The Core Block Module is a Dependency of Views?

Maybe the check should be inside the update_block_bid() function so that it's safer to call from other locations should that need to happen for some other reason.

Should the entire block display be dependent upon block module? I mean, can you do anything with it without block module?

Yeah it's indeed a plugin that block module is both api and ui and api's in drupal are hooks which are indepedent from modules.

Yeah, it's just that the presence of the block table seems more tied to the API than the UI.

Anyway, if the block table isn't there when block.module is uninstalled then yes we have to guard our references to it.

-        if (module_exists('block')){
-          $this->update_block_bid($form_state['view']->name, $this->display->id, $this->display->new_id);
-        }

This was part of your previous patch not views itself.

I don't think I would hide these options. Some other block interface might still use that data, if it's using block APIs.

Another issue: block.module could be enabled, creating a block table. Then disabled. The table will still exist until block.module is uninstalled. If you change something, and block table does not get updated, then when block.module is re-enabled the data will be out of sync.

I think we actually need to use something like

if (module_exists('block') || db_table_exists('block')) { }

Right but what about, say, CTools content types? They use the same data even though block module may be disabled. Ok not the block caching, but it *could* use it. Certainly the block description.

For brevity yes.

But for performance reasons, no: module_exists() is a fast check. db_table_exists() is slow.

module_exists() guarantees db_table_exists. Therefore we increase performance by checking the module first.

+++ b/views_plugin_display_block.incundefined
@@ -190,25 +190,27 @@ class views_plugin_display_block extends views_plugin_display {
   function update_block_bid($name, $old_delta, $delta) {
-    $old_delta = $name . '-' . $old_delta;
-    $delta = $name . '-' . $delta;
-    if (strlen($old_delta) >= 32) {
-      $old_delta = md5($old_delta);
-    }
-    if (strlen($delta) >= 32) {
-      $delta = md5($delta);
+    if (module_exists('block') || db_table_exists('block')) {
+      $old_delta = $name . '-' . $old_delta;
+      $delta = $name . '-' . $delta;
+      if (strlen($old_delta) >= 32) {
+        $old_delta = md5($old_delta);
+      }
+      if (strlen($delta) >= 32) {
+        $delta = md5($delta);
+      }
+      db_update('block')
+        ->fields(array('delta' => $delta))
+        ->condition('delta', $old_delta)
+        ->execute();
     }
-    db_update('block')
-      ->fields(array('delta' => $delta))
-      ->condition('delta', $old_delta)

This shouldn't be part of the patch.

+++ b/views_plugin_display_block.incundefined
@@ -190,25 +190,27 @@ class views_plugin_display_block extends views_plugin_display {
-    if ($bid = db_query("SELECT bid FROM {block} WHERE module = 'views' AND delta = :delta", array(
+    if ((module_exists('block') || db_table_exists('block')) && $bid = db_query("SELECT bid FROM {block} WHERE module = 'views' AND delta = :delta", array(
         ':delta' => $delta))->fetchField()) {
       db_update('block')
         ->fields(array(

So here is a real review: If module_exists than the table exists as well, so it would be enough to check for the db_table_exists

Okay commtied the idea from #18