Custom Module Tools

This module is abandoned! When this module was created, hook_update_N was the recommended process for updating sites. Now that there's Exportable everything: Views/Panels/CCK, Strongarm for variables, etc, capturing form macros is a very messy way of deploying changes to a site.

For modules that don't store their settings with variables, work should push towards making all data exportable.

About

This module is a collection of tools to help site builders manage their inevitable site-specific custom module. It is in the early idea stages, and came about by my determination to finally find a sound, secure, and generic solution for migrating the diverse array of database changes from a developer install to a live production site.

Right now its just one module, but I figured it would be nice to have a place to add more things as we go along.

custom_module_updates.module

This module tracks captures from form submissions when desired and saves them, in order, to an update function for your custom module.

The idea is to capture all web-based site changes done on Development servers and allow them to be repeated automatically via update.php on Production servers.

Requirements

• macro.module
• Your own custom module, specific for your website

Planned Features

• Give it your custom module name, it detects the current version and starts tracking changes for a new hook_update_N function.(DONE)
• Provides a checkbox on all forms to trigger adding the macro for the submission to the next custom module update, including a message box (DONE)
• Admin interface for managing and viewing updates. (DONE!)
• Adds module_enable() / module_disable() calls
• Exports individual update functions (DONE!) or the entire .install file for your custom module
• Choose which macros and module enables to include in the final export (DONE)
• Will use include files for each update to reduce file size. (DONE)

Theoretically, this module will allow developers or site managers to track all changes to a site through the web interface, including Views, CCK, and other complex operations, as long as they are form submissions and the Macro module can handle it... NOT TESTED YET