Without a filter, ContentSync copies every published article of the source site. Usually you want less than that. The filters decide which articles the source hands over.

A filter works on the source site. An article that does not pass is never fetched at all, so a tight filter also makes a run quicker.

In both editions

Source category

Enter the ID of a category on the source site. You find the ID in the category list of the source, in the last column.

• In the free edition the field is called Source Category ID and takes one category.
• In PRO it is called Source Category IDs and takes a list, separated by commas, for example 2,5,8.

Leave it empty to copy from every category.

If you type a list in the free edition, the first category is used. The log says which ones were ignored. The list stays in the task, so it takes full effect once you install PRO.

State

State Filter chooses the publication state: published, unpublished, archived, or all states. The default is published.

In PRO

Tags

Source Tag IDs takes a list of tag IDs from the source site, for example 4,7,12. Only articles with one of those tags are copied.

This is a handy way to pick articles by hand. Make a tag on the source site, for instance Share, and give it to every article that should travel.

Language

Language Filter limits the sync to articles in the languages you pick.

Featured

Featured Filter has three choices: all articles, only featured articles, or everything except featured articles.

Workflow stage

Workflow Stage takes the ID of a stage in the workflow of the source site, for example a stage called Ready to share. Enter 0 to switch the filter off.

This filter needs Joomla 6.2 or newer on the source site. An older source ignores it and hands over everything. See Joomla 5 and Joomla 6.

Using more than one filter

Filters add up. With a category and a tag, an article has to be in that category and carry that tag.

Changing a filter later

A filter only decides what is fetched from now on. Articles that were copied earlier stay on the target site.

There is one thing to watch in PRO. With Handle Deleted Articles switched on, an article that no longer comes through the filter is treated as removed from the source, and the action you chose is applied to the copy. So narrowing a filter can move earlier copies to the trash. Do a dry run after you change a filter, and read what it would delete.

Sending different articles to different places

One task has one set of filters. To send the news to one site section and the events to another, add the task twice, each with its own source category and its own target category.