This document discusses field formatters in Drupal. It defines field formatters as a means to present field data in a display entity. Field formatters are pluggable, provide configurability, and can be extended via various hooks. It then outlines the key hooks used to define, render, configure, and prepare field formatters, as well as some helpful functions. Finally, it provides some ideas for building field formatters in a workshop.

1. Field/CCK Formatters
“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”
- Fortune cookie in my desk drawer
Helior Colorado
ihatespam@helior.info

2. What are Field Formatters?

3. What are Field Formatters?
• Means to present field data in a
displaying entity

4. What are Field Formatters?
• Means to present field data in a
displaying entity
• Is pluggable

5. What are Field Formatters?
• Means to present field data in a
displaying entity
• Is pluggable
• Provides a layer of configurability

6. What are Field Formatters?
• Means to present field data in a
displaying entity
• Is pluggable
• Provides a layer of configurability
• Is extendable via various methods

7. What are Field Formatters?
• Means to present field data in a
displaying entity
• Is pluggable
• Provides a layer of configurability
• Is extendable via various methods
• If done right, can be reused in any
site

8. Defining a Field Formatter:
hook_field_formatter_info()
label
description
field types
multiple values
settings

9. Rendering a Field Formatter:
hook_field_formatter_view()
Return an array or renderable
arrays – “N is the only number”

10. Providing configurations:
hook_field_formatter_settings_form()
Standard Form API stuff.
Returning a new form element.
This will help:
$display = $instance['display'][$view_mode];
$settings = $display['settings'];

11. Displaying configuration summary:
hook_field_formatter_settings_summary()
Output a string of whatever you
think is meaningful.

12. Pre-build formatter processing:
hook_field_prepare_view()
Custom data massaging goes
here.
Rarely used.

13. Review the steps:

14. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()

15. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)

16. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
• Optionally provide settings
hook_field_formatter_settings_form($field, $instance, $view_mode, $form, &
$form_state)

17. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
• Optionally provide settings
hook_field_formatter_settings_form($field, $instance, $view_mode, $form, &
$form_state)
• Optionally display settings summary
hook_field_formatter_settings_summary($field, $instance, $view_mode)

18. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
• Optionally provide settings
hook_field_formatter_settings_form($field, $instance, $view_mode, $form, &
$form_state)
• Optionally display settings summary
hook_field_formatter_settings_summary($field, $instance, $view_mode)
• Optionally prepare data before build
hook_field_prepare_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)

19. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
• Optionally provide settings
hook_field_formatter_settings_form($field, $instance, $view_mode, $form, &
$form_state)
• Optionally display settings summary
hook_field_formatter_settings_summary($field, $instance, $view_mode)
• Optionally prepare data before build
hook_field_prepare_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
Useful helpers:

20. Review the steps:
• Define formatter
hook_field_formatter_info()
• Return array of renderable arrays
hook_field_formatter_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
• Optionally provide settings
hook_field_formatter_settings_form($field, $instance, $view_mode, $form, &
$form_state)
• Optionally display settings summary
hook_field_formatter_settings_summary($field, $instance, $view_mode)
• Optionally prepare data before build
hook_field_prepare_view($entity_type, $entities, $field, $instances, $langcode, &
$items, $display)
Useful helpers:
• field_info_formatter_types()
• field_info_formatter_settings()
• field_view_field()
• field_view_value()

21. Ideas for Workshop
★ HTML5 Audio playback controller ★ Lightbox-likegallery for images
★ Email address “mailto:” link ★ Custom date from timestamp
★ Link to Twitter account with selectable ★ Fully customizable link from a path
styles