In eZ Publish, all content is stored as an “object”. For example, an article is an object, a user account is an object, and so on.

When you create a new object it is assigned a version number. If you modify the object, a new version number is assigned. Both the original and the new versions of the object are stored in the database.

Because of this versioning system, you can revert an object from the current version to a previous version. For example, if a new version of an object contains an error, you can revert the object to the prior version.

Only a limited number of versions of each content object are stored in the database (to prevent the database from getting too large). This value is set as part of the system configuration, which is described in the eZ Publish documentation: Version Management.

Reverting to a previous version of a content object

To revert to a prior version of an object, log in as a user who is part of the Editor group then access the content that you want to revert. (By default, only members of the Editor and Administrator groups have access to this feature.)

1. Click on the Edit button.
2. Click on the Versions button.
3. Check on the box beside the desired version of the object and click on the Copy button (if the version’s status is “Archived”). This will create a new draft. Click on the Edit button to edit the new draft. If the version’s status is “Draft”, you can either copy the draft to a new version or edit the existing draft.
4. Click on the Send for publishing button. (If you want, you can edit the object before publishing the current version.)

The new version will replace the current version. The version of the object that you just replaced is still stored in the database, and can be reinstated in the same way as it was replaced.