In order to run a Drupal site, the web server you are using must meet minimum technical requirements.
Deployment Workflows
TopicTools and workflows for deploying code and configuration changes from one environment to another with Drupal-specific considerations.
Drupal Coding Standards
TopicCoding standards provide a set of rules for how your code should be formatted, and best practice guidelines for naming conventions and the location of files.
PHP
TopicPHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is a popular interpreted programming language that is especially suited for web development. Drupal core and all contributed modules are written in PHP.
Contributing to Drupal
TopicAs an open source project, Drupal depends on community contributions in many forms including documentation, code, translation, speaking, organizing events, mentoring others, and even donating money.
Layouts
TopicA layout can describe how various components are arranged on various levels—from an entire page from the header to the footer, to just the “middle” where the dynamic content goes, to individual components. It can apply to templates for managed content or one-off designs for landing pages.
Development environments provide a sandbox where you can work on your application without affecting the live site.
Back up Your Drupal Site
TopicA reliable backup will allow you to restore your site if something goes wrong.
JavaScript in Drupal
TopicJavaScript files are included by a module or a theme by creating an asset library. Using this asset library system you can selectively choose which files to load, overwrite existing files, or customize them to suit your needs.
Drush
TopicDrush is a command line interface that enables you to interact with your Drupal site without clicking around the graphical user interface (GUI).
PhpStorm
TopicThe PhpStorm integrated development environment (IDE) contains dozens of useful features that make working with a Drupal codebase easier.
Hooks
TopicHooks allow modules to alter and extend the behavior of Drupal core, or another module. As a Drupal developer, understanding how to implement and invoke hooks is essential.
Blocks
TopicA block is a reusable widget that is placed inside regions (layout containers) of your theme. Blocks can be used by site administrators on the Block layout admin page or provided by a module using the Plugin API.
Installing Drupal using the instructions in this tutorial will give you a working Drupal site that can be used for learning, or real-world project development.
Before you can work on a Drupal site locally (on your computer), you'll need to set up a local development environment. This includes all the system requirements like PHP and a web server, that Drupal needs in order to run. Our favorite way to accomplish this is using DDEV.
In this tutorial we'll learn:
- How to install and configure DDEV for use with a Drupal project.
- How to use DDEV's integrated Composer to download Drupal and Drush.
- How to install Drupal inside DDEV so you can access the site and start doing development.
By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to set up a local development environment for learning Drupal or working on a new Drupal project.
Standardized documentation is crucial to a project, whether it is just you or an entire team working on it. In this tutorial we're going to look at:
- Standards for
@docblockcomments - Standards for inline comments
- Why standards for documentation and comments are as important as standards for the rest of your code.
By the end of this tutorial you'll know how to add inline documentation for all the PHP code that you write for Drupal.
Formatting standards cover things like the use of whitespace, how to format control structures, and other aspects that affect your code's appearance and format.
In this tutorial we’ll talk specifically about standards regarding formatting. This is by no means an exhaustive list of PHP syntax rules, but rather is focused on formatting standards for Drupal.
By the end of this tutorial you'll know about the most common Drupal code formatting standards as well as where to find more information when questions arise.
Translations have their own special functions in both Drupal 7 and 8, and there are some rules for standardizing how they are used that make things clearer for everyone.
In this tutorial we'll look at:
- When to use, and when not to use, translation utilities to output translatable strings
- How placeholders work in translatable strings
- Tips for creating links inside of translatable strings
By the end of this tutorial you should know when, and how, to make strings in your code translatable using Drupal's translation utility functions.
Once you know what code standards are and why you should use them, you need to learn how to implement Drupal coding standards in your projects. This tutorial will walk through some of the steps you can take to make this as easy as possible. We'll cover:
- Configuring your editor or IDE to warn you of coding standards violations
- Setting up the Coder module and phpcs to scan and review your code
- Performing team code reviews
By the end of this tutorial you should be able to configure your development environment and implement processes in your workflow that help to ensure your code meets Drupal's coding standards guidelines.