How to programmatically check Generate automatic URL alias

Components

If you want to programmatically check the Pathauto's Generate automatic URL alias checkbox you can do something like this:

use Drupal\pathauto\PathautoState;

$entity_type = 'node';
$entity_storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage($entity_type);
$nodes = $entity_storage->loadMultiple();

foreach($nodes as $node) {
  $node->path->pathauto = PathautoState::CREATE;
  $node->save();
}

For terms just change the entity type to this:

$entity_type = 'taxonomy_term';

To uncheck the field instead of CREATE use SKIP constant:

$node->path->pathauto = PathautoState::SKIP;

In summary, the code snippets provided outline the process of programmatically toggling the automatic URL alias generation feature in Drupal using the Pathauto module. 

About the Author

Goran Nikolovski is a senior developer with over 10 years of experience turning ideas into scalable digital products—from web platforms and mobile apps to AI-powered tools. He is passionate about clean code, creative problem-solving, and shaping the future of digital development.

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