Update Extended Module: Drupal Updates...No Regressions!

Author:
Jaime Contreras
Jaime ContrerasSenior Web Developer
Update Extended Module: Drupal Updates...No Regressions!

Whether you are new to Drupal or a total Drupal superstar with 1,000,000 hours on the metaphorical “Drupal wheel”, making decisions about what modules to update to what version is not as straight-forward as it sounds. We’ve found many situations where the Drupal update page actually suggests that you “upgrade” a module to an older version. This has resulted in regressions and extra work more times than we’d care to admit. But it is clearly a problem begging for a good solution.

Our first solution to the problem was extensive training about the various situations you run across and what to do, but when updates are performed only once a month it’s hard for even the most experienced Drupal developer to remember every nuance of the “rules.” Enter… the Update Extended module. It brings into code all of those “rules” and provides more information and options to help you make good decisions about what modules to update to what version.

TL;DR The Update Extended module does super cool stuff and will make your update decisions easier! (Trust me, you will thank me later.) Let’s dive into its impressive benefits.

To give you an idea, here are a few scenarios where this module will prove extremely helpful to your website(s):

The Update Extended module will give you the option to update to the newer “-dev” version and will default to that newest version, “-dev” or full, if the currently installed module is “-dev”.NO MORE mistakenly regressing to an older version of a module — creating chaos in the universe!

Suppose you need a module on your site that has a bug somewhere that is only fixed in the “-dev” version so you install that release and now it all works perfectly. But a week later, it comes time to do updates and there is a new “-dev” release but not a new full recommended release.

Problem: The update page, out-of-the-box will show an update to the “recommended version” (Full Release), even though it is an older version. And you may end up reverting the module to the older version that still has the bug. You have to remember to compare the dates of the two versions.

Solution: The Update Extended module will not only give you the option to update to the newer “-dev” version, it will default to that newest version, “-dev” or full, if the currently installed module is “-dev”. This prevents the regression. Catastrophe averted!

NO MORE spending hours sweating and slaving away with updates on multiple websites!

Problem: When updating multiple sites the biggest problem is deciding if updating a module will regress it to an older version if you have one or many -dev versions installed. That means you have to diligently check sites one by one, again and again — Uff! I’m sweating just thinking about it!

Solution: You guessed it … Update Extended ... you’re so smart! Since the module intelligently selects the correct version to update to, it’s easy just to do a  “select all” at the top and run the update. It will cut your time by a significant amount so that you can update your status on Facebook. Oh! I mean do some wicked development work.

NO MORE playing a guessing game — Oh Lawd, am I doing the right thing here???!

Besides adding extra modules and automatically selecting the latest one to download, I continued to further enhance the update by listening to feedback. I added visual elements that will make it easier to select the module option you want to make changes to. For now, it displays the date and time the module was created (if it is a major release), links to release notes, and tells you if the module is an older version than the one already installed.

Do you want more? Well, we think there is even more potential for this module, like Drush integration, so you are not dependent on configuration pages to get these benefits. If you have other ideas, please stop by the issue queue and leave a suggestion. Web development is constantly evolving and I just can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next challenge, or into a yummy breakfast taco. Either would make my day!

Once again, UPDATE EXTENDED — Download Here

Happy Coding!