Module Monday: Override Node Options

Drupal's standard node options cover quite a bit of ground: content editors can control the publication date, author name, revision status, revision log message, "sticky" flag, published status, and front page promotion status of every piece of content! Of course, there's no way to give content editors access to just one of those options. If you want an editor to control the "published" flag but none of the others, you're out of luck. It's all or nothing, and the resulting array of checkboxes and form elements can easily overwhelm users who are new to Drupal. Unless, of course, you install the Override Node Options module...

Setting up the module couldn't be simpler; a new set of permissions to control access to each of the standard node options, on a per-content-type basis. That means a site builder can give specific user roles access to a restricted content type's options without affecting the others. In addition, there's no need to bring out the sledgehammer option of Drupal's "Administer Nodes" permission for most content creators.

While it's possible to achieve some of the same results using customhook_form_alter() code, the full suite of node options requires quite a bit of special logic to override effectively. Override Node Options is a quick, simple solution to the problem, and it makes a great addition to a site builder's toolbox.