What is in-line editing?
Inline editing (also known as Browse & Edit) enables content authors to quickly switch into and out of edit mode while browsing the web site. This prevents content authors from needing to visit the backend of the CMS, re-locate the content in the CMS and then make modifications
How is in-line editing implemented differently in CMS’s?
Most Content Management Systems implement in-line editing in 1 of 2 ways:
- In-context or in-place editing
- Pop-up editing
What is in-context or in-place editing?
This might also be called “true in-line editing”. In this scenario the original web page (with all its styling and surrounding content) remains intact, but a small portion of the page become editable. If implemented correctly, then this becomes an ideal editing experience where the editor remains in their original context, but is presented with editing options.
However, it is rare for this technique to be implemented elegantly. In-context editing requires the CMS to add extra elements to the final page. These extra elements facilitate the editing experience, but they can also disrupt how the page looks. Furthermore, the Rich Text Editor used to edit the content will not naturally inherit the surrounding styles. This causes unpredictable visual anomalies as editors toggle between edit & browse modes.
It’s extremely rare to see in-context editing done well.
What is pop-up editing?
Pop-up editing might also be called “fake in-line editing”. In this scenario, small Edit links are added to the web page. When a content editor clicks Edit they are taken to a dedicated editing environment. This editing environment might exist in a pop-up window or in a new web page. Either way, this editing environment does not exist as part of the original page. Often the styling will completely change. Editors can make modifications to this environment and, upon clicking save, will be redirected to a refreshed version of the web page.
Although this scenario does not represent “true in-line editing” it can present a safer and more stable editing environment. Aside from a small Edit links, the original page is not being dramatically modified. This lessens the likelyhood that the web site will conflict with the CMS’s in-line editing features.
