Drupal module configuration

Go to the “Extend” page if you’re not already there.

On the “Extend” page, each row in the table corresponds to one module and starts on the left with a checkbox, immediately followed by the module name.

To the right of the module name is the third column containing the module’s description.

If you don’t see the descriptions

If you don’t see the description for each module next to its name, your admin theme’s “responsive” layout is hiding them.

Details about this issue and how to fix it are discussed in Fix for Displaying Hidden Module Descriptions on the Extend Page, but here is a quick summary of the steps to resolve it.

Quick Fix Summary for Hidden Descriptions on the Extend Page

Close the left vertical admin menu if it’s open.

If descriptions still don’t appear, do one of the following three things as discussed in more detail in the Fix for Displaying Hidden Module Descriptions.

Accordion Toggle for Descriptions

On the “Extend” page, in the row for your new module, click the top line of its “description” to fully expand the accordion toggle.

At the bottom of the description, if available, you’ll see “Help,” “Permissions,” and “Configure” links.

These links only appear after the module is enabled.

Save Time — Don’t Hunt Around

I find the “Extend” page the best place to determine whether a module has related “Permissions” or “Configuration” options. Conveniently, these are direct links when available.

While it’s true you can access the configuration page from your site’s “Configuration” section, you’d need to know in advance whether one exists and where it appears under that section.

Instead, I find the module on the “Extend” page and check if a “Configure” link is present—it takes me straight to the settings.

Similarly, while you can set module permissions under “People” > “Permissions,” you’d need to know how they’re categorized. Instead, I check for a “Permissions” link next to the module description—it jumps to the correct place on the permissions page.

The “Help” Module

The amount and quality of help documentation varies widely between modules, depending on what the developers provide.

Help documentation is discussed further in the Module Documentation and Help section, but here we’ll briefly talk about the “Help” link as it relates to configuring the module.

On your site’s “Extend” page, if you see a “Help” link next to a module, click it and review the content.

The resulting page is generated by your site using information from the module’s folder.

I recommend at least scanning this help page to understand what it contains.

It may provide useful insights before you visit the “Permissions” or “Configure” links for your module (if they exist).

More about documentation and help options is discussed in the Module Documentation and Help.

When done, return to the “Extend” page.

The “Permissions” Module

Not all modules include permissions, but if they do, you’ll see a “Permissions” link next to the module’s description on the “Extend” page.

When you first enable a module, the “Administrator” role is automatically granted full permissions for it.

However, some modules require you to configure permissions for “Anonymous” and “Authenticated” users to function as desired.

Information about permissions may be found in the “Help” link mentioned above or in the module’s “README.txt” or “INSTALL.txt” files as discussed in the Module Documentation and Help.

Permissions Overview

If you’ve never visited the permissions page, here’s a quick preview of what to expect.

To access it, either click any “Permissions” link on the “Extend” page or go to “People” in the admin menu and click the “Permissions” tab.

By default, Drupal includes three user roles: “Anonymous,” “Authenticated,” and “Administrator.”

“Administrator” User Accounts

You are an Administrator and therefore have full site permissions. You cannot remove this role from your own account. (This is different from Drupal 7.)

“Authenticated” User Accounts

These are accounts created by visitors who register on your site. When logged in, they’re classified as “Authenticated Users” and can only do what you’ve permitted for that role.

By default, authenticated users can post comments and use shortcuts.

“Anonymous” User Accounts

Anonymous users (site visitors who haven’t logged in) can typically only view content and use the site-wide contact form.

You’re in Control

You can adjust permissions for each role however you like.

You can also create new user accounts and assign them as “Authenticated” or “Administrator,” providing at least a username and password, and optionally an email.

Additional User Roles

You may create as many custom user roles as needed. For example, to allow someone limited administrative privileges.

To add a new role, go to the “Permissions” page, click the “Roles” tab, and click “Add role.”

Your Module’s Permissions

If your module has a “Permissions” link on the “Extend” page, click it.

The permissions page is located at [d8-root]/admin/people/permissions

Clicking a module’s “Permissions” link scrolls the page to the relevant permissions section.

If needed, scroll the page to view the specific permission under the admin menu at the top of the screen.

If the permission appears near the bottom of the list, it may not align exactly at the top of the page view—scroll further to locate it.

The “Administrator” column checkboxes (far right) are always checked and cannot be unchecked.

You decide whether to grant permissions to “Anonymous” and/or “Authenticated” users.

If you’re unsure what a permission does or what risks it may pose, refer to the module’s “Help” link on the “Extend” page (if present) or the “README.txt” or “INSTALL.txt” files as covered in the Module Documentation and Help.

Security Warning About Permissions

Any permission containing the following warning should only be granted to trusted roles:

Warning: Give to trusted roles only; this permission has security implications. 

Even if the full warning isn’t shown, any permission labeled with “Administer” may pose a security risk and should only be given to fully trusted users.

For example, the taxonomy permission says “Administer vocabularies” but doesn’t show the full warning. Still, granting this lets users edit fields — a potential vulnerability.

In short, any permission with “Administer” should only be given to people you fully trust.

Return to the “Extend” page after updating your permissions.

The “Configure” Module

On the “Extend” page, if your new module has a “Configure” link, click it.

If the “Configure” link isn’t there, then the module has no configurable settings.

If you’re unsure what a configuration option does or what effect it may have, refer to the module’s “Help” link on the “Extend” page (if available) or check the README.txt file as discussed in the Module Documentation and Help.

• Maximize the browser window

Try maximizing the browser window. If that doesn’t work or isn’t possible (e.g., you’re on a mobile device)...

• Smaller font

Try decreasing the font size until the descriptions are visible. If they’re still hidden…

• Set “Stark” as the admin theme.

The “Stark” theme comes with Drupal core and reveals the description column, though you may have to scroll horizontally.

Go to the “Appearance” page and click “Install” for the Stark theme (not “Install and set as default”).

After the page reloads, scroll to the bottom of the Appearance page, set Stark as the “Administration theme,” and click “Save configuration.”

Return to the “Extend” page.