Background

  • Abstract functionality out of modules into PHP libraries
  • Framework agnostic
  • Build Drupal modules on top of these libraries

Why?

  • Re-examine your problem
  • Get additional exposure
  • Validate your implementation
  • Get development/maintenance help
  • Allow for backports

The (not so) hidden cost: time

  • Takes a lot longer to write an agnostic library that something tied to a specific platform
  • Evaluating edge cases
  • Needs to feel familiar to developers used to certain frameworks

Anatomy of a library

  • Data model
    • Interfaces
    • Default class
    • Traits
    • Collections
    • Repository
  • Services
  • Tests

Tips & tricks

  • Translatable strings
    • Abstract variations out into enumerated classes
    • Allow possiblity to get default value or all values
  • Pluggable implementations

Know when to stop

  • Don’t attempt to abstract some functionality into the library that can be wildly different across frameworks
  • e.g. Form building in Drupal/Symfony/Laravel is completely different
  • A library should be something that saves others a decent amount of time. If it can be reinvented in an hour, then don’t bother

Spreading the drop

  • Drupal has lots of cool functionality that would be great to spread to the php community
  • e.g. migrate, views, D8 render cache