Plus Suite Overview
When to Use
Use Plus Suite when you need a WYSIWYG page builder on top of core Layout Builder with drag-and-drop, inline editing, and nested layouts. Use core Layout Builder when you only need basic block placement via the sidebar form.
Decision
| Feature | Core Layout Builder | Plus Suite |
|---|---|---|
| Block placement | Sidebar form, multi-step | Drag-and-drop from sidebar |
| Editing | Off-canvas forms | Inline WYSIWYG editing |
| Preview | Must toggle preview mode | Always WYSIWYG |
| Nested layouts | Not supported | Layout blocks with blocks inside |
| Tooling | Edit/layout tabs | Photoshop-style toolbar with hotkeys |
| Placeholder content | Empty blocks | Auto-generated sample content |
| Media handling | Form-based upload | Drag from desktop onto page |
| Section reuse | Not built-in | Section Library integration |
| Workspace support | Limited | Full Tempstore+ strategy pattern |
Pattern
Plus Suite is a Drupal recipe (not a single module) orchestrating 7+ contributed modules on top of core Layout Builder.
Key architectural principles:
- Drupal-native: PHP/Twig rendering pipeline, not React. Standard entity forms, field API, caching.
- Drop-in replacement: Replaces
layout_builderelement withlayout_builder_plus, same data model. - Pluggable everything: Modes, Tools, Sidebars, Sample Value Generators — all plugin systems.
- Enhances, doesn't replace: Layout Builder data models and configuration remain unchanged.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong: Treating Plus Suite as a React-based page builder — Right: It's fully Drupal PHP/Twig native
- Wrong: Assuming it requires React knowledge — Right: PHP developers can use it without frontend framework skills
- Wrong: Confusing it with Canvas/Experience Builder — Right: Plus Suite enhances Layout Builder; Canvas is a ground-up rebuild