Drupal Views: How to Set Up and Work with

28 Feb 2025

Drupal is a potent and multifunctional tool that allows you to create sites of varying complexity and configuration levels quickly. This is mainly due to numerous built-in modules and additional features, one of which is the Views special module.
If you have already seen a Drupal site with organized lists of unique content, you can be sure that the Views instrument was utterly used to create it. In most cases, this module is actively used to collect all the necessary and valuable content. This is due to the tool's power and excellent capabilities for high-quality management organization.
Using the special Views solution, you need to use the particular interface to configure the content display. You do not have to write very complex queries in SQL format.

Displayed data

To add a view using a particular Drupal module, you first need to open the Structure, then Views, and add a new element to the admin panel. Then, give the project a name and write a short description, although the last step is optional.
One of the administrators' first settings is to choose the necessary data type to display. There can be many options, such as media, users, or content, etc.
The lists of different types of available data often differ since you can use additional modules and instruments on your own site. Because of this, extra parameters are displayed. By default, there is always one option - content. For most scenarios, this is the most suitable type.
Additionally, there are several parameters:

  • You can limit the addition of content depending on the type so that, for example, only one of them is displayed;
  • You may narrow the list of displayed content to show only those that match the specified tags easily;
  • There is an excellent function for organizing the order of different results.
  • These settings can be changed later while you work on the site and set up Views. However, the type of selected data can no longer be changed. Additional settings can be quickly changed at any time.

Pages and blocks for viewing impressions

The next essential step is the type of display needed. Thanks to the Drupal Views solution, you can access at least two main options. Depending on what additional modules you choose for your website, there may be more.
Page. You can access it through your own URL;
Block. This block is not completely available by default. However, it can be placed anywhere on the site. To do this, open the Structure section, go to the additional Block Layout category, or use the special Layout Designer.
Before starting the process, select one of the options presented. In the future, you can add additional displays. Then, as an administrator, Drupal will ask you for further settings. You must select the number of elements displayed on the page, the use of the particular pager function, etc.
The URL path parameter is initially created fully automatically. However, you can quickly change it if desired or necessary.

View format

Among the key additional valuable settings in the Views particular module, the format can rightly be called. It directly affects how your pages or blocks will look. You will be presented with several options to choose from: tables or HTML lists, as well as grid and unformatted lists.
As practice shows, the more modules you use, the more format options you have. One of the popular solutions is rightly considered a grid, although everyone can choose depending on the situation.
The grid's popularity is due to its two-dimensional format, which allows you to align the displayed elements depending on the number of columns.
The next step in setting up is choosing a mode for displaying an entity in a grid, some table, or other format. Drupal provides access to several standard options:

  • fields;
  • titles;
  • teasers;
  • full messages;
  • related headings.

You can select any option. If you want or need it, you can quickly create a particular page with teasers or assemble the overview field, just like Lego components. You can do this later since you can make changes at any time.
To proceed to the next stage of setting up, click on the "Save and edit" link. It will automatically take you to the primary interface and allow you to continue working with Views. Here, you will see how your project looks based on the different choices made in the previous stages. If necessary, you can make some changes and add fields if you dislike something or if some components are missing.

Filters and sorting functions

Two more essential components in the module settings open up additional opportunities for you: filtration (filters) or sorting.

  • Using the filter criteria, you can configure the display to show only some part of the content that fully meets your selected criteria. For a simple example, you can configure the display to show only a certain type of necessary content on the page. You made the corresponding settings in the first step. Additionally, filtering allows you to easily display all results depending on the required words in the titles, published in a specified period, and entries with or without comments. That is, filtering has many valuable and necessary functions.
  • The next element is sorting criteria. With their help, you can display some viewing results that meet your needs. The publication date, for example, is used as a standard. In this case, entries can be displayed depending on the date (descending or ascending). The administrator can set the necessary priorities for elements where, for example, more comments are presented—or sort products by cost, popularity, and other criteria.

These are handy and necessary functions perfectly implemented in the Views module. 

Demonstration of filters

It is an exciting and often helpful function that allows you to present filters to site users. Thanks to this option, they can independently manage filters and search for the necessary products or records on the site.
Open filters are rightly considered a beneficial function that ensures site convenience. It is enough to allow the display and change of the selected filter in the settings to customize the display of filters.

Contextual filtering

The filters presented above are classic and widely used in the presentation. However, regardless of various factors, they will always remain unchanged. However, there is an alternative option—the use of special context filters. They are designed to display dynamic changes in results. This process is based on some changing factors.
To add these unique filters, open the "Additional" section and select the appropriate tools. The filter will work depending on what factors are important to you. This topic deserves special attention.
As you can see, Views solution is a powerful and multifunctional module that is available in Drupal. With this tool, you can perform many tasks and actions to display different content and other information on the site's pages.

To Sum Up

Thanks to the user-friendly interface, working with useful Views is relatively straightforward. It does not require knowledge of complex coding. But before you start working, you should still study the basic instructions.
It will allow you to understand better the features of Views and the built-in functions of this module. Then, you will independently create the display conditions you need, add functions, and create a site depending on the needs and tasks of the project. If you have a problem - contact the Golems development team for help!