Drupal and Revisions: Why You Can’t Save the Current Default Revision as Non-Default

Understanding Revisions in Drupal

In Drupal, revisions (or versions of content) allow you to track changes over time. Every time an editor saves content, a new revision can be created.

Example:

• An editor publishes an article → Revision #1 is created (default).
• A week later, the editor updates the article → Revision #2 is created (becomes default).
• The database keeps both revisions, but visitors see only the default version.

Revisions let you:

• Roll back to previous versions,
• Work with drafts without affecting the published version,
• Track content history.

Default Revision — The “Main” Version

The default revision is the version of content displayed to site visitors.

• Only one revision should be default at a time.
• Drupal ensures exactly one default revision exists per content item.

Example:

• Revision #5 — published (default).
• Revision #6 — draft (not default).
• Visitors still see Revision #5 while editing continues.

The Problem

Previously, Drupal allowed marking the current default revision as non-default without creating a new revision.

Example:

1. Revision #10 — default.
2. Administrator edits it and unchecks “Make this the default revision.”
3. Result:
   • Revision #10 is no longer default,
   • No new default revision exists.

⚠️ Consequences:

• Views or API calls may return empty results,
• Cache or database may become inconsistent,
• Users may see incorrect content.

The Proposed Solution: Issue #3543212

Drupal.org issue #3543212 proposes:

• You cannot uncheck the default status of the current default revision.
• To change which revision is default, a new revision must be created.

Example of new behavior:

1. Revision #12 — default.
2. Editor saves content and indicates it should not be default.
3. Drupal:
   • Creates Revision #13,
   • Marks it as default,
   • Revision #12 remains in history but is no longer default.

Impact on Content Moderation

The Content Moderation module adds states like:

• Draft,
• Published,
• Archived.

Before the change:

• Admin could remove default from the published version → site could have no default revision.

After the change:

• Drupal guarantees at least one default revision always exists,
• Workflows become more predictable,
• Data integrity is maintained.

Why This Matters

1. Predictable site behavior — users always see the correct published version.
2. Data integrity — revision history remains consistent.
3. Simpler development — developers can rely on one default revision.
4. Reliable moderation workflows — drafts and published versions work smoothly.

Working with Revisions via Drupal API

Checking the Default Revision

use Drupal\node\Entity\Node;

$node = Node::load(123);
$default_revision_id = $node->getRevisionId();

if ($node->isDefaultRevision()) {
  \Drupal::logger('custom')->info('This revision is default: ' . $default_revision_id);
} else {
  \Drupal::logger('custom')->info('This revision is not default.');
}

Creating a New Revision

$node = Node::load(123);

// Create a new revision
$node->setNewRevision(TRUE);

// Update content
$node->setTitle('New Revision Title');

// Save as default revision
$node->setRevisionAsDefault(TRUE);
$node->save();

Listing All Revisions

$revision_ids = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()
  ->getStorage('node')
  ->revisionIds($node);

foreach ($revision_ids as $rid) {
  $revision = Node::loadRevision($rid);
  $status = $revision->isDefaultRevision() ? 'default' : 'non-default';
  \Drupal::logger('custom')->info("Revision $rid — $status");
}

Working with Content Moderation

$node = Node::load(123);

// Create a draft revision
$node->setNewRevision(TRUE);
$node->set('moderation_state', 'draft');
$node->setRevisionAsDefault(FALSE);
$node->save();

// Publish a new revision
$node->setNewRevision(TRUE);
$node->set('moderation_state', 'published');
$node->setRevisionAsDefault(TRUE);
$node->save();

This ensures:

• One default revision is always published,
• Drafts can coexist,
• Data consistency is preserved.

Conclusion

The Drupal change #3543212 may seem minor, but it significantly improves system stability:

• Prevents losing default revisions,
• Maintains reliable workflows,
• Makes Content Moderation more predictable,
• Simplifies development and reduces errors.

If you use revisions and moderation workflows, this change is essential for safe and stable content management.