The weight of moderation_state field is not changeable

+++ b/docroot/profiles/lightning/modules/lightning_features/lightning_workflow/lightning_workflow.module
@@ -129,3 +130,18 @@ function lightning_workflow_views_pre_render(ViewExecutable $view) {
+function lightning_workflow_entity_base_field_info_alter(&$fields, $entity_type) {
+
+  foreach ($fields as $definition) {
+    // Set configurable form display for language fields with display options.
+    if ($definition->toArray()['field_name'] == 'moderation_state') {
+      $definition->setDisplayConfigurable('form', TRUE);
+    }
+  }

This is a nice find and a good solution, but let's change this to something a little more efficient. Assuming the fields are keyed by name (and they should be), this could be something like:

if (isset($fields['moderation_state'])) {
  $fields['moderation_state']->setDisplayConfigurable('form', TRUE);
}

We will probably also need a test of some sort, to prove that the field is actually made configurable. A kernel test oughta do the trick; all it would need to do is install the entity schema of a moderatable entity type, ensure that moderation is enabled for it, then assert that the moderation_state field is marked as configurable.

Another option would be to simply file this patch against Workbench Moderation itself, and Lightning could bring the patch in. That would be preferable, in fact, since more people could then have this fix without needing to use Lightning.

Thanks for working on this... was driving me nuts. Let me know if you need a hand Kelvin, I can take a shot at the tests as well.

There's a patch for this in WBM: #2833892: The ability to rearrange moderation state field in the form

But as I noted there, this change also allows site builders to change the field widget off of the one provided by workbench moderation. Using any other field widget makes no sense and could introduce confusion and bugs.

I wonder if there's another way around this =/

I agree with @bkosborne, this patch isn't yet ideal. However, since the intent of Lightning is to allow developers to improve the editorial experience, I'd err on the side of making it confusing for site builders rather than muddying the editor UX.

Let's see if we can use WBM patch and set sane defaults.

We're currently in the process of building an upgrade path from Workbench Moderation to Content Moderation. So I'd like to postpone this on that.

Just tested this on Lightning 2.2.5 (with Content Moderation) and the problem still exists. But, I also confirmed identical behavior with the standard install profile. So this doesn't appear to be Lightning-specific.

Okay, we need to move this to core. Thanks for testing, @balsama!

Some screen shots for clarity. Move the "Moderation state" field above title:

But it remains at the bottom of the form:

AFAICT this exact bug was reported again exactly one year later: #2925182: Content moderation widget cannot be reordered …

Marking as duplicate of #2925182: Content moderation widget cannot be reordered since that issue was in the core queue before this one.

Feel free to continue discussion there, or move back to Lightning.