import CCK type programmatically during module install?

I use the method described here and it works flawlessly:

http://blog.daveslist.co.nz/drupal6/2008/10/01/define-content-types-and-...

The Install Profile API module has an excellent function to handle all of this very simply: install_content_copy_import_from_file().

You can feed it just the file path, and it will create a new content type, or include file path AND an internal content type name you've already setup, and it will update that one instead (just like the normal CCK UI works).

You'd generally do this in your module's *.install file. If doing it in *.install, you have to make sure the function is available, so here's my hook_install:

<?php
/**
 * Implementation of hook_install().
 */
function MYMODULE_install() {
  // Make sure the file with the function is included.  It lives at "install_profile_api/contrib/content_copy.inc"
  module_load_include('inc', 'install_profile_api', 'contrib/content_copy');
  
  // Get path to the file where I pasted my CCK export, which is inside this module's folder
  $file = __DIR__ . '/my_content_type.cck_import.inc';

  // Call function.  I want to create a new type, so I don't provide a second argument.
  install_content_copy_import_from_file($file);
}
?>

If you read the documentation for this function, you'll see why it's better to use this function than to mess around with drupal_execute yourself.

This module is actually intended to be used when developing installation profiles, but it's got some pretty neat functionality for general installation needs. Check it out!

I'm working on a module that needs to import two content types when it's enabled. The code from newbuntu in the first comment works great and makes sense for my project here (thanks!!), but the way I've got it working seems kind of dumb (though it does work) - I'm still trying to figure out how to do things the right way, so a little help here would be much appreciated!

I have two content types to import, so I made a function for each one and put those in my .module file, like this:

function nutrient_flux_calculator_import_flux_helper() {
   $form_state = array(); 
   $form_state['values']['type_name'] = '<create>';
   $myFile = drupal_get_path('module', 'nutrient_flux_calculator') .'/cck/flux_helper.inc'; // exported cck type file
   $fh = fopen($myFile, 'r');
   $theData = fread($fh, filesize($myFile));
   fclose($fh);
   $form_state['values']['macro'] = "$theData";
   drupal_execute('content_copy_import_form', $form_state);
}

function nutrient_flux_calculator_import_nutrient_flux() {
   $form_state = array(); 
   $form_state['values']['type_name'] = '<create>';
   $myFile = drupal_get_path('module', 'nutrient_flux_calculator') .'/cck/nutrient-flux.inc'; // exported cck type file
   $fh = fopen($myFile, 'r');
   $theData = fread($fh, filesize($myFile));
   fclose($fh);
   $form_state['values']['macro'] = "$theData";
   drupal_execute('content_copy_import_form', $form_state);
}

I know enough about programming to know this is lame and redundant, but unfortunately not enough to know how to make this better without blowing everything up (all my ideas have only yielded the WSOD). I just don't know if I make an array, or a foreach, or combine the CCK exports into one file, or something else. Any ideas?

The other part of this module that's kind of awkward is how these functions get run. Right now, I've got a hook_menu function that makes two "install" pages and runs the functions as page callbacks:

function nutrient_flux_calculator_menu() {
  $items = array();
  // install type 1
  $items['nutrient-flux/install'] = array(
    'title' => 'Nutrient flux installer',
    'page callback' => 'nutrient_flux_calculator_import_flux_helper', 
    'access arguments' => array('administer site configuration'),
    'type' => MENU_CALLBACK
  );
  // install type 2
  $items['nutrient-flux/install/2'] = array(
    'title' => 'Nutrient flux installer',,
    'page callback' => 'nutrient_flux_calculator_import_nutrient_flux', 
    'access arguments' => array('administer site configuration'),
    'type' => MENU_CALLBACK
  );
  return $items;
}

So if I enable the module, then visit these URLs, everything works and gets set up correctly. But there's got to be a way to just run those functions without having to do this hook_menu thing, right? I tried putting these in the install file and also tried putting them in a hook_install function in the install file (all WSOD-inducing). Most of the hook_install examples I found were about making database tables - so is the .install file the right place for doing what I'm trying to do? If not, where do they go?

Thanks!

Is there any solution to import views using install file?
Like here you are discussing about importing content types + fields to be there in that field.

any help will be highly appreciated!