Role Based Views Filter In Drupal

by Sebastian Müller 34 views

Hey guys! Ever found yourself needing to filter content based on user roles in Drupal views? It can be a bit tricky, but don't worry, we're going to dive deep into creating a custom views filter to select content based on user roles. This is super useful when you want certain content, like servers in our example, to be visible only to users with specific roles. Let's get started and make your Drupal site even more awesome!

The Challenge: Role-Based Content Filtering

So, the main challenge here is to filter a content type, say 'Server', so that only users with certain roles can see them. Imagine you have different types of servers, and you want only the 'Server Admin' role to see all the details, while others might only see basic info. This is where a custom views filter comes in handy. Out-of-the-box, Drupal views don't offer a direct way to filter by user roles. That's why we need to roll up our sleeves and create something custom. This might sound intimidating, but trust me, it’s totally doable, and you'll feel like a Drupal wizard once you've nailed it!

Why Use Custom Filters?

Before we jump into the how-to, let's quickly chat about why custom filters are so powerful. Sure, you can use Drupal's built-in filters for things like content type, date, and author. But what if you need something more specific? That's where custom filters shine. They allow you to tailor your views to the exact needs of your site. For example, filtering by user roles, displaying content based on complex business logic, or even integrating with external data sources. Custom filters give you the flexibility to make your views truly unique and super functional.

Understanding the Goal

Okay, let’s break down exactly what we want to achieve. Our goal is to create a filter that we can add to a view, which will then check the roles of the currently logged-in user. If the user has a role that matches our criteria, they see the content. If not, the content is hidden. Simple, right? This is especially useful for sites with various user levels, like membership sites, internal tools, or any place where content access needs to be tightly controlled. We’re not just building a filter; we're building a gatekeeper for our content!

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Custom Filter

Alright, let's get our hands dirty and start building this custom filter. We’ll break it down into manageable steps, so it’s super clear and easy to follow. Don't worry if some of this looks like code – we’ll explain everything as we go. By the end of this, you'll be able to create custom filters like a pro!

1. Setting the Stage: Creating a Custom Module

First things first, we need a place to put our custom code. In Drupal, this means creating a custom module. Think of a module as a container for all your custom functionalities. If you already have a custom module, awesome! You can use that. If not, let's create one. It's super easy!

  1. Create a new folder in your modules/custom directory. Give it a descriptive name, like custom_views_filters.

  2. Inside this folder, create two files:

    • custom_views_filters.info.yml: This file tells Drupal about your module.
    • custom_views_filters.module: This is where our PHP code will live.

  3. Open custom_views_filters.info.yml and add the following:

    name: 'Custom Views Filters'
type: module
description: 'Provides custom views filters.'
core_version_requirement: ^9 || ^10
package: Custom

    This tells Drupal the name, type, description, and core compatibility of your module. Make sure the core_version_requirement matches your Drupal version.

  4. Leave custom_views_filters.module empty for now. We’ll fill it with code in the next steps.

Great job! You’ve created the basic structure for your custom module. Now, Drupal knows you have a new module, but it's not active yet. We'll activate it soon, but first, let’s write some code!

2. Defining the Filter: Implementing hook_views_data()

Next up, we need to tell Views about our new filter. We do this by implementing hook_views_data() in our module. This hook allows us to define our custom filter and make it available in the Views UI. This might sound technical, but it’s really just about telling Views, “Hey, I’ve got a new filter you can use!”

  1. Open custom_views_filters.module and add the following code:

    <?php

use Drupal\Core\Database\Connection;
use Drupal\Core\Database\Database;
use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\filter\InOperator;

/**
 * Implements hook_views_data().
 */
function custom_views_filters_views_data() {
  $data['node_field_data']['user_roles'] = [
    'title' => t('User Roles'),
    'help' => t('Filter by user roles.'),
    'filter' => [
      'id' => 'user_roles_filter',
    ],
  ];

  return $data;
}

    Let’s break down what this code does:

    • We define a function called custom_views_filters_views_data(). The custom_views_filters part should match the name of your module.
    • We’re hooking into the node_field_data table, which is where node-related data is stored.
    • We’re defining a new field called user_roles. This is what will show up in the Views UI.
    • We set the title and help text, which are user-friendly labels for the filter.
    • The crucial part is the filter section. We’re telling Views that this field is a filter and that it should use a filter plugin with the ID user_roles_filter. We haven't created this plugin yet, but we will soon!

3. Crafting the Filter Plugin: Creating UserRolesFilter.php

Now comes the fun part: creating the actual filter plugin. This is where we define the logic for how the filter works. We'll create a new file for our plugin and write the code that checks user roles.

  1. Create a new folder inside your module called src/Plugin/views/filter. This is where Drupal expects to find Views filter plugins.

  2. Inside this folder, create a file called UserRolesFilter.php.

  3. Open UserRolesFilter.php and add the following code:

    <?php

namespace Drupal\custom_views_filters\Plugin\views\filter;

use Drupal\Core\Database\Connection;
use Drupal\Core\Database\Database;
use Drupal\views\Plugin\views\filter\InOperator;
use Drupal\Core\Session\AccountInterface;
use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerInterface;
use Drupal\Core\Plugin\ContainerFactoryPluginInterface;
use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityTypeManagerInterface;

/**
 * Filter handler to display content based on user roles.
 *
 * @ingroup views_filter_handlers
 *
 * @ViewsFilter(