[UX][D8] Make position of #description (help text) configurable via the API

This has been addressed in D8 core: #314385 Make position of #description configurable via the API, which makes this part of #378

D8 change record: https://www.drupal.org/node/2324025

For short form fields it makes sense to have the #description appear below the form widget; however, in long lists of checkboxes and/or radio buttons it would be nice to be able to have a toggle whether the #description appears above, or below, the form widget.

The is a new #description_display option with three allowed values, consistent with '#title_display': before, after and invisible.

There is no UI in core for toggling this behavior for existing forms.

Comment by a user in the D8 issue:

I'm very glad this issue has been addressed for Drupal 8.

People with low vision may use the site at an extreme zoom level, in which case the issue of the help text being below the field is exacerbated because they only see a very small portion of the screen at one time. Imagine the image in comment #47 but at 500% zoom. That's a TON of scrolling. ARIA doesn't really help users in this scenario.

Contrib modules that help with this

• https://www.drupal.org/project/label_help
• https://www.drupal.org/project/extra_field_description
• https://www.drupal.org/project/better_field_descriptions

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Original report

I would like to see a field's description/help text appear above the field rather than after, as would surely be the case with forms in everyday life (i.e. non-Drupal/Backdrop).

I have just read Drupal 7 - Move field's help text (description) between the label and input element(s). Do we have a Backdrop view or decision on this?

See https://github.com/backdrop/backdrop-issues/issues/1351 for one example.

Advocate: @herbdool