Problem/Motivation
Our clients rely on the Media Folder module for hierarchical organization of their media assets, which is a critical aspect of their content management workflow. However, enabling this module significantly degrades the media editing experience within the node entity form.
When media items are uploaded or selected via a Media field within a node form (e.g., when adding an image to an article), users are currently unable to:
- Add or edit Alt text for images.
- Crop images (if relevant modules like Image Crop are enabled).
- Populate additional custom fields associated with the media entity (e.g., "Credit", "Caption", etc.).
The only way to edit the media entity is by navigating to /admin/content/media-folders. This approach is problematic because:
It disrupts the content creation workflow. Users are forced to leave the node form, find the media item, edit it, and then return to the node, significantly increasing friction and time.
It exclusively uses the "Default" media entity form display mode. This prevents site builders from leveraging other configured form display modes for media entities, which might expose different fields or widgets tailored for specific editing contexts (e.g., a simplified display for quick edits vs. a full display for comprehensive metadata).
This limitation prevents content creators from completing essential tasks directly where they are needed, leading to a frustrating and inefficient media management experience.
Proposed resolution
Enhance the Media field widget configuration (on "Manage form display") to allow site builders to select the desired Media entity form display mode. This chosen display should then be used when editing media items in the node form, restoring full editing capabilities (alt text, cropping, custom fields) directly within the content creation flow.
User interface changes
A new setting will appear in the Media field widget configuration. When editing a node, the media edit form (e.g., pop-up) will now correctly display fields and widgets based on the chosen form display mode