Drupal Views Development

WRONG: Writing hook_views_data() for content entities. This manually duplicates what EntityViewsData does automatically -- generating Views integration for all base fields, filters, sorts, arguments, and relationships out of the box. RIGHT: Use the "views_data" handler in the entity annotation/attribute. Only use hook_views_data() for custom (non-entity) database tables created via hook_schema().

Entity Views integration

Add a views_data handler to the entity type annotation or attribute. This single line gives Views full access to all entity base fields.

Default handler (no customization needed):

// In entity annotation handlers array:
"views_data" = "Drupal\views\EntityViewsData",

Custom handler (add extra fields or override definitions):

// In entity annotation handlers array:
"views_data" = "Drupal\my_module\Entity\MyEntityViewsData",

Custom handler class:

namespace Drupal\my_module\Entity;

use Drupal\views\EntityViewsData;

class MyEntityViewsData extends EntityViewsData {

  public function getViewsData() {
    $data = parent::getViewsData();
    // Add custom fields or modify existing definitions.
    $data['my_entity']['custom_field'] = [
      'title' => $this->t('Custom Field'),
      'help' => $this->t('A computed field with custom rendering.'),
      'field' => [
        'id' => 'my_custom_field_plugin',
      ],
    ];
    return $data;
  }

}

See also: drupal-entities-fields (if installed) for entity type definitions, annotation/attribute syntax, and the handlers array where views_data is declared. If not available, add "views_data" = "Drupal\views\EntityViewsData" to the entity annotation handlers array alongside storage, form, list_builder, etc.

hook_views_data() -- exposing a custom table

Use this for custom database tables that are NOT entity tables. Returns an array describing tables, fields, and their Views plugin responsibilities.

/**
 * Implements hook_views_data().
 */
function my_module_views_data() {
  $data = [];

  // Table group -- ALWAYS set for UI organization.
  $data['players']['table']['group'] = t('Sports');

  // Base table -- makes this table available as a Views base.
  $data['players']['table']['base'] = [
    'field' => 'id',
    'title' => t('Players'),
    'help' => t('Contains player data.'),
  ];

  // Numeric field with filter and sort.
  $data['players']['id'] = [
    'title' => t('ID'),
    'help' => t('The unique player ID.'),
    'field' => [
      'id' => 'numeric',
    ],
    'filter' => [
      'id' => 'numeric',
    ],
    'sort' => [
      'id' => 'standard',
    ],
  ];

  // Text field with filter and sort.
  $data['players']['name'] = [
    'title' => t('Name'),
    'help' => t('The player name.'),
    'field' => [
      'id' => 'standard',
    ],
    'filter' => [
      'id' => 'string',
    ],
    'sort' => [
      'id' => 'standard',
    ],
  ];

  return $data;
}

WRONG: Omitting the table group in hook_views_data(). Without $data['table']['table']['group'], fields scatter across the Views UI among hundreds of other fields with no logical grouping, making them impossible for site builders to find. RIGHT: Always set $data['table_name']['table']['group'] = t('Label') to group all fields from your table together in the Views field picker.

See also: drupal-database-api (if installed) for hook_schema() to define the custom tables that hook_views_data() exposes. If not available, define tables in your .install file via hook_schema() returning table definitions with fields, primary keys, and indexes.

Field responsibilities in hook_views_data()

Each column entry can have multiple plugin responsibilities:

Choosing a field plugin:

• Numeric data -> 'id' => 'numeric'
• Plain text -> 'id' => 'standard' (outputs with sanitization)
• Serialized data -> 'id' => 'serialized'
• Date/timestamp -> 'id' => 'date'
• Boolean -> 'id' => 'boolean'
• Custom rendering logic -> Create your own ViewsField plugin (see below)

Relationships (JOINs between tables)

Define relationships in hook_views_data() via the relationship key to JOIN tables.

$data['players']['team_id'] = [
  'title' => t('Team ID'),
  'help' => t('The team this player belongs to.'),
  'field' => [
    'id' => 'numeric',
  ],
  'relationship' => [
    'base' => 'teams',
    'base field' => 'id',
    'id' => 'standard',
    'label' => t('Player team'),
  ],
];

• base: the target table to JOIN
• base field: the column in the target table to match against
• id: the relationship plugin (standard for simple JOINs)
• label: the UI label shown in the Views relationship configuration

Custom ViewsField plugin

When: Computed data, cross-entity lookups, custom rendering that no built-in plugin handles.

Namespace: Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\field File: src/Plugin/views/field/MyField.php Extends: Drupal\views\Plugin\views\field\FieldPluginBase

D10 annotation syntax

namespace Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\field;

use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\field\FieldPluginBase;
use Drupal\views\ResultRow;

/**
 * Field plugin that renders computed data.
 *
 * @ViewsField("my_module_computed")
 */
class ComputedField extends FieldPluginBase {

  /**
   * {@inheritdoc}
   */
  public function query() {
    // Leave empty -- this field has no database column.
  }

  /**
   * {@inheritdoc}
   */
  public function render(ResultRow $values) {
    $entity = $this->getEntity($values);
    // Custom rendering logic using entity data.
    return $this->sanitizeValue($entity->label());
  }

}

D11 attribute syntax

namespace Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\field;

use Drupal\views\Attribute\ViewsField;
use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\field\FieldPluginBase;
use Drupal\views\ResultRow;

#[ViewsField("my_module_computed")]
class ComputedField extends FieldPluginBase {

  public function query() {
    // Leave empty -- this field has no database column.
  }

  public function render(ResultRow $values) {
    $entity = $this->getEntity($values);
    return $this->sanitizeValue($entity->label());
  }

}

WRONG: Forgetting to override query() for virtual fields. If your ViewsField has no database column (computed/virtual data), you MUST override query() with an empty method body. Otherwise Views adds a non-existent column to the SQL query, causing a database error like "Unknown column 'table.field_name' in 'field list'". RIGHT: Override query() with an empty body for any ViewsField plugin that renders data not stored in the table. Use $this->getEntity($values) in render() to access the entity and compute your output.

Field configuration (defineOptions + buildOptionsForm)

When your custom field needs user-configurable options:

use Drupal\Core\Form\FormStateInterface;

protected function defineOptions() {
  $options = parent::defineOptions();
  $options['display_mode'] = ['default' => 'label'];
  return $options;
}

public function buildOptionsForm(&$form, FormStateInterface $form_state) {
  $form['display_mode'] = [
    '#type' => 'select',
    '#title' => $this->t('Display mode'),
    '#options' => [
      'label' => $this->t('Label'),
      'id' => $this->t('ID'),
    ],
    '#default_value' => $this->options['display_mode'],
  ];
  parent::buildOptionsForm($form, $form_state);
}

Access in render(): $this->options['display_mode']

WRONG: Adding custom plugin options via defineOptions()/buildOptionsForm() without defining configuration schema. Views plugins are stored as part of View config entities. Missing schema causes config export/import failures and strict validation errors. RIGHT: Define schema in my_module.schema.yml using dynamic types:

# my_module.schema.yml
views.field.my_module_computed:
  type: views_field
  label: 'My Module Computed Field'
  mapping:
    display_mode:
      type: string
      label: 'Display mode'

The views_field base type inherits all standard field options. You only need to define your custom options in mapping.

Custom ViewsFilter plugin

Common pattern: Extend InOperator for select-list filters (e.g., filter by team, category, status).

Namespace: Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\filter File: src/Plugin/views/filter/MyFilter.php

D10 annotation syntax

namespace Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\filter;

use Drupal\Core\Database\Connection;
use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\display\DisplayPluginBase;
use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\filter\InOperator;
use Drupal\views\ViewExecutable;
use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerInterface;

/**
 * Filter which filters by available teams.
 *
 * @ViewsFilter("team_filter")
 */
class TeamFilter extends InOperator {

  protected Connection $database;

  public function __construct(array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition, Connection $database) {
    parent::__construct($configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition);
    $this->database = $database;
  }

  public static function create(ContainerInterface $container, array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition) {
    return new static(
      $configuration,
      $plugin_id,
      $plugin_definition,
      $container->get('database')
    );
  }

  public function init(ViewExecutable $view, DisplayPluginBase $display, array &$options = NULL) {
    parent::init($view, $display, $options);
    $this->valueTitle = $this->t('Teams');
    $this->definition['options callback'] = [$this, 'getTeams'];
  }

  public function getTeams() {
    $result = $this->database->query("SELECT [name] FROM {teams}")
      ->fetchAllAssoc('name');
    $teams = array_keys($result);
    return array_combine($teams, $teams);
  }

}

D11 attribute syntax

namespace Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\filter;

use Drupal\views\Attribute\ViewsFilter;
// ... same use statements as D10 ...

#[ViewsFilter("team_filter")]
class TeamFilter extends InOperator {
  // Constructor, create(), init(), getTeams() are IDENTICAL to D10 version.
  // Only the annotation/attribute syntax at the top of the class changes.
}

Filter configuration schema -- InOperator filters need a views.filter_value schema entry:

# my_module.schema.yml
views.filter.team_filter:
  type: views_filter
  mapping:
    value:
      type: sequence
      label: 'Teams'

views.filter_value.team_filter:
  type: sequence
  label: 'Teams'
  sequence:
    type: string
    label: 'Team'

The views.filter_value.[plugin_id] type is referenced dynamically from the views_filter base type's value key definition.

See also: drupal-plugins-blocks (if installed) for plugin discovery patterns, D10 annotations vs D11 attributes, ContainerFactoryPluginInterface for DI in plugins, and the 4-parameter create() signature. If not available, inject services via ContainerFactoryPluginInterface::create(ContainerInterface $container, array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition).

Custom ViewsArgument plugin

When: Contextual filters need custom query logic (e.g., filtering by name OR ID).

Namespace: Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\argument File: src/Plugin/views/argument/MyArgument.php

D10 annotation syntax

namespace Drupal\my_module\Plugin\views\argument;

use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\argument\ArgumentPluginBase;

/**
 * Argument for filtering by a team.
 *
 * @ViewsArgument("team")
 */
class Team extends ArgumentPluginBase {

  public function query($group_by = FALSE) {
    $this->ensureMyTable();
    $field = is_numeric($this->argument) ? 'id' : 'name';
    $this->query->addWhere(0, "$this->tableAlias.$field", $this->argument);
  }

}

D11 attribute syntax

use Drupal\views\Attribute\ViewsArgument;

#[ViewsArgument("team")]
class Team extends ArgumentPluginBase {
  // query() method is identical to D10 version.
}

Altering Views data -- hook_views_data_alter()

Add virtual fields to existing entity tables or change plugin IDs for existing fields.

/**
 * Implements hook_views_data_alter().
 */
function my_module_views_data_alter(&$data) {
  // Add a virtual field to the node table.
  $data['node_field_data']['my_disclaimer'] = [
    'title' => t('Disclaimer'),
    'help' => t('Shows a disclaimer message.'),
    'field' => [
      'id' => 'my_module_disclaimer',
    ],
  ];
}

Use cases:

• Add computed/virtual fields to core entity tables (node, user, taxonomy)
• Change the plugin ID for an existing field (e.g., swap standard for a custom filter)
• Add relationships between tables not connected by default

WRONG: Using hook_views_data() to add fields to tables you do not own (like node_field_data). hook_views_data() defines NEW tables. To add fields to EXISTING tables defined by other modules, use hook_views_data_alter(). RIGHT: Use hook_views_data_alter(&$data) to modify or extend Views definitions from other modules. Use hook_views_data() only for tables your module owns.

Summary of Views plugin namespaces

All Views plugins support DI via ContainerFactoryPluginInterface with the 4-parameter create() signature.

Cross-references

See also: drupal-entities-fields (if installed) for entity type definitions and the handlers array where views_data handler is declared. If not available, add "views_data" = "Drupal\views\EntityViewsData" to the entity annotation handlers array.

See also: drupal-plugins-blocks (if installed) for plugin discovery patterns, D10 annotations vs D11 attributes, and ContainerFactoryPluginInterface for DI in plugins. If not available, inject services via ContainerFactoryPluginInterface::create() with the 4-parameter signature.

See also: drupal-database-api (if installed) for hook_schema() to define the custom tables that hook_views_data() exposes. If not available, define tables in your module's .install file via hook_schema().