Batch Scripting with Drupal (Featuring the EntityFieldQuery API)
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The document discusses using batch scripting with Drupal and the EntityFieldQuery API. It explains why batch processing is useful, such as avoiding PHP timeouts and integrating with installation profiles. The EntityFieldQuery API allows querying entity properties and fields across entity types in a database-agnostic way. The document also provides details on implementing a custom batch module, including using the Form and Batch APIs, and defining callbacks. Two use cases are presented: updating user profile field formats in batches, and setting preview images for taxonomy terms. The summary recommends links for additional resources on batch processing and the EntityFieldQuery API.
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Batch Scripting with Drupal (Featuring the EntityFieldQuery API)
- 1. Batch Scripting with Drupal (Featuring the EntityFieldQuery API) Engr.Ranel O.Padon DrupalCamp Manila 2014 [email protected] | https://github.com/ranelpadon
- 2. About Me Full-time Drupal developer for CNN Travel Part-time Python lecturer. Involved in computational Java and Python projects before. Plays competitive football and futsal.
- 3. TOPICS Why do batch scripting? How to leverage Entities and the EntityFieldQuery API. How to implement a batch module? Sample Actual Use Cases
- 4. Why do batching? There are things that are hard to teach to robots: spatial awareness and image interpretation. But there are things that machines could do and easily beat humans: doing repetitive tasks. In Drupal, you don't want your site editors to do repetitive tasks: e.g. updating a field to the same value.
- 5. Why do batching? Avoids PHP Timeout For implementating intsallation profiles
- 6. Why do batching? Batch processing is execution of a series of programs on a computer without manual intervention. Designed to integrate nicely with the Form API, but can also be used by non-Form API scripts.
- 7. Why do batching? Avoids PHP Timeout (max_execution_time errors) For long and complex data processing You can give the admins real-time feedback or summary of results.
- 8. When to do batching? Implementing installation profiles Used by Drupal's install.php and update.php Updating the value of a field for all Event nodes. Deleting all nodes older than 3 years. Migrating Column nodes to Column taxonomy terms. Creating custom nodes upon saving a content with an uploaded Excel file, Batch API is triggered by hook_node_presave() and goes through each row of the attached Excel file.
- 9. The Rise of Entities “Oh no, I left my stuff in our house.” Stuff, just like entities, are useful abstraction. They could change meaning depending on the context.
- 10. The Rise of Entities In Physics, you could treat each object under study as particles. In Drupal, they are called entities. Facilitates a unified way to work with different data units Concept simplification contributes to better modularity,flexibility and maintainability. http://evolvingweb.ca/story/understanding-entity-api-module
- 11. The Rise of Entities Before D7, users and comments didn't have the same power that nodes (content) had. no translations, fields, versioning, and so on. Views (relies on fields) didn’t work with comments and users.
- 12. The Rise of Entities Field is a reusable piece of content. Each field is a primitive data type, with custom validators and widgets for editing and formatters for display. Entity Type group together fields (use Entity API for custom ones): Nodes (content) Comments Taxonomy Terms User Profiles
- 13. The Rise of Entities Bundles are an implementation of an entity type. They are subtypes of an entity type. Bundles (subtypes) like articles, events, blog posts, or products could be generated from node entity. You could add a file download field on Basic Pages and a subtitle field on Articles. You could also assign geographic coordinates field to all bundles/entities.
- 14. The Rise of Entities Entity would be one instance of a particular entity type (specific article or specific user via entity_load()). Drupal 7 Core provides entity_load(), while the Entity API contrib module provides entity_save() and entity_delete().
- 15. The Rise of Entities In terms of Object-Oriented Programming: An entity type is a base class A bundle is an extended/derived class A field is a class member,attribute, or property, An entity is an object or instance of a base or extended class
- 16. EntityFieldQuery API Tool for querying Entities (compared to db_select()) Can query entity properties and fields Can query field data across entity types: Fetch all pages and users tagged with taxonomy term “premium” Returns entity IDs that you could load using entity_load() Database-agnostic (no issues when migrating from MySQL to PostgreSQL)
- 17. EntityFieldQuery API Fetch all nodes.
- 18. EntityFieldQuery API Fetch all nodes of type “Article”.
- 19. EntityFieldQuery API Fetch all nodes of type “Article”, Published only.
- 20. EntityFieldQuery API Tool for querying Entities
- 21. EntityFieldQuery API Tool for querying Entities
- 22. EntityFieldQuery API Tool for querying Entities
- 23. Custom Batch Module Form API meets Batch API
- 24. Custom Batch Module Batch 12 things, process 5 things at a time http://www.ent.iastate.edu/it/Batch_and_Queue.pdf
- 25. Custom Batch Module Form Submit trigger http://www.ent.iastate.edu/it/Batch_and_Queue.pdf
- 26. Custom Batch Module Multiple callback operations and the dynamic $context array (stored in db) http://www.ent.iastate.edu/it/Batch_and_Queue.pdf
- 27. Custom Batch Module Post Processing http://www.ent.iastate.edu/it/Batch_and_Queue.pdf
- 28. Custom Batch Module The usual suspects: mybatch.info mybatch.module Then, enable the module in “admin/modules” or using Drush: $ drush en -y mybatch
- 29. Custom Batch Module Information required in mybatch.module, without a form: I. URL that will be utilized. II. Function callback definition for that URL. Usually contains the setup for the batch process. III.The batch operation's function definition. IV.The function definition that will be called after the batch operation.
- 30. Custom Batch Module 1.The batch module URL (http://localhost/admin/mybatch):
- 31. Custom Batch Module 1I. Function callback for the URL, setups the batch process.
- 32. Custom Batch Module III. Define the operation callback.
- 33. Custom Batch Module IV.Define the post-operation callback.
- 35. Custom Batch Module III. Define the operation callback (Enhancement).
- 36. III. Define the operation callback (Enhancement).
- 37. 1I. Function callback for the URL (Enhancement).
- 38. Custom Batch Module Information required in mybatch.module, when using a form: I. URL that will be utilized. II. Form callback definition for that URL (hook_form). III. Form Submit definition. Usually contains the setup for the batch process. IV.The batch operation's function definition. V.The function definition that will be called after the batch operation.
- 39. Custom Batch Module Batch API with Form API:
- 40. Custom Batch Module I. URL that will be utilized.
- 41. Custom Batch Module II. Form callback definition for that URL (hook_form).
- 42. Custom Batch Module III. Form Submit definition.
- 43. Custom Batch Module Part IV and V don't need to be changed:
- 44. Our Use Case 1 We need to update the Short Bio field text format of User Profiles from Full HTML to Editorial Filter:
- 45. Our Use Case 1 Using our last batch module example module (with form), all parts except part IV and V will be almost similar.
- 46. IV (1/4):
- 47. IV (2/4):
- 48. IV (3/4):
- 49. IV (4/4):
- 50. V:
- 51. Our Use Case 2 Preview map images for City/Country taxonomy terms with no set value: (http://travel.cnn.com/malaysia)
- 52. Our Use Case 2 Preview map images for City/Country taxonomy terms with no set value: (http://travel.cnn.com/japan)
- 53. Our Use Case 2 Batch API with Form API (Updating the preview images, part I and part V are almost similar to that of Use Case 1)
- 54. II. Form callback definition for that URL (hook_form).
- 55. III. Form Submit definition.
- 56. IV.Batch operations callback (highlights only)
- 57. IV.Batch operations callback (highlights only)
- 58. IV.Batch operations callback (highlights only)
- 59. IV.Batch operations callback (highlights only)
- 60. Summary Information required in mybatch.module, without a form: I. URL that will be utilized. II. Function callback definition for that URL. Usually contains the setup for the batch process. III.The batch operation's function definition. IV.The function definition that will be called after the batch operation.
- 61. Summary Information required in mybatch.module, when using a form: I. URL that will be utilized. II. Form callback definition for that URL (hook_form). III. Form Submit definition. Usually contains the setup for the batch process. IV.The batch operation's function definition. V.The function definition that will be called after the batch operation.
- 62. Summary Implementing the Batch API without a form could be also integrated to Drupal hooks or even Drush. EntityFieldQuery integration to batch operations callback will facilitate a more readable, flexible, and maintainable data fetching in the batch process.
- 63. Recommended Links Batch API Docs: https://drupal.org/node/180528 Examples Module (Batch API): http://d7.drupalexamples.info/examples/batch_example Batch API integration with Drush: http://www.metaltoad.com/blog/using-drupal-batch-api EntityFieldQuery Docs: https://drupal.org/node/1343708 EntityFieldQuery as alternative to Views: http://treehouseagency.com/blog/tim-cosgrove/2012/02/16/entityfieldquery-let-drupal-do-heavy-lifting-pt-1