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#  How to Create a Entity Reference View 

 Drupal 

 

 

 The Entity Reference module is a useful Drupal 7 module because it can be used to reference any entity from a field added to any other entity. For example, you can add an entity reference field to the Basic Page content type, which references taxonomy terms of vocabulary (bundle) tags. When you are creating a page and want to reference a particular term, it may help the user to see a custom format for the terms. By default the term name will be displayed for the terms that can be referenced. It may be convenient for the user to have a more detailed descprition of the term to make a decision. Perhaps for good reasons you have terms named "1" and "2" in a Staff vocabulary. You may write descriptions for those terms where "1"s description is "Director" and "2"s description is "Teacher". You want to reference one of these terms when you create a Basic Page. The entity reference module comes with built in funcitonality for the use of views in creating a filtered list of entities available for selection for an entity reference field.

I want the options in my Staff Reference field to be "1 - Director" and "2- Teacher".

First create the Taxonomy vocabulary and terms

- Goto: admin/structure/taxonomy/add
- Enter Staff in the name field
- Click Save
- Click on **add terms** for the Staff vocabulary
- (Creating first term)
    - Enter 1 for the **Name** field
    - Enter Director for the **Description** field
    - Save
- Create second term
    - Enter 2 for the **Name field**
    - Enter Teacher for the **Description** field
    - Save

Now create an entity reference view

- Goto structure/views/add
- Name the view Staff Reference View
- Select Taxonomy terms from the **Show** select list
- Select Staff from the **Type** select list
- Uncheck the **Create a page** checkbox
- Click **Continue and Edit**

Configuring the view

- Click the **+Add** button
- Select Entity Reference
- In the **Fields** section click the add link
- Check the box next to Taxonomy term: Term description
- Click **Apply**
- Uncheck **Create a Label**
- Click Apply
- Click the **Taxonomy term: Name** link in the **Fields** section
- Uncheck **Link this field to its taxonomy term page**
- Under the **Format** section you will see a *Format: Entity Reference List | Settings*
- Click Settings
- For **Search fields** check Taxonomy term:Name
- Click Apply
- Under the **Format** section you will also see *Show: Inline fields | Settings*
- Click Settings
- Under **Inline Fields**
    - Check Taxonomy term: Name
    - Check Taxonomy term: Term description
- Click Apply
- Save the view

Let's add and configure an entity reference field.

- Go to admin/structure/types/manage/page/fields
- Enter Staff Reference in the **Add new field** text field.
- Select Entity Reference from the **Field Type** select list
- Select Select List from the Widget select list
- Click Save

You are now presented with the **Field Settings** page

**Target Type** sets the entity which this field will reference. In our example we will be using Taxonomy Term. Inside the **Entity Selection** fieldset is the **Mode** field with two options: Simple (with bundle filter) , and views (Filter by an Entity Reference View).

- For **Mode** Select Views (Filter by an Entity Reference View)
- For **View used to select the entities** choose the view we created earlier staff\_reference\_view Entity reference
- Click the **Save Field Settings** button
- Click **Save Settings** when the next page loads

Create a page

- Goto: node/add/page
- You will see the Article Reference field select list under the body field
- The Options say "1-Director" and "2-Teacher"

 

 

- [Drupal](/tags/drupal)