# Drupal Recipe Content > Create Drupal recipes that import content entities (taxonomy terms, nodes, media, menu links) with multilingual translations. Use this skill whenever the user wants to create a Drupal recipe with default content, import taxonomy terms or other content entities into Drupal via recipes, set up multilingual/translated content in a recipe, or export existing content for use in a recipe. Also trigger when the user mentions "default content in recipes", "recipe with translations", or "content export for recipe". - Skill: `factorial-io/drupal-recipe-content` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add factorial-io/drupal-recipe-content` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/factorial-io/drupal-recipe-content/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: factorial-io (https://skillmd.com/u/factorial-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/factorial-io/drupal-recipe-content --- # Drupal Recipe Content Import Create Drupal recipes that ship default content (taxonomy terms, nodes, media, etc.) with full multilingual translation support, using Drupal core's built-in content export/import API. ## Key Concepts - Drupal recipes are primarily for **configuration**, but since **Drupal 11.3**, core includes a content export/import API that allows recipes to ship content entities. - Content is stored as YAML files in a `content/` directory inside the recipe. - Translations are included in the exported YAML — no separate files needed per language. - On import, entities get **new IDs** (not the original ones). UUIDs are used internally for dependency resolution. - The `default_content` contrib module is **unmaintained and conflicts with Canvas** — do not use it. Use core's built-in API instead. ## Recipe Structure ``` my_recipe/ ├── recipe.yml ├── config/ │ └── ... (optional config YAML files) └── content/ └── taxonomy_term/ ├── .yml ├── .yml └── ... ``` Content files are organized by entity type in subdirectories under `content/`. Each entity is a separate YAML file named by its UUID. ## recipe.yml The `recipe.yml` does not need to explicitly reference content files. Drupal automatically imports everything in the `content/` directory when the recipe is applied. ```yaml name: 'My Taxonomy Terms' description: 'Provides taxonomy terms with EN/DE translations.' type: 'Content' recipes: # Ensure the vocabulary and translation config exist first - core/recipes/tags_taxonomy install: - language - content_translation ``` Make sure any required vocabulary, content type, or field configuration is applied **before** the content import — either via dependent recipes or config in the same recipe. ## Exporting Content ### Drupal 11.3+ (Core CLI) ```bash # Export a single taxonomy term php core/scripts/drupal content:export taxonomy_term 42 # Export with all dependencies (referenced entities, files, etc.) php core/scripts/drupal content:export taxonomy_term 42 --with-dependencies --dir=recipes/my_recipe/content # Export a node with dependencies php core/scripts/drupal content:export node 3 -W --dir=recipes/my_recipe/content ``` The `-W` / `--with-dependencies` flag is important — it ensures referenced entities (images, terms, users) are exported alongside the main entity. ### Drush (with default_content as dev-only dependency) If using Drush, `default_content` can be a **dev-only** dependency (not needed in production): ```bash composer require --dev drupal/default_content drush en -y default_content # Export to a recipe's content directory drush dcer taxonomy_term 42 --folder=recipes/my_recipe/content # Export all terms of a vocabulary (if supported) drush dcer taxonomy_term --folder=recipes/my_recipe/content ``` ## Multilingual Content Translations are embedded in the exported YAML automatically. When you export an entity that has translations, the YAML will contain all language versions. ### Workflow for multilingual recipes 1. Create content on a reference site with all translations in place 2. Export with `--with-dependencies` — translations are included 3. Place the YAML files in `content//` inside your recipe 4. When the recipe is applied, entities are created with all their translations There is no need for separate export/import steps per language. ## Gotchas and Tips - **IDs change on import**: Exported entity IDs (tid, nid) will not match on the target site. Drupal assigns new sequential IDs. References between entities are resolved via UUIDs. - **Config must exist first**: The vocabulary, content type, fields, and language configuration must be in place before content is imported. Use the `recipes:` and `install:` sections to ensure this. - **No `default_content` at runtime**: If you used Drush's `dcer` command for exporting, you only need `default_content` as a dev dependency. The core import mechanism handles the rest. - **File assets**: When exporting with `--with-dependencies`, file entities and their physical files are included in the export. They get placed in a `file/` subdirectory under `content/`. - **Entity references**: Cross-references between content entities (e.g., a node referencing taxonomy terms) are resolved by UUID during import, so export order doesn't matter. ## Canvas Module Workaround Sites using the **Canvas** page builder module require special handling for recipe content imports. Canvas overrides entity reference field types (`EntityReferenceItemOverride`) and expects UUID strings, but core's exporter outputs integer values for user references (uid 0 and 1). ### The Problem Core's `Exporter` uses `array_map('intval')` for user 0/1 references, producing: ```yaml content_translation_uid: - target_id: 1 target_uuid: 0 ``` Canvas's `EntityReferenceItemOverride::getTargetId()` receives the integer `0` for `target_uuid` but expects a string, causing a `TypeError` during recipe import. ### The Fix After exporting content with `content:export`, strip the following non-essential fields from both `default` and `translations` sections in every content YAML file: - `content_translation_uid` — causes the Canvas TypeError - `content_translation_source` — not needed for import - `content_translation_outdated` — not needed for import - `revision_translation_affected` — auto-computed on save - `path` — only needed if you want specific aliases A minimal content YAML for a translatable taxonomy term looks like: ```yaml _meta: version: '1.0' entity_type: taxonomy_term uuid: 386059fa-39bb-4fa4-ae79-1b204a6d55c6 bundle: location default_langcode: en default: status: - value: true name: - value: Ingelheim weight: - value: 0 translations: de: status: - value: true name: - value: Ingelheim weight: - value: 0 ``` This also applies to nodes and other content entities — always strip `content_translation_uid` when Canvas is installed. ## Alternative Approaches If core's content API doesn't fit your needs (e.g., you're on Drupal < 11.3), see `references/alternatives.md` for fallback strategies using custom install hooks or migrations.