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Using Features

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Alexandru Badiu
Alexandru Badiu

This document discusses the Features module in Drupal, which allows developers to package common site functionality like content types, views, and configurations into reusable "features" modules. It describes how Features can help with common development problems by streamlining the process of moving changes between environments. The document provides an overview of how Features works and interacts with related modules like Context and Spaces, and recommends it as a way to better organize and share code.

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USING FEATURES Badiu Alexandru So you’ll have more free time too Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The dev – staging – production issue • You build the site • Client wants new stuff • You build it on dev, passes staging • Replicate on live site • Write update functions, manual exporting of views, cck Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “I’ve done this before” issue • You build some feature for client A • Along comes client B who wants the same thing • Take code, exported views, cck, push to dev • Work • Replicate on prod Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “Is there anyone editing file x.module?” issue • You work on a large project • Each dev pushes code to a repository or no repo at all • What about database changes? • Export views, cck and push them as well • Make sure each dev imports stuff after each update Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “What the f**k do I do now?” issue • Drupal is hard for beginners • Lots of modules • Building a feature requires multiple modules usually and some knowledge about them • Drupal recipes are good Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
DO YOU SEE A PATTERN? • Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a repository of “modules” that create functionality a little bit more than “list all blog posts” or “have a block with latest promoted posts in category A”? • Learn the open source way • Instant gratification • Uuuu, this is cool Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
DO YOU SEE A PATTERN?? • Wouldn’t it be nice if you could avoid all the manual exporting and importing of new features / changes and just package functionality in a “module” that can be updated? • Modules are code, code can be put into versioning control (and you should do it) • Database changes can’t (easily) Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
DO YOU SEE A PATTERN? • Made some code or db changes? • Just click to generate a new version of the “module“ • Check in, others check out, update is done • Less wrinkles and teeth grinding Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? • This is not necessarily a Drupal only problem • It’s the nature of web development and the way we do it • Coding != Site building • If only products of site building could be exported… • Oh wait Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
EXPORTAB • Exportables are ways of, well, exporting things from Drupal into code bits • Pioneered by Views, CCK is also using this • Imagecache, Spaces, Context, Strongarm • Is this enough? • No, replication is still a… not a piece of cake • Lots of missing modules (like taxonomy) Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MODULAR • It can also help if your site functionality is broken into a modular design • Like maybe prefixing presets and views with blog_ or joblistings_ • Or use image_blog_medium rather than image_blog_300x50 • Or have site_blog.module and site_listings.module rather than that gigantic site.module • These are nice first steps Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
MODULAR • What about blocks? • Block visibility: php code or list of pages? Both? Complex conditions? • What about menus? • I want this menu to appear when you’re on a blog post but I want this other menu to appear on listings. • Sitewide conditions: this should appear only if none of the conditions for the other “sections” are met Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
CONTEXT • Built by Development Seed • You create sections for your site • They are triggered by various conditions • They enable blocks, activate menus • They can be global • They can act as failbacks • They stack • http://drupal.org/project/context Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
ALMOST • We can organize “visual” bits and pieces of our site using contexts • We can use the same organization to name the products of our various site building tools • We can follow a modular approach when developing our modules • If only we could package all these changes into a module. Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
FEATURES • The Features module does exactly that • It takes different clues as to what you want to package • There’s the manual way too (it’s not perfect) • It exports automatically whatever it can (not all modules use exportables) • It adds it’s magic • Generates a “feature” which is actually a module Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
FEATURES • The module contains all the necessary bits and pieces about your views, content types, presets etc • Contains code to activate them (create or update them) and deactivate them • Knows about dependencies so it won’t break the site • It’s a module so you can hack away • Once you add more stuff: click click => new version of the module Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
FEATURES • It doesn’t use update functions • But you can write your own • Doesn’t script site building, uses exportables • This means that not all modules work • Menu and Taxonomy have issues • Webform creates actual nodes • Feed nodes, ToS and Privacy Policy pages • UUID for content Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
FEATURES • Context, Spaces, Boxes, Strongarm, Page Manager (CTools) • ImageCache • Views • http://drupal.org/taxonomy/term/11478 • CCK, Content types, Input filters, Permissions Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
YOUR • You have two options to integrate • CTools Export API (recommended) • Features hooks • Before that you might have to prepare Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
SHARE • A feature can be installed on any other site that has the required modules • You can put it on d.org • Features server: repository of features • Internal or external • Get notified of updates • List of repos: http://groups.drupal.org/ node/50278 Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
BASIC • Simple demo  We are going to build a blog feature  Use a context to “group” it  Create a content type for it  Make it use a vocabulary  Create a listing and a block using views  Package it using Features  Deploy it on another site Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
BASIC • We’re going to use BuildKit • Drupal install profile with Features • drush make "http://drupalcode.org/ project/buildkit.git/blob_plain/refs/ tags/7.x-2.0-beta2:/distro.make" sitedir Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
ADVANCE • The next step: the Spaces module • Again, Development Seed • Makes a Drupal site act like multiple sites • Makes features spaces aware: selective enabling of features on a per group basis Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
RESOURCE • http://drupal.org/project/features • http://drupal.org/project/buildkit • http://drupal.org/project/kit • http://drupal.org/project/context • http://drupal.org/project/spaces • http://drupal.org/project/uuid_features • http://groups.drupal.org/packaging- deployment • http://developmentseed.org/tags/features Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
THANK andu@ctrlz.ro http://ctrlz.ro Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011

More Related Content

Using Features

  • 1. USING FEATURES Badiu Alexandru So you’ll have more free time too Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 2. MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The dev – staging – production issue • You build the site • Client wants new stuff • You build it on dev, passes staging • Replicate on live site • Write update functions, manual exporting of views, cck Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 3. MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “I’ve done this before” issue • You build some feature for client A • Along comes client B who wants the same thing • Take code, exported views, cck, push to dev • Work • Replicate on prod Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 4. MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “Is there anyone editing file x.module?” issue • You work on a large project • Each dev pushes code to a repository or no repo at all • What about database changes? • Export views, cck and push them as well • Make sure each dev imports stuff after each update Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 5. MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU • The “What the f**k do I do now?” issue • Drupal is hard for beginners • Lots of modules • Building a feature requires multiple modules usually and some knowledge about them • Drupal recipes are good Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 6. DO YOU SEE A PATTERN? • Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a repository of “modules” that create functionality a little bit more than “list all blog posts” or “have a block with latest promoted posts in category A”? • Learn the open source way • Instant gratification • Uuuu, this is cool Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 7. DO YOU SEE A PATTERN?? • Wouldn’t it be nice if you could avoid all the manual exporting and importing of new features / changes and just package functionality in a “module” that can be updated? • Modules are code, code can be put into versioning control (and you should do it) • Database changes can’t (easily) Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 8. DO YOU SEE A PATTERN? • Made some code or db changes? • Just click to generate a new version of the “module“ • Check in, others check out, update is done • Less wrinkles and teeth grinding Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 9. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? • This is not necessarily a Drupal only problem • It’s the nature of web development and the way we do it • Coding != Site building • If only products of site building could be exported… • Oh wait Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 10. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 11. EXPORTAB • Exportables are ways of, well, exporting things from Drupal into code bits • Pioneered by Views, CCK is also using this • Imagecache, Spaces, Context, Strongarm • Is this enough? • No, replication is still a… not a piece of cake • Lots of missing modules (like taxonomy) Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 12. MODULAR • It can also help if your site functionality is broken into a modular design • Like maybe prefixing presets and views with blog_ or joblistings_ • Or use image_blog_medium rather than image_blog_300x50 • Or have site_blog.module and site_listings.module rather than that gigantic site.module • These are nice first steps Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 13. MODULAR • What about blocks? • Block visibility: php code or list of pages? Both? Complex conditions? • What about menus? • I want this menu to appear when you’re on a blog post but I want this other menu to appear on listings. • Sitewide conditions: this should appear only if none of the conditions for the other “sections” are met Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 14. CONTEXT • Built by Development Seed • You create sections for your site • They are triggered by various conditions • They enable blocks, activate menus • They can be global • They can act as failbacks • They stack • http://drupal.org/project/context Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 15. ALMOST • We can organize “visual” bits and pieces of our site using contexts • We can use the same organization to name the products of our various site building tools • We can follow a modular approach when developing our modules • If only we could package all these changes into a module. Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 16. FEATURES • The Features module does exactly that • It takes different clues as to what you want to package • There’s the manual way too (it’s not perfect) • It exports automatically whatever it can (not all modules use exportables) • It adds it’s magic • Generates a “feature” which is actually a module Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 17. FEATURES • The module contains all the necessary bits and pieces about your views, content types, presets etc • Contains code to activate them (create or update them) and deactivate them • Knows about dependencies so it won’t break the site • It’s a module so you can hack away • Once you add more stuff: click click => new version of the module Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 18. FEATURES • It doesn’t use update functions • But you can write your own • Doesn’t script site building, uses exportables • This means that not all modules work • Menu and Taxonomy have issues • Webform creates actual nodes • Feed nodes, ToS and Privacy Policy pages • UUID for content Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 19. FEATURES • Context, Spaces, Boxes, Strongarm, Page Manager (CTools) • ImageCache • Views • http://drupal.org/taxonomy/term/11478 • CCK, Content types, Input filters, Permissions Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 20. YOUR • You have two options to integrate • CTools Export API (recommended) • Features hooks • Before that you might have to prepare Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 21. SHARE • A feature can be installed on any other site that has the required modules • You can put it on d.org • Features server: repository of features • Internal or external • Get notified of updates • List of repos: http://groups.drupal.org/ node/50278 Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 22. BASIC • Simple demo  We are going to build a blog feature  Use a context to “group” it  Create a content type for it  Make it use a vocabulary  Create a listing and a block using views  Package it using Features  Deploy it on another site Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 23. BASIC • We’re going to use BuildKit • Drupal install profile with Features • drush make "http://drupalcode.org/ project/buildkit.git/blob_plain/refs/ tags/7.x-2.0-beta2:/distro.make" sitedir Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 24. ADVANCE • The next step: the Spaces module • Again, Development Seed • Makes a Drupal site act like multiple sites • Makes features spaces aware: selective enabling of features on a per group basis Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 25. RESOURCE • http://drupal.org/project/features • http://drupal.org/project/buildkit • http://drupal.org/project/kit • http://drupal.org/project/context • http://drupal.org/project/spaces • http://drupal.org/project/uuid_features • http://groups.drupal.org/packaging- deployment • http://developmentseed.org/tags/features Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011
  • 26. THANK andu@ctrlz.ro http://ctrlz.ro Drupalcamp Bucharest 2011

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