As we all know that Drupal still latest version Drupal 7, was intended to come around with a lot of new changes. As expected from a powerful and dynamic system as Drupal, it is always changing and evolving to keep up with its fame. Here in this post we are going to discuss about the changes that Drupal 7 brought about involving the Taxonomy system, which is Drupal's way of arrange content. So, if you are new to Drupal 7, then you’ll find this piece of information useful.

So, just have a look at what exactly has changed with Taxonomy and what all you are required to do differently in Drupal 7 as compared against Drupal 6:

Taxonomy in Drupal 6

In Drupal 6, Taxonomy was under the Content management link.

In order to organize your content you would have to go through a three step process. At first, you would add a Vocabulary which acts as a general container for all your specific categories.

Secondly, you would add the Terms which are the specific categories you'll use to organize content:

Then you would go and write your content, organizing it with the Terms:

So, the entire process of organizing your content in Drupal 6 would involve the following three steps:

1. Content management > Vocabulary > Add vocabulary
2. Add terms
3. Create content

Now, let's move on see the new process of organizing your content in Drupal 7:

Taxonomy in Drupal 7

The first and foremost thing that will grab your attention is the main navigation links, as they have changed. The new Taxonomy system is now under the Structure link.

The setup process is similar to Drupal 6 at this point. We are required to add a Vocabulary and then Terms. First, click Add vocabulary:

Now, enter the name of the vocabulary and then click Save. You will notice that there are much lesser settings here than in Drupal 6, that’s because in Drupal 7 these settings come later.

Now, click the add terms option next to your new vocabulary. When you're done, click on the List tab at the top of the screen.

You'll now see the terms laid out as below:

Here comes the big change with Taxonomy in Drupal 7. Instead of going to write your content, click on the Structure link again and then Content types:

Click on manage fields next to the content type you'd like to add a taxonomy to:

The important thing at this point is that to add a new field using the Term reference field type:

Now, click Save and you'll be asked to choose the vocabulary you want to add:

Click Save field settings and you'll have one more screen to complete. This is where all the settings have moved to that we mentioned about earlier.

Now, scroll down, and then click Save Settings and you're all done. Your new vocabulary has now been added to the content type. It's certainly a lenthier process as compared to Drupal 6. But it’s better because whereas in Drupal 6 Taxonomy was a separate system, in Drupal 7 Taxonomy has become part of the new Drupal 7 Fields system.

Nevertheless, the final step remains the same in both the versions, that is you would go and write your content as a final thing. Then, click on Add content and you'll see your new Vocabulary and Terms:

So, that’s quite some change, but this change is all meant for good and we can say that because we vouch for Drupal.

Hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to share your views in the comments section.

Valuebound is a leading Drupal Development Company providing Enterprise Drupal web solutions. For more information on Drupal Development, contact us at info@valuebound.com