WTF: Where To Focus when you take over a Drupal project
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Transcript of WTF: Where To Focus when you take over a Drupal project
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W.T.F.
***
Where To Focus when taking over
a Drupal Project
Drupal Camp Ottawa 2014 – Symetris.ca
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Symetris unlocks your web potential
***
• Founded in 2004 – 10 years ago!
• 11 web specialists
• Develop websites that go beyond marketing
• Mastery of open-source CMS platforms
• Optimize sites for mobiles
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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About me
Brad Muncs
President @ Symetris
Loves travelling
New dad
Strives to create
simplicity from
complexity
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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What we’ll be talking about today
• Why is this talk relevant?
• Context
• Observation phase
• Action phase
• Conclusion
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Why is discussing
taking on
existing projects
relevant?
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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The web used to be
an uninhabited
klondike.
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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It’s now a bustling city.
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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The current situation
• 3 open-source CMS platforms dominate
• Most clients already have a CMS website
• Most current CMS are mature and
allow for upgrades and scalability
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Taking over existing Drupal projects
THE CONTEXT
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Context elements to consider 1/2
• Client has a history, past experiences. • If it turned sour, they might be defensive.
• Why do they want to change web partner
now? • Important not to repeat same mistakes…
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Context elements to consider 2/2
• Who are the stakeholders? • Who will be important to get on your side moving
forward?
• Workflow: How does the client use his
website? • Ex: they might have the admin panel active, but
don’t use
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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You’re client
doesn’t need « the
rebound guy ».
You should both be
aiming for a long-
term relationship.
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Taking over existing Drupal projects
OBSERVATION PHASE
Don’t start playing in the code
and configurations just yet
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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We need to analyse the map to develop a
strategy.
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Programmers like to build stuff from scratch.
Having to delve into someone else’s code, we often
expect the worst.
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Common apprehensions:
• It’s not my code (so it’s shitty)
• The code is not built
according to my standards
• There is no documentation
available
• There are not diagrams,
tutorials or workflows
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Give whoever was working
on the site before you some slack
• Other developers are like you –
they build with best intentions,
but real life gets in the way
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 1: Inventory of current website
• Inventory of Modules, Themes, Plugins
(external libraries)• Any import/export functionnality?
Migrate or Feed modules
• Check if core was hacked• Install « Hacked » and
« Diff » modules
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 1: Inventory of current backend
• List of « standard modules »
(and their version)
• List of « custom modules » • These are going to be the challenges to update,
enhance in the future
• Are there any « garbage » modules?• Not used in the website, but installed for testing
purposes by previous dev
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 1: Inventory of current website
• Open the readme.txt and upgrade.txt• Might be written « do not upgrade! »
• Open fields and blocks• Is PHPfilter module activated?
• Check views headers/footers:
There might be custom code
• /sites/modules/• How is it structured?
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 2: Front-end matters
• How many page templates are there?
• Are there parent/child themes?
• Responsive or mobile theme?
• How is CSS structured? (LESS? SASS?)
• Ask: « Is that content generated by a block, a
view, a module, a context, a node, php? »
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 3: Tech inventory
• Server configuration and technologies
• Deployment strategy
• Versionning system (Git, SVN, etc)
• Automatic testing system• Unit tests?
• SimpleTest module?
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Step 3: Tech inventory
• .htaccess: what are the specifications?
(Drupal core update will destroy this)
• Any third party connexions?• Solr, SSL, Web services, Databases
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Taking over existing Drupal projects
ACTION PHASE
Time to start playing
around with the site
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Mark your territory
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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A few beginner tips:
• Don’t start working on the live site.
• Create your own environment
(or use a client dev environment)
before touching anything
• Make sure the configs are the same as the
live website
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Don’t be scared of versionning
• You’ll be married to the project, so don’t think
it’s a an unnecessary evil
• Import their branches to your VCS to see the
site’s previous progress
• Clean up the files• There is probably a lot of unnecessary files
• DAMN YOU .DS_store and _notes !!
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Before performing updates
• Check if the website you inherit has any
« pendings » in update.php
• Sometimes websites are buggy because this
hasn’t been done in a while
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Perform updates
• Step 1: Cross your fingers
• Step 2: Update core and modules
• Step 3: Check if the site is broken
• Step 4: Rollback if necessary• drush pm-update –-lock=og
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Install the modules you like working with
• PathoLogic• Automatically repairs URLs that client didn't write
correctly
• Path Redirect• Point missing urls to correct pages
• Cache Exclude• Exclude pages from cache instead of disabling it
to not slow down the site
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Start adressing the first client todos
• Take control: Rebuild vs. Patch• You often feel you should either
completely rebuild or just sloppily patch
• If you can identify specific components that you
can enhance – take the baby step to make the
site better
• You can flush stuff that is irrelevant
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Maintain your integrity
• From now on, the site will be
built according to your
standards
• Don’t be lazy because the
rest of the site is not
• Document your work
• You’ll be more productive
within
your team
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Extra Quality Control
• Changes you make have
repercussions you might
not expect
• Test Front-end,
Functionnality & code
• Check our DrupalCamp
Montreal conference : Devil’s
in the details
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Your goal
• OWN the website and become an expert with
it
• If the old team takes the website back,
they shouldn’t feel it’s « theirs » anymore
• You’re going to be working with the site for a long
time, so you’d better like it
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Conclusion
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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AGENCIES
CLIENTS
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
Be the web agency of their dreams
• They want to trust you
• Prove to your new client that you’re made for
each other
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Which means
• Take the time to listen and understand why
your new client decided to leave their
previous relationship
• Take the time to get to know
your new website in and out
• Pretend you’re the one that built it in the first
place – OWN IT
WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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WhyWTF? Context Observe Act Conclusion
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Thank you!
Any questions?
www.symetris.ca
Presentation available on slideshare
@symetris