Enabling lb

2. Enabling Layout Builder

When to Use

When you want to enable Layout Builder on a content type, custom entity type, or specific view mode.

Steps

Via UI
Navigate to Structure → Content types → [Content type] → Manage display
Enable "Use Layout Builder" checkbox
Optionally enable "Allow each content item to have its layout customized"
Save
Via Configuration
Edit core.entity_view_display.{entity_type}.{bundle}.{view_mode}.yml
Add third_party_settings for layout_builder
Export or include in recipe

Programmatically

use Drupal\layout_builder\Entity\LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay;

$display = LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay::load('node.article.default');
$display->enableLayoutBuilder()
  ->setOverridable(FALSE)  // or TRUE for per-entity overrides
  ->save();

Verify permissions
"Configure any layout" — administer default layouts
"Configure editable {entity_type} {bundle} layout overrides" — per-entity layouts

Editor-enablement permission set: to hand LB to a non-admin editor role, grant three permissions: - configure any layout — static core permission - create and edit custom blocks — static block_content permission, REQUIRED for inline blocks - configure editable <entity_type> <bundle> layout overrides — dynamic per-bundle permission generated by layout_builder.permissions.yml permission_callbacks

Prefer the per-bundle editable-overrides permission over configure any layout when you want to scope editors to specific bundles rather than every layout on the site.

Result: LB enabled, section field added (if overrides), fields converted to blocks in default section

Decision Points

At this step...	If...	Then...
Enabling LB	Fresh install or new content type	Enable defaults only first, test workflow before enabling overrides
Enabling LB	Existing content with field display config	Fields automatically become field blocks in first section, verify display settings preserved
Allowing overrides	Need per-entity layouts	Enable "allow_custom", grants per-entity customization but prevents updating from defaults
Allowing overrides	All entities should match default	Leave "allow_custom" disabled, easier maintenance and updates

Common Mistakes

Enabling overrides immediately → Start with defaults. Overrides create maintenance burden. Once entity is overridden, default updates don't apply
Not checking permissions → Different permissions for defaults vs overrides. Configure permissions or editors can't use LB
Forgetting to save → UI requires explicit save. Config export requires explicit drush cex. Changes aren't automatic
Not testing field conversion → When enabling LB on existing display, fields become blocks. Verify formatters and labels preserved
Configuring LB permissions only in the database → If the editor role's LB permissions are never exported to config, the editor handoff silently fails on deploy because the role config doesn't carry the perms. Export the role config after granting them