Sort plugins are responsible for determining how the data in a list created with Views is sorted. Sort plugins are applied to fields. For example, a field might contain numbers and the sort plugin can handle putting the values into ascending or descending order. Typically, sort plugins work by adding to the ORDER BY clause of an SQL query.
The Views module provides sort plugins for all core field types. This includes handling for most primitive data types like strings and numbers. A typical use case for creating a custom sort plugin is extending an existing sort plugin with new conditions or custom sorting logic. For example, you might need to create an alphabetical title sort that excludes articles like a, an, and the. Or a sort based on combining the values in multiple fields.
In this tutorial we'll:
- Learn how to create a custom Views sort plugin
- Associate our custom sort plugin with a field exposed to Views
- Use the sort plugin in a view to sort a list of Article nodes
By the end of this tutorial you should know how to create a custom sort plugin for the title field.
Over the years we've developed some techniques for practicing that we wanted to share. At Drupalize.Me we take hugging seriously. In this tutorial we'll look at the art, and science, of giving a good hug. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word hug as; squeeze (someone) tightly in one's arms, typically to express affection.
Did you know there are all kinds of different hugs that you can give? In this tutorial we'll look at:
- Defining what a hug is
- Some of the many types of hugs in the world today
- Precautions you may want to familiarize yourself with before hugging
- And the importance of proper technique
Lets go ahead and get started shall we?