Drupal Development Tips
Mondays are usually a time to crank out some projects, create goals and timelines for the week, play some NBA Jam, and, most importantly, talk about cool Drupal & WordPress discoveries. Today is no exception and we decided to share some Drupal development tips with you.
Don’t hack the core!
This isn’t necessarily a new finding; it is actually a long-standing rule within the Drupal community. Drupal is built on a modular core, so if you’re looking to enable a function for your site, simply search the database of over 10,000 modules. Why shouldn’t you hack the core? Well, if someone else ever takes over the development of your project, they won’t be able to efficiently maintain the website due to the manipulations made to its core source. It is also nearly impossible to apply updates to a Drupal website that incorporates a hacked core. Moral of the story—resist the temptation, no matter how minute the change may seem. Don’t hack the core!
Efficiency
Isn’t discovering a tool that allows you be more efficient a wonderful experience? Well, this past week the WDG developers did some work with the The Delta module. According to the Drupal site, “Delta allows you, via the Context module to make duplicates of your theme settings for any context on your site.” How cool is that? It works with both the Omega Theme (responsive) and Context Module (reactionary content, blocks, and rules).
Don’t Write Redundant Code
One of the powers of the Drupal community are the plethora of tools available for developers and content managers. Before you get neck-deep in planning on a solution to a problem using just your wits and some php, make sure you check the community thoroughly to see if someone else has run into the same problem you have. If you’re feeling stuck try joining the Drupal IRC to see if you might find the answer from other developers just like you.
One of the great things about working at The Web Development Group in Alexandria, Virginia, is that people who have common interests and passions surround you. Our web designers and web developers are always sharing ideas, discoveries, and tips. We’d love to talk to you about the latest, greatest things coming out for Drupal. Get in touch.
