Dealing with errors in Drupal development is a common occurrence, and understanding how to interpret and resolve them is essential for smooth development workflows. In this article, we'll delve into a specific error message related to render arrays in Drupal and discuss steps to diagnose and fix the issue.
The error
User error: "attributes" is an invalid render array key in Drupal\Core\Render\Element::children() (line 98 of core/lib/Drupal/Core/Render/Element.php).
Drupal\Core\Render\Element::children(Array, 1) (Line: 416)
Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doRender(Array, ) (Line: 204)
Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->render(Array) (Line: 474)
Drupal\Core\Template\TwigExtension->escapeFilter(Object, Array, 'html', NULL, 1) (Line: 135)
__TwigTemplate_f69b0ceba0d56d31d1798b54707449ff->macro_renderTitle(Array) (Line: 1226)
twig_call_macro(Object, 'macro_renderTitle', Array, 65, Array, Object) (Line: 95)
__TwigTemplate_f69b0ceba0d56d31d1798b54707449ff->doDisplay(Array, Array) (Line: 394)
Twig\Template->displayWithErrorHandling(Array, Array) (Line: 367)
Twig\Template->display(Array) (Line: 379)
Twig\Template->render(Array, Array) (Line: 40)
Twig\TemplateWrapper->render(Array) (Line: 53)
twig_render_template('themes/custom/orw/templates/field/field--expert--paragraph--related-articles.html.twig', Array) (Line: 372)
Drupal\Core\Theme\ThemeManager->render('field', Array) (Line: 445)
Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doRender(Array) (Line: 458)
Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doRender(Array, ) (Line: 204)
Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->render(Array) (Line: 474)
/../
Detailing the error message
The error message provided indicates an issue with the "attributes" key within a render array. Let's break down the error message to understand its components:
User error – indicates that the error is within the user's control, likely originating from custom code or configurations.
Description – "'attributes' is an invalid render array key" specifies the nature of the error, suggesting that the "attributes" key is being used incorrectly.
Location – the error occurs in "Drupal\Core\Render\Element::children()" on line 98 of Element.php, providing a starting point for debugging.
Unpacking the situation
To understand the error further, we need to analyse the code snippet where the error originates. The snippet is part of a foreach loop iterating over elements, checking for the validity of render array keys. However, the error message doesn't provide detailed information about the specific element causing the issue.
foreach ($elements as $key => $value) {
if (is_int($key) || $key === '' || $key[0] !== '#') {
if (is_array($value)) {
if (isset($value['#weight'])) {
$weight = $value['#weight'];
$sortable = TRUE;
}
else {
$weight = 0;
}
// Supports weight with up to three digit precision and conserve
// the insertion order.
$child_weights[$key] = floor($weight * 1000) + $i / $count;
}
// Only trigger an error if the value is not null.
// @see https://www.drupal.org/node/1283892
elseif (isset($value)) {
trigger_error(new FormattableMarkup('"@key" is an invalid render array key', ['@key' => $key]), E_USER_ERROR);
}
}
$i++;
}
Enhancing Error Details
To gather more information for debugging, we can modify the error handling code to include additional details. By adding a print_r statement, we can capture the specific element that triggered the error, making debugging more effective.
trigger_error(new FormattableMarkup('"@key" is an invalid render array key in the value @value from the elements @elements', ['@key' => $key, '@value' => print_r($value, true), '@elements' => print_r($elements, true)]), E_USER_ERROR);This modification provides insights into the problematic element and the overall elements array, aiding in pinpointing the root cause of the error.
The wrap
Understanding and resolving Drupal errors requires a systematic approach, including careful analysis of error messages and code snippets. By enhancing error details and leveraging debugging techniques like print_r, developers can efficiently diagnose and fix issues, ensuring smoother Drupal development processes.