# Chapter 5: Basic Page Management # Concept: Paths, Aliases, and URLs ## What is a URL? URL is the abbreviation for "Uniform Resource Locator", which is the page's address on the web. It is the "name" by which a browser identifies a page to display. In the example "Visit us at _example.com_.", _example.com_ is the URL for the home page of your website. Users use URLs to locate content on the web. ## What is a Path? A path is the unique, last part of the URL for a specific function or piece of content. For example, for a page whose full URL is _http://example.com/node/7_, the path is _node/7_. Here are some examples of paths you might find in your site: * _node/7_ * _taxonomy/term/6_ * _admin/content/comment_ * _user/login_ * _user/3_ ## What is an Alias? The core software has a feature called "URL Alias" that allows you to provide a more understandable name to the content. So, if you have an "About Us" page with the path _node/7_, you can set up an alias so that your visitors will see it as _http://www.example.com/AboutUs_. The core Path module, which supports URL aliasing, provides this functionality. ## Related topics * [Creating a Content Item](/link/713) * [Editing a Content Item](/link/714) # Creating a Content Item ## Goal Create and publish a content item that will be used as the home page of the site. ## Prerequisite knowledge * [Concept: Paths, Aliases, and URLs](/link/712) * [Concept: Content Entities and Fields](/link/691) ## Site prerequisites The _Basic page_ content type must exist. This is created on your site when you install with the core Standard installation profile. ## Steps 1. In the _Manage_ administrative menu, navigate to _Content_ > _Add content_ > _Basic page_ (_node/add/page_). The _Create Basic page_ form appears. 1. Click _Edit summary_. 1. Fill in the fields as shown below.
Field name Explanation Value
Title Title of the page. Will also be used as a meta tag in the source code, URL alias, and as label of the content item in administration screens Home Summary Summary of the value of the body field. Can be used as teaser
Body Full content of the page Welcome to City Market - your neighborhood
Published Whether the content is published for public view or not Checked
URL alias > URL alias Alternate relative path for the content /home
By clicking the _Source_ button in the rich text editor toolbar, you can see the HTML source code of the text that you are editing. Create a basic page 1. Click _Preview_ to ensure everything looks like expected. 1. Click _Back to content editing_. 1. Click _Save_. The content is saved and can be found on the _Content_ page. 1. Follow the same steps to create an About page, with title "About", and a body telling about the history of the farmer's market. ## Expand your understanding * [Designating a Front Page for your Site](/link/715) * [Adding a Page to the Navigation](/link/717) * [Translating Content](/link/757) ## Related concepts * [Concept: User Interface, Configuration, and Content translation](/link/695) * [Concept: Paths, Aliases, and URLs](/link/712) * [Editing a Content Item](/link/714) ## Videos [Creating a Content Item](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h312fekiSNE) ## Additional resources [_Drupal.org_ community documentation page "About nodes"](https://www.drupal.org/docs/core-modules-and-themes/core-modules/node-module/about-nodes) # Editing a Content Item ## Goal Update the hours on the Home page content item. ## Prerequisite knowledge [Creating a Content Item](/link/713) ## Site prerequisites A content item for the Home page must exist. See [Creating a Content Item](/link/713). ## Steps 1. In the _Manage_ administrative menu, navigate to _Content_ (_admin/content_). 1. If the content item you want to edit was updated or created recently, it should appear near the top of the content list on that page. If not, you can use the _Content type_, _Title_, or other filters to locate the content item. Content administration page 1. Click _Edit_ in the row of the content item you want to edit (Home), to open the content editing form. Update the opening hours in the _Body_ field. See [Creating a Content Item](/link/713) for an explanation of the fields and a screenshot. 1. Check _Create new revision_ under _Published_, if it is not already checked, and enter a _Revision log message_ explaining what changes you are making (for example, you might enter "Updated opening hours"). This text will appear in the revision log for the page. ![Revision information section of the content edit page](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/content-edit-revision.png) 1. Click _Save_ to save your changes. 1. You will be redirected back to the _Content_ administrative page, and there should be a message showing that the content item was updated. ![Updated content message](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/content-edit-message.png) ## Expand your understanding As an alternative to the first two steps above, you can also reach the content edit form as follows: 1. Starting from your site's home page, use the site's navigation menus to locate the page where the content you want to edit is displayed to visitors. 1. Most themes will display an _Edit_ link or tab near the top of that page to people with permission to edit the page; clicking the link will take you to the full content edit form. ## Videos [Editing a Content Item](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFZMcuOqG0) # Designating a Front Page for your Site ## Goal Configure which content item is displayed as the front page of your website. ## Site prerequisites The content item that you want to designate as the front page of your site must exist. See [Creating a Content Item](/link/713). ## Steps 1. In the _Manage_ administrative menu, navigate to _Configuration_ > _System_ > _Basic site settings_ (_admin/config/system/site-information_). 1. Under _Front page_, replace _/node_ with the name of the page you would like to make the home page. To use the home page that was previously created, provide its path _/home_. Click _Save configuration_. !['FRONT PAGE' area with /home in text field](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/menu-home-new-text-field.png) 1. Navigate to the home page to verify that it displays content as configured by you. 'FRONT PAGE' with 'Home' (Basic page) content added ## Expand your understanding * [Adding a Page to the Navigation](/link/717) * Follow [Creating a Content Item](/link/713) to create an error page to be used as a 404 (page not found) or 403 (not authorized) response on your site. Then following the steps here, you can designate it as the error response, in the _Error pages_ section of the configuration. ## Related concepts [Concept: Menu](/link/716) ## Videos [Designating a Front Page for Your Site](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOL8arBYpJ4) # Concept: Menu ## What is a menu? Menus are a collection of links used to navigate a website. The core Menu UI module provides an interface to control and customize the menu system. Menus are primarily displayed as a hierarchical list of links. By default, new menu links are placed inside a built-in menu labeled _Main navigation_, but administrators can also create custom menus. The core Standard installation profile contains five menus: - **Main navigation:** Links to sections intended for site visitors. They are usually created by site administrators. - **Administration:** Links to administrative tasks. This menu mainly contains links supplied by modules on your site. - **User account menu:** Links to tasks associated with the user account such as _My account_ and _Log out_. - **Footer:** Links to important pages within the site intended for the footer. They are usually created by site administrators. - **Tools:** Links to tasks necessary for site visitors. Some modules feature their links here. You can customize menus in the following ways, using the menu administration functionality: * Creating new custom menus. * Adding new menu links. * Reordering menu links by setting their "weight" or by dragging them into place. * Renaming menu links (link title). * Changing the link description (the tooltip that appears when you mouse over a menu link). * Moving a menu link into a different menu by editing its _Parent link_ property. A menu link will only be shown to a visitor if they have the rights to view the page it links to. For example, the admin menu link is not shown to visitors who are not logged in. ## Related topics * [Adding a Page to the Navigation](/link/717) * [Changing the Order of Navigation](/link/718) * To display a menu, you will need to place the block that corresponds to the menu in a region of your theme; see [Concept: Blocks](/link/745), [Concept: Regions in a Theme](/link/689), and [Placing a Block in a Region](/link/747). The core Standard installation profile places all of the menus it defines except Administration in regions of the core Bartik theme. The core Toolbar module, which is installed by the core Standard installation profile, displays the Administration menu; it is also displayed by the contributed Admin Toolbar module. # Adding a Page to the Navigation ## Goal Add a page to the navigation. For example, the About page. ## Prerequisite knowledge * [Concept: Menu](/link/716) * [Editing a Content Item](/link/714) ## Site prerequisites The About page content item must exist. See [Creating a Content Item](/link/713). ## Steps 1. In the _Manage_ administrative menu, navigate to _Content_ (_admin/content_). 1. Find the About page, and click _Edit_ in that row. The content editing form appears. Page edit link 1. Click _Menu settings_ on the right to expand it. 1. Check _Provide a menu link_ for the menu options to appear. 1. Enter values from the table below:
Field name Explanation Example value
Menu link title Title that will be displayed in the menu About
Description Text that will be displayed when a visitor hovers over the link History of the market
Parent link Location of the page in the menu hierarchy. For example, if you choose _<Main navigation>_, the page will appear in the highest level of the navigation. By choosing another menu link as parent, you can create a menu hierarchy of multiple levels. <Main navigation> Weight The order in which the page should appear in the menu (lower-weighted
![Creating a menu link from within the content edit form](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/menu-link-from-content.png) 1. Click _Save_ to save the changes. Click _Home_ or _Return to site_ in the navigation bar to see the result, which could look like the picture below. Link has been added to the main menu ## Expand your understanding [Changing the Order of Navigation](/link/718) ## Videos [Adding a Page to the Navigation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE_3INtBcTw) ## Additional resources [_Drupal.org_ community documentation page "Adding a link to a menu"](https://www.drupal.org/docs/core-modules-and-themes/core-modules/menu-ui-module/adding-a-link-to-a-menu) # Changing the Order of Navigation ## Goal Reorder the links in a menu. ## Prerequisite knowledge * [Concept: Menu](/link/716) * [Adding a Page to the Navigation](/link/717) ## Site prerequisites Home and About pages must exist in the main navigation menu. See [Adding a Page to the Navigation](/link/717). ## Steps 1. In the _Manage_ administrative menu, navigate to _Structure_ > _Menus_ (_admin/structure/menu_) where all menus on your site are listed. Click _Edit Menu_ from the _Operations_ dropdown for _Main navigation_. You can also reach this page using contextual links (refer to [Concept: Administrative Overview](/link/705)) for the menu. Note that the names and descriptions of the menus that were provided by your installation profile are shown in English on this page; see [Concept: User Interface, Configuration, and Content translation](/link/695) for an explanation. List of menus on the site with 'Main navigation' highlighted 1. The _Edit menu_ page will display a list of each link in the menu you chose (_Main navigation_). ![List of menu links under _Main navigation_](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/menu-reorder-edit-menu.png) 1. Drag the cross bar handles of menu links to change their order: Home, then About. As an alternative to dragging, you can click the _Show row weights_ link at the top of the table and select numerical weights (menu links with lower or more negative weights will be shown first). ![Reordered menu links with warning message about unsaved changes and the _Save_ button](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/menu-reorder-reorder.png) 1. Click _Save_. 1. The home page now displays the main navigation with the Home menu link displayed first. ![Reordered menu links on the home page with 'Home' first and then 'About'](https://docs.cocobook.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-10/menu-reorder-final-order.png) ## Expand your understanding Add a menu link called _Contact_, leading to the _/contact_ page, to your Main navigation menu. The contact page is provided by the core Contact module; you may want to edit its layout and fields (see [Changing Content Entry Forms](/link/728)). ## Related concepts [Concept: Menu](/link/716) ## Videos [Changing the Order of Navigation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtT8e8lLx5E)