Module Development

Read an Entity's Field Values for Drupal 8, 9, and 10

Entities objects are loaded using the entity type manager service (technically, the entity storage manager). Field values are read from the entity object. Doing this, instead of directly accessing data in the database, ensures that our custom code can remain agnostic about any underlying data storage logic. Reading field values is a common task, and we'll practice it by loading a vendor entity and using existing field values to pre-populate the new vendor attendance form.

In this tutorial, we'll:

  • Load an entity using the entity type manager service.
  • Access raw values of entity fields.
  • Use #default_value in Form API to pre-populate form fields.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to get raw field values from entities.

Drupal Module Developer Guide