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Installation Guide#

Complete installation instructions for Entity Builder and its extensions.

Requirements#

Requirement Version
Drupal 11.x
PHP 8.3+
Composer 2.x

Core Module Installation#

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composer require drupal/eb
drush en eb -y
drush cr

Via Drupal UI#

  1. Download the module from drupal.org
  2. Extract to web/modules/contrib/eb
  3. Navigate to Extend (/admin/modules)
  4. Enable "Entity Builder"
  5. Clear caches

Extension Modules#

Entity Builder has several extension modules that add functionality.

Quick Install All Extensions#

To install Entity Builder with all extensions in one go:

AG-Grid Requirement

The eb_aggrid module requires the AG-Grid library via Asset Packagist. See the eb_aggrid section below for Asset Packagist setup.

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# Install Entity Builder and extension modules
composer require drupal/eb drupal/eb_aggrid drupal/eb_field_group drupal/eb_pathauto drupal/eb_auto_entitylabel

# Install AG-Grid library (requires Asset Packagist - see eb_aggrid section)
composer require npm-asset/ag-grid-community:33.0.0

# Enable Entity Builder and all extensions
drush en eb eb_ui eb_aggrid eb_field_group eb_pathauto eb_auto_entitylabel -y

# Enable contrib dependencies
drush en field_group pathauto auto_entitylabel -y

# Clear cache
drush cr

Individual Extension Installation#

Entity Builder UI (eb_ui)#

Provides the base UI functionality with a YAML editor and shared API endpoints.

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drush en eb_ui -y

Features:

  • CodeMirror-based YAML editor
  • Live validation
  • Preview before apply
  • Export/Import capabilities

Entity Builder AG-Grid (eb_aggrid)#

Provides a powerful AG-Grid spreadsheet interface for visual editing. Strongly recommended for the best user experience.

Library Requirement

eb_aggrid requires the AG-Grid Community library (33.0.0) which must be installed via Asset Packagist.

Step 1: Configure Asset Packagist (if not already done)#

Add the following to your project's root composer.json:

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{
  "repositories": [
    {
      "type": "composer",
      "url": "https://asset-packagist.org"
    }
  ],
  "extra": {
    "installer-types": ["npm-asset", "bower-asset"],
    "installer-paths": {
      "web/libraries/{$name}": [
        "type:drupal-library",
        "type:npm-asset",
        "type:bower-asset"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Install the composer-installers-extender package:

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composer require oomphinc/composer-installers-extender

Step 2: Install the AG-Grid Library#

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composer require npm-asset/ag-grid-community:33.0.0

This installs the library to web/libraries/ag-grid-community.

Step 3: Enable the Module#

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drush en eb_ui eb_aggrid -y
drush cr

Features:

  • Excel-like spreadsheet interface
  • Tabbed editing (Bundles, Fields, Field Groups, Displays)
  • Real-time validation with visual feedback
  • Smart defaults and auto-generation
  • Keyboard shortcuts for efficiency
  • Debug mode for troubleshooting

Field Group Extension (eb_field_group)#

Adds support for organizing fields into visual groups.

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# Requires field_group contrib module
composer require drupal/field_group
drush en field_group eb_field_group -y

Adds:

  • field_group_definitions array in YAML
  • form_group / view_group properties on fields
  • Support for fieldset, details, tabs, and HTML elements

Pathauto Extension (eb_pathauto)#

Adds URL alias pattern configuration to bundles.

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# Requires pathauto contrib module
composer require drupal/pathauto
drush en pathauto eb_pathauto -y

Adds:

  • pathauto_pattern property on bundles

Auto Entity Label Extension (eb_auto_entitylabel)#

Adds automatic label generation configuration.

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# Requires auto_entitylabel contrib module
composer require drupal/auto_entitylabel
drush en auto_entitylabel eb_auto_entitylabel -y

Adds:

  • auto_entitylabel_status property on bundles
  • auto_entitylabel_pattern property on bundles

Post-Installation Configuration#

1. Set Permissions#

Navigate to People > Permissions (/admin/people/permissions) and configure:

Tier 3: Administrator

Permission Description
administer entity builder Full administrative access

Tier 2: Privileged Operations

Permission Description
apply entity definitions Apply definitions created in the UI
import entity architecture Import and apply YAML files from filesystem
export entity architecture Export full site architecture to YAML
rollback entity operations Rollback previously executed operations

Tier 1: User Permissions

Permission Description
create entity definitions Create new definitions
edit own entity definitions Edit definitions you created
view own entity definitions View definitions you created
delete own entity definitions Delete definitions you created
export entity definitions Export own definitions to YAML
preview entity definitions Preview changes without applying

2. Configure Settings#

Navigate to Configuration > Development > Entity Builder > Settings:

Setting Default Description
Debug Mode Off Enable detailed logging
Log Operations On Log all operations to watchdog
Enable Preview On Show preview before applying
Import Max File Size 5 MB Maximum import file size
Rollback Retention 30 days How long to keep rollback data

3. Verify Installation#

Run the discovery command to verify all services are working:

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drush eb:discovery

Expected output shows available field types, widgets, and formatters.

Upgrading#

Minor Version Updates#

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composer update drupal/eb
drush updb -y
drush cr

Major Version Updates#

  1. Review the CHANGELOG for breaking changes
  2. Backup your database
  3. Update via Composer
  4. Run database updates
  5. Clear caches
  6. Test existing definitions
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composer update drupal/eb
drush updb -y
drush cr
drush eb:validate /path/to/your/definitions/*.yml

Uninstallation#

Data Loss Warning

Uninstalling will remove all EbDefinition config entities and rollback data.

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# Uninstall extensions first
drush pmu eb_field_group eb_pathauto eb_auto_entitylabel eb_ui -y

# Uninstall core module
drush pmu eb -y

Troubleshooting#

Module Dependencies#

If you see dependency errors:

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# Check for missing dependencies
composer why-not drupal/field_group

# Install missing dependencies
composer require drupal/field_group

AG-Grid Library Issues#

If eb_aggrid's grid interface doesn't load:

  1. Verify the library is installed: 

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    ls web/libraries/ag-grid-community

  2. If the library is missing, ensure Asset Packagist is configured (see eb_aggrid installation)

  3. Install or reinstall the library: 

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    composer require npm-asset/ag-grid-community:33.0.0

  4. Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Cache Issues#

If changes aren't appearing:

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drush cr
drush entity-updates  # If available

Service Errors#

If you see service-related errors after installation:

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# Rebuild the service container
drush cr

# Check module status
drush pm:list --filter=eb