Module Development

Render API Callback Properties for Drupal 8, 9, 10, and 11

Some Render API properties, like #pre_render, #element_validate, and #lazy_builder are considered callable. Rather than receiving a static value, they contain a pointer to code that should be called at a specific time during the process of rendering a render element. Callbacks are used in some cases to return a value that can be substituted into the render array, and in other cases given the opportunity to manipulate the current element in the array directly.

In this tutorial, we'll:

  • Look at what callbacks are
  • List some common callback properties
  • Show various ways that callback code can be defined
  • Discuss how to choose which method to use

By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to define an appropriate value for any Render API property that expects a callback, and define the logic that is executed when the callback is triggered.