
A 'Helper' is Drupal's version of a template of components. The components are arranged in a predetermined layout containing Lorem Ipsum. A Helper is intended to help speed up the page creation process, especially for regularly created pages (i.g. newsletters, profiles, etc).
You can use currently available Helpers or request the creation of new custom Helpers. The creation of new Helpers will be at the discretion of the UX/UI team, per the instructions below.
On this page:
- How to Use a Helper
- How to Request a New Helper
How to Use a Helper
Step 1: Go to Your Page
Navigate to the page where you want to use a Helper.
*Make sure you’re logged into Drupal so you can make edits.
Step 2: Edit the Page
Click Edit at the top of the page to enter editing mode.
Step 3: Open the Site Studio Library
Click any of the blue plus (+) signs in the Site Studio area of your page.
Step 4: Switch to the Helpers Library
In the library sidebar, open the dropdown menu at the top left.
Select Helpers from the list.
Step 5: Add Your Helper to the Page
Drag and drop your Helper onto your page just like you would drop any single Component.
Do not nest the Helper inside another Component when initially adding it to your page — this may cause the layout to display incorrectly.
Tip: If you can’t find your Helper in the list, use the search bar in the library to find it by name.
Step 6: Customize Your Helper
Once your Helper is on the page, you can:
- Edit any field of every Component it creates (these edits affect only this single page).
- Rearrange any of the Components it placed on the page — they are not locked in the original Helper layout once they appear on your page.
Unlike Component Content, Helpers do not sync changes across multiple pages — they are simply a quick way to drop in a specific layout you can then customize. Any changes you may want made to a Helper's template must be submitted as a request via our Intake Form.
How to Request a new Helper
Step 1: Share a Visual Example
Send us either:
- A wireframe or mockup you’ve created, or
- A link to an existing page that looks close to what you want. keep in mind we can only use the Gloss design system when creating a Helper so the template will be constrained to what is currently available therein.
Step 2: Submit a Request via Intake
Use our Intake form to officially submit your request and include your mockup or example page link.
Step 3: We'll Polish It for You
Once we receive your request, the UX/UI team will review it and make any design or layout improvements to ensure it meets usability and brand standards. The changes will be sent back to you for review and approval. The goal is to create a Helper that will not only serve your purposes, but if possible, become useful to other webmasters as well.
Step 4: Review and Approve the Updated Mockup
We’ll send you the updated version.
Let us know if it's good to go or if any changes are needed.
Step 5: We’ll Build the new Helper
Once approved, we’ll pass the design to our developers to create the actual Helper. They must build out and deploy the code of the new helper to our Drupal code base during one of our regularly scheduled code deployments (every other Tuesday night).
Step 6: We'll Notify You When Your Helper is Ready to Use
After your Helper is deployed and available for use within Drupal, we’ll notify you and send any additional information you may need in order to start using it.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, please submit a ticket via our intake form.