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Installation and Setup

This guide will help you install and set up the Canvas Override module on your Drupal site.

Requirements

Core Requirements

  • Drupal 11.3.0 or later
  • PHP 8.3 or later

Required Modules

  • Canvas ^1 — The visual page builder that Canvas Override extends
  • Node (Drupal core) — Content management
  • Field (Drupal core) — Field API

Installation Methods

composer require drupal/canvas_override
drush en canvas_override

Method 2: Using Drush

If the module is already downloaded:

drush en canvas_override

Method 3: Manual Installation

  1. Download the module from Drupal.org.
  2. Extract the archive to your modules/contrib directory.
  3. Navigate to Administration > Extend (/admin/modules).
  4. Find "Canvas Override" in the module list.
  5. Check the box and click Install.

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify that the module is working:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Extend (/admin/modules) and confirm Canvas Override appears in the list.
  2. Go to People > Permissions (/admin/people/permissions) and search for "Canvas Override" — you should see the permission entries.
  3. Edit any content type at Structure > Content types — the Canvas layout fieldset should appear in the vertical tabs.

Initial Configuration

After installing, you need to enable Canvas Override on each content type where you want per-content layouts.

Step 1: Enable on a Content Type

  1. Go to Structure > Content types (/admin/structure/types).
  2. Click Edit on the content type you want to enable.
  3. Open the Canvas layout fieldset in the vertical tabs.
  4. Check Enable per-content Canvas layout editing on the full content view mode.
  5. Click Save.

This automatically creates and configures the field_canvas_layout field on the content type. No manual field setup is needed.

Step 2: Assign Permissions

Navigate to People > Permissions (/admin/people/permissions) and assign the appropriate permissions:

Role Recommended Permission
Administrator Administer Canvas Override
Content Lead Use Canvas Override (all types)
Section Editor Use Canvas Override for [specific type]

See the Permissions guide for detailed setup.

Step 3: Verify the Canvas Tab

  1. Navigate to a content item whose type has Canvas Override enabled.
  2. You should see a Canvas tab in the local tasks area.
  3. Click it to open the per-content Canvas editor.

If the tab does not appear, check the Troubleshooting guide.

What Happens After Installation?

Once you enable Canvas Override on a content type:

  • A new field is created — field_canvas_layout (component_tree) is added to the content type automatically.
  • View displays are configured — The full and default view modes are set up with the correct Canvas renderer.
  • A Canvas tab appears — Editors with the right permission see a Canvas tab on each content item.
  • A per-bundle permission is generated — "Use Canvas Override for [type]" appears on the permissions page.
  • Existing content is unaffected — Until an editor creates a per-content layout, content continues rendering with the ContentTemplate default.

Installation Checklist

  • [ ] Canvas module is installed and working
  • [ ] Canvas Override module is enabled
  • [ ] At least one content type has Canvas Override enabled
  • [ ] Permissions are assigned to appropriate roles
  • [ ] Editors can see the Canvas tab on content items
  • [ ] Cache is cleared (drush cr)

Troubleshooting

Module Won't Enable

Issue: Error when trying to enable Canvas Override.

Solutions: - Ensure the Canvas module is installed: drush pm:list --filter=canvas - Clear the cache: drush cr - Check PHP error logs for specific errors

Canvas Tab Not Appearing After Installation

Issue: Permissions and configuration are set but the tab is missing.

Solutions: - Clear the cache: drush cr - Verify the content type has Canvas Override enabled in its settings - Check that the user has at least one Canvas Override permission - See Troubleshooting for more details

Next Steps