# Create and edit articles

An article is the content you write or revise in Conduit. Use the editor to create a new
article or to change an existing article. A slug identifies an existing article in its route.

| If you need to… | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Create an article | [Enter and publish an article](#enter-and-publish-an-article) |
| Change an existing article | [Handle create and edit variations](#handle-create-and-edit-variations) |
| Find an article before opening it | [Find articles](doc:find-articles) |
| Read or manage the article after publishing | [Read and manage an article](doc:read-and-manage-an-article) |
| Review article terminology | [Basic terminology](doc:basic-terminology) |

## Before you start

Have the article information ready before you open the editor.

**Prerequisites**

| What to have ready | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| The choice between a new article and an existing article | It determines which editor route you open. |
| The article slug when changing an existing article | It identifies the article to load. |
| The title, description, body text, and tags | They are the values you enter in the editor. |

## Open the editor

The editor is the form where you enter or revise an article.

**Steps**

1. Choose the route that matches your task:

   | If you need to… | Open |
   | --- | --- |
   | Create a new article | The editor route without a slug |
   | Edit an existing article | The editor route with the article slug |

2. Open the selected route.

**Result:** The editor opens. A new article starts with empty article fields; an existing article
loads the article identified by its slug.

## Understand the editor

The editor contains four article inputs, a tag area, and one publishing control.

| What you enter or use | Control or area | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Article title | **Article Title** | Accepts the article title. |
| Short description | **What's this article about?** | Accepts the article description. |
| Article content | **Write your article (in markdown)** | Accepts the article body in markdown. |
| Tags | **Enter tags** | Accepts a tag before you add it to the tag list. |
| Existing tags | Tag text and its close icon | Displays the tags already added and lets you remove one. |
| Submit the article | **Publish Article** | Sends a new article or an edit. |

The editor does not show separate field labels or required markers. It uses the text inside the
inputs to identify them. No separate save or update control is used.

## Enter and publish an article

Use this procedure for both a new article and an existing article. The route you opened determines
whether **Publish Article** creates an article or updates the article identified by the route slug.

**Prerequisites**

- The editor is open.
- You have the title, description, body, and tags for the article.

**Steps**

1. In **Article Title**, enter the article title.
2. In **What's this article about?**, enter the article description.
3. In **Write your article (in markdown)**, enter the article body.
4. In **Enter tags**, enter a tag.
5. Press Enter to add the tag to the tag list.
6. Repeat the tag entry and Enter action for each tag you want to add.
7. For a tag you want to remove, select its close icon.
8. Select **Publish Article**.

**Result:** The article submission is made. A new article uses the create path; an existing article
uses the update path.

## Handle create and edit variations

The editor uses the same fields and **Publish Article** control for both tasks; the route decides
which article operation is submitted.

**Prerequisites**

- The editor is open.

**Steps**

1. Choose the submission path that matches the article:

   | If you opened… | **Publish Article** submits… |
   | --- | --- |
   | The editor route without a slug | A new article. |
   | The editor route with the article slug | An update for the article identified by that slug. |

2. Select **Publish Article**.

**Result:** The editor submits the create or update operation selected by the route.

## When submission goes wrong

Returned validation or API errors appear in the editor's error list. The list shows the returned
field name and value.

The submission error message is:

> No fixed message is declared. The shared error list renders each returned error as `<key> <value>`.

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A returned field name and value in the error list | The submission has a validation or API problem associated with that field. | Correct the information named by the returned entry, then select **Publish Article** again. |

No fixed success-confirmation message appears after submission. Use the resulting article route as
the next place to continue.

## After publishing

After submission, the application redirects to the article route for the submitted article.

Open [Read and manage an article](doc:read-and-manage-an-article) to continue with that article.
Use [Find articles](doc:find-articles) when you need to locate an article from the article lists.
For the wider article workflow, open [Articles overview](doc:articles-overview).

**Result:** The article route is the next destination after submission.