How custom is too custom? Tips for coding (and when not to)

This presentation is about making the call between writing custom code and using contributed modules. There will be no code snippets; it is more of a high-level look at Drupal customization and its pros and cons.

The material will be most useful to developers and project managers. This presentation will address questions like:

• When is custom code appropriate, and what are its costs?
• When should contrib solutions be investigated, and when are they overkill?
• Is there an acceptable way to hack Drupal?
• What are common tasks that usually end up requiring custom code?
• What are some best practices for maintaining custom code?
• What are some best practices for keeping track of contrib versions and patches?
• What are the general categories of custom code, and how do I approach them?
• What should developers say to managers when they ask for stuff?
• What should managers ask developers when asking for stuff?

After the session, attendees will be better able to:

• Choose appropriate implementations for feature requests
• Build more maintainable and team-friendly sites
• Stay realistic and accurate when it comes to the communication of estimates