Working with help topics

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What is a help topic?

A help topic describes a concept, or steps to accomplish a task, related to a feature provided by one or more modules or themes. If the core Search module is enabled, these topics are also searchable.

Where are help topics listed?

The top-level help topics are listed at Help. Links to other topics, including non-top-level help topics, can be found under the "Related" heading when viewing a topic page.

How are help topics provided?

Modules and themes can provide help topics as Twig-file-based plugins in a project sub-directory called help_topics; plugin metadata is provided in YAML front matter within each Twig file. Plugin-based help topics provided by modules and themes will automatically be updated when a module or theme is updated. Use the plugins in core/modules/help/help_topics as a guide when writing and formatting a help topic plugin for your theme or module.

How are help topics translated?

The title and body text of help topics provided by contributed modules and themes are translatable using User interface translation (provided by Interface Translation module). Topics provided by custom modules and themes are also translatable if they have been viewed at least once in a non-English language, which triggers putting their translatable text into the translation database.

How can users search for help topics?

To enable users to search help, including help topics, you will need to install the core Search module, configure a search page, and add a search block to the Help page or another administrative page. (A search page is provided automatically, and if you use the core Claro administrative theme, a help search block is shown on the main Help page.) Then users with search permissions, and permission to view help, will be able to search help. See the related topic, Configuring help search, for step-by-step instructions.

Additional resources

Related topics