Drupal 11: Improving Code Examples with Self‑Hosted Interactive Sandboxes

Staff Reporter

Phil Norton explores enhancing how code examples are presented on his long-running Drupal blog by moving away from static code blocks and external embeds. Aiming for a self-hosted, interactive approach, he evaluated several code sandbox solutions that would allow readers to interact with JavaScript, CSS, and HTML code directly within Drupal pages. His main requirements were ease of integration, minimal reliance on external services, and better editorial control.

After testing tools like Playground Elements, Sandpack, and LiveCodes, he chose Flems for its simplicity, local integration, and flexibility. Despite its age and some accessibility concerns, Flems met his needs and was successfully embedded using Drupal’s Paragraphs Entity Embed module. This implementation lets administrators add configurable, live code examples into content fields, making tutorials more engaging and functional. Norton plans to use this setup for future posts focused on front-end development.

Reference: https://www.hashbangcode.com/article/drupal-11-finding-better-way-display-code-examples by Philip Norton, #! code (Hash Bang Code) (18 January 2026)

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