P001
Back end
Site Builder
Drupal 11 project that enables structured article creation and review, along with comment moderation. It includes search capabilities and an audit system to ensure traceability and quality throughout the editorial process.
1. Introduction
This document provides a detailed description of the proposed solution for managing a blog in Drupal 11 that incorporates a workflow for publishing articles, as well as a comment moderation system. It includes the general objectives, system actors, functional and non-functional requirements, information requirements, and the main information flows. The purpose is to serve as a basis for both implementation and validation of the system.
2. Functionalities
This section outlines the main objectives of the solution, along with the functional analysis detailing actors, requirements, and information flows.
2.1 Objectives
Below are the key objectives of the blog system:
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OB-001 | Article Management with Workflow | Allow authors to create, edit, and submit articles for review, managing the states: Draft, In Review, Approved/Published, and Rejected. |
| OB-002 | User Interaction | Facilitate community participation by enabling registered users to comment on articles and engage in discussions. |
| OB-003 | Automated Notifications | Send email notifications to editors and moderators when critical events occur (e.g., article submission, pending comment). |
| OB-004 | Search and Filtering | Provide advanced search and filtering capabilities so users can locate articles by keywords, tags, and categories. |
| OB-005 | Tracking and Auditing | Log all state transitions for articles and comments to maintain a complete audit trail. |
2.2 Functional Analysis
The functional analysis describes the actors, functional and non-functional requirements, information requirements, and the main information flows.
2.2.1 System Actors
| Code | Actor | Description | Permissions & Interactions |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC-001 | Author | Responsible for creating and editing articles in Draft state, then submitting them for review. | Create, edit, and submit articles for review. |
| AC-002 | Editor | Responsible for reviewing, modifying, and approving or rejecting submitted articles. | Review, approve, edit, and record article updates. |
| AC-003 | Moderator | Manages comment creation, editing, and deletion by approving or rejecting them. | Moderate and control comments. |
| AC-004 | Registered User | An authenticated user who can read articles and post comments, with the ability to edit their own comments within a specific timeframe. | Read, create, and temporarily edit comments. |
| AC-005 | Anonymous User | A visitor who is not logged in and only has read access to public content. | Read-only access. |
2.2.2 System Requirements
2.2.2.1 Functional Requirements
| Code | Title | Description | Involved Actors |
|---|---|---|---|
| RF-001 | Article Management | Enable authors to create, edit, and save articles in Draft state. | Author |
| RF-002 | Workflow | Implement a workflow to manage state transitions: Draft → In Review → Approved/Published or Rejected. | Author, Editor, System |
| RF-003 | Audit Logging | Record every article state change for tracking and auditing purposes. | System, Editor |
| RF-004 | Comment Management | Allow registered users to create comments in Pending state, requiring moderator approval. | Registered User, Moderator |
| RF-005 | Comment Editing/Deletion | Allow users to edit or delete their own comments within a defined period (e.g., 15 minutes). | Registered User |
| RF-006 | Notifications | Send email alerts to the editor when an article is submitted for review and to the moderator when a comment is pending. | System, Editor, Moderator |
| RF-007 | Search and Filtering | Provide an advanced search tool to filter articles by keywords, tags, and categories. | Registered User, Anonymous User |
2.2.2.2 Non-Functional Requirements
| Code | Title | Description | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| RNF-001 | Security | Protect the system from common attacks (SQL injection, XSS, CSRF) and encrypt sensitive data. | High |
| RNF-002 | Performance | Ensure load times under 2 seconds under moderate load. | High |
| RNF-003 | Scalability | The architecture must support an increasing number of articles and users without degrading service. | Medium |
| RNF-004 | Maintainability | The code must be structured and documented to facilitate future updates. | Medium |
| RNF-005 | Accessibility | The user interface must comply with WCAG 2.1 standards for accessibility. | High |
2.2.3 Information Requirements
Below are the main types of data that the system must collect and manage:
Article:
- Title
- Body (main content)
- Author (user reference)
- Creation date
- State (Draft, In Review, Approved/Published, Rejected)
- History of revisions/changes
Comment:
- Content
- Author (user reference)
- Creation date
- State (Pending, Approved, Rejected)
User:
- Username, Email
- Roles (Author, Editor, Moderator, Registered User)
- Session data (last access, etc.)
Audit Metadata:
- Logging of article and comment state changes
- Notifications sent (recipient, date, subject, etc.)
The system must ensure the confidentiality and integrity of this data, especially concerning content moderation and publication states.
2.2.4 Information Flows
Below are the main flows within the system:
| Code | Flow | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FL-001 | Article Creation and Submission | The author creates an article in Draft state, edits it, then submits it for review, triggering a notification to the editor. |
| FL-002 | Article Review and Publication | The editor reviews the article, either approving or rejecting it. The system logs the state transition for auditing. |
| FL-003 | Comment Creation and Moderation | A registered user adds a comment (Pending state), which the moderator reviews and either approves or rejects. |
| FL-004 | Notification Sending | The system automatically sends notifications to relevant actors when key events occur (article submission, pending comment, etc.). |
3. Use Cases
This section details the most relevant use cases describing how actors interact with the system.
CU-001: Article Creation and Submission
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | CU-001 |
| Title | Article Creation and Submission |
| Actors | Author |
| Precondition | The author must be authenticated. |
| Main Flow | 1. Create article → 2. Edit article → 3. Save as Draft → 4. Submit for Review |
| Postcondition | The article is moved to the In Review state. |
| Exceptions | Validation errors or connectivity issues. |
CU-002: Article Review and Approval
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | CU-002 |
| Title | Article Review and Approval |
| Actors | Editor |
| Precondition | The article must be in the In Review state. |
| Main Flow | 1. Access the list of articles in review → 2. Select article → 3. Review content → 4. Approve or Reject |
| Postcondition | The article’s state changes to Published or Rejected. |
| Exceptions | Editing issues or incomplete validations. |
CU-003: Comment Management
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | CU-003 |
| Title | Comment Management |
| Actors | Registered User, Moderator |
| Precondition | The article must be published; the user posting the comment must be authenticated. |
| Main Flow | 1. Create comment → 2. Comment stored in Pending state → 3. Moderator reviews → 4. Approve or Reject the comment |
| Postcondition | The comment is either published or rejected. |
| Exceptions | Violations of comment policy, errors in publication. |
CU-004: Automated Notifications
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | CU-004 |
| Title | Automated Notifications |
| Actors | System, Editor, Moderator |
| Precondition | A critical event occurs (article submitted for review, pending comment). |
| Main Flow | 1. Event triggers notification → 2. System sends email → 3. Recipients receive the alert |
| Postcondition | The notification is successfully delivered. |
| Exceptions | Email delivery failures or incorrect configuration. |
4. Integrations
Although this system can operate independently in Drupal, some potential integrations include:
- Email Services (SMTP or third-party APIs such as Mailchimp/Mandrill) for sending notifications.
- Advanced Search Services (e.g., Solr or Elasticsearch) to enable sophisticated article filtering and search.
- Access Control Modules (Drupal’s native Workflow/Content Moderation) to handle article states and transitions.
5. Data Model
Below is an overview of the main entities: Article, Comment, and their relationships with users.
| Entity | Main Fields | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Article | Title, Body, Author, Creation Date, State | Linked to a user (Author, Editor) and associated comments |
| Comment | Content, Author, Date, State | Linked to an Article; managed by the Moderator |
| User | Name, Email, Role, Credentials | Roles: Author, Editor, Moderator, Registered User, Anonymous |
Auditing: The system logs article and comment state transitions for tracking purposes.
6. System Architecture
The solution is organized into three key layers:
- Presentation Layer: Built with Drupal 11, featuring responsive themes and custom templates.
- Application Layer: Leverages Drupal 11 core and contributed modules (Workflow/Content Moderation, Comment, Pathauto, Metatag, etc.) for workflow management and user interactions.
- Data Layer: Stores articles, comments, user data, and audit logs in a relational database (e.g., MariaDB or PostgreSQL).
Security:
- Role-based permissions (Author, Editor, Moderator, etc.) are enforced.
- Credentials are encrypted, and forms are protected from XSS, CSRF, and other attacks.
- All state transitions are logged for auditing and oversight.