for updates to the following text content types:

  • Article
  • Backgrounder
  • Blog
  • Feature
  • Feature story
  • News
  • Transcript

NOTE: The Content approval workflow (as described in this article) is valid only for updates to published content. Information about the editorial workflow for publishing new content is available here.



Roles overview

The Content approval workflow requires separation between the following roles:

  • Creator: Creates and updates content. The creator has rights to edit content in Pangea CMS, but does not need rights to publish. The creator crafts the text, as well as adding images, links, embedded content, and more.
  • Reviewer: Checks all content before publication. The reviewer needs rights to edit and publish content in Pangea CMS. The reviewer takes responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the published content.

The "creator" and "reviewer" roles are not enforced through user rights in Pangea CMS. These roles need to be assigned externally within teams.

IMPORTANT: Before Content approval is enabled for your service, these roles should be properly assigned and understood by all involved parties.



Approval statuses overview

A published content item might have an internal approval status in Pangea CMS. An approval status signals that the content is published with unpublished changes saved internally in CMS.

You might see the following approval statuses:

  • (A): In progress: The creator is still working on the changes. The content is not yet ready for the attention of a reviewer.
  • (B): Pending approval: The changes are complete and the creator has requested approval. The content is waiting for the attention of a reviewer.

The approval status is separate from the publication status. For example, a published article might have unpublished changes in CMS that are waiting for approval from a reviewer. This article has both the following statuses:

  • Publication status: "Published"
  • Approval status: "Pending approval"

The image below shows how this article looks on the main Search page in CMS.

NOTE: Only published content can have an approval status. An unpublished item with the publication status Draft or Edited cannot have an additional approval status. Information about the editorial workflow for publishing new content is available here.

On the main Search page in CMS, you can quickly find content that has a particular approval status. Follow these steps:

  1. Select a status under Approval status in the search filters.
  2. Hit Search.

The search results refresh to only include content with your selected approval status.



Information for creators

Creators might perform the following actions:


Start editing published content

To start editing a published content item:

  1. Find the item on the main Search page in Pangea CMS.
  2. Select the title.

The edit page opens in the same tab.


Save changes internally

After making some changes on the edit page, select Save to save your changes internally in Pangea CMS.

After you perform this action:

  • The item is assigned the In progress approval status in CMS.
  • The changes are saved internally in CMS. The published version of the item is not overwritten or changed in any way.


See the list of changes

While the approval status is In progress, the List of changes button is available in the info box at the top of the edit page.

The number on the button indicates how many fields currently include changes (compared to the published version of the item). You can click the button to see the full list of changed fields.

When you make a change in a new field:

  • The field is immediately marked with a yellow border.
  • The field is immediately added to the List of changes.

While the approval status is In progress, you can also enable text comparison. For detailed information about text comparison, go to the information for reviewers:


Discard unpublished changes

While the approval status is In progress, you might discard all unpublished changes.

Go to ... (three dots) > Discard all changes.

After you perform this action:

  • All unpublished changes in CMS are discarded and cannot be restored. The published version of the item is not overwritten or changed in any way.
  • The approval status in CMS is removed.


Request approval for changes

When you are ready, select Request approval & save to request approval for the changes from a reviewer.

After you perform this action, the item is assigned the Pending approval approval status in CMS. This signals that the content requires attention from a reviewer.

If necessary, you can Cancel the approval request later.


Self-approve changes

In some cases, a creator might self-approve changes (if the creator has rights to publish content in Pangea CMS). A creator might self-approve changes in the following cases:

  • To fix a typo.
  • To make simple adjustments with authorization from a reviewer.

To self-approve and publish changes:

  1. Select Approve & publish.
  2. Select Publish to confirm you are authorized to publish the changes.

After you perform this action:

  • The changes are published.
  • The previous published version is overwritten.
  • The approval status in CMS is removed.


Cancel an approval request

While the approval status is Pending approval, you might cancel the approval request. This signals to the reviewer that the content is not ready for review.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the edit page for the item in Pangea CMS.
  2. Go to ... (three dots) > Cancel approval request.

After you perform this action:

  • The approval status reverts to In progress.
  • The unpublished changes in CMS are not discarded.

You can adjust the content, then request approval again.



Information for reviewers

Reviewers might perform the following actions:


Find content that is pending approval

The Pending approval status signals that the item requires attention from a reviewer.

To find content with the Pending approval status:

  1. Go to the main Search page in Pangea CMS.
  2. Select Pending approval under Approval status in the search filters.
  3. Hit Search.

The results refresh to include only content with the Pending approval status. Select the title to open the edit page.

The following options are available:


See the list of changes

The number on the List of changes button indicates how many fields include changes (compared to the published version of the item). You can click the button to see the full list of changed fields.

To help you identify the fields that include changes, every changed field is marked with a light blue border. This applies on the Editor subpage, and on the Settings subpages, such as General.


Enable text comparison

Text comparison lets you compare the text in Pangea CMS to the text that is currently published. While text comparison is enabled:

  • Added text is highlighted green.
  • Removed text is crossed and highlighted red.

Text comparison is only available for the following text fields on the Editor subpage:

  • Title
  • Introduction
  • Content

To enable text comparison, click the Text comparison (read-only) slider.

IMPORTANT: While text comparison is enabled, you cannot edit the text. To edit the text, first disable text comparison.


Make further changes

While an item has the Pending approval status, you can make further changes to the settings and content.

Before editing, ensure the Text comparison (read-only) slider is disabled. You cannot edit the text while text comparison is enabled.


Discard unpublished changes

While the approval status is Pending approval, you might discard all unpublished changes.

Go to ... (three dots) > Discard all changes.

After you perform this action:

  • All unpublished changes in CMS are discarded and cannot be restored. The published version of the item is not overwritten or changed in any way.
  • The approval status for the item is removed.


Add the "Updated" badge

If you update a content page that is already published, you can add the "Updated" badge. This means:

  • The "Updated" badge is displayed on the published page with a time stamp showing when the page was last updated.
  • The "Updated" badge is displayed on any widgets where the page is promoted.

The "Updated" badge signals that the page includes updated content. We only suggest adding the "Updated" badge if significant changes have been made to the content.

To add the "Updated" badge, or to change the time stamp for the last update, hit the Pub. options button.

For detailed information, see the following article:


Approve changes

To approve and publish the changes, select Approve & publish.

After you perform this action:

  • The changes are published.
  • The previous published version is overwritten.
  • The approval status in Pangea CMS is removed.