What we are currently referring to as .profile files are in fact closer in line with .install files than .module files.

I propose that we introduce .install files for install profiles, which will

a) allow install profiles to have versioned schemas.
b) have access to update_X hooks, which will mean that install profiles can be maintained.

currently, the only way to have install profiles actually mean anything to the site is to ship with a custom contrib module,
and place all the install and update information therein. This is a very ugly workaround and is one of the major reasons
that instal profiles are 'broken'

This functionality is the final part of this issue :
#509398: Install profiles should be modules with full access to the Drupal API and all it entails(.install files, dependencies, update_x)

Comments

eaton’s picture

eaton commented

Indeed. Would it make sense, actually, to move some of the metadata that we currently jam in the .profile into an actual .info file?

Name, description, list of modules to be automatically installed... these things are all part and parcel of the .info file standard. files[] = profilename.install could be added for modules that need to run actual custom code or update hooks...

rickvug’s picture

rickvug commented
Issue tags: +installation profiles

tagging

moshe weitzman’s picture

moshe weitzman commented

Makes perfect sense. Go for it.

gábor hojtsy’s picture

gábor hojtsy
he/him
Primary language Hungarian
Location Hungary
commented

@eaton: your suggestion on .info files is already covered in #509392: Introduce .info files for install profiles (which you probably already figure out, since you are commenting there too, but others might not know).

joshmiller’s picture

joshmiller
he/him
Primary language English
Location Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
commented

subscribe

David_Rothstein’s picture

David_Rothstein commented

Subscribing.

Interestingly, if this were to be implemented, it would mean that for most simple install profiles, the .profile file itself would be almost completely empty -- since any installation actions that the profile performs that do not require any user interaction could simply be moved to hook_install(), presumably.

nedjo’s picture

nedjo
he/him/his
Primary language English
commented

This old issue contains a patch (May 2007) that at that time outlined some of the needed work: #80272: Make install profiles updatable.

dww’s picture

dww
we/he/they
commented
Status: Active » Closed (duplicate)

#80272: Make install profiles updatable