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

Presenters: brockfanning
Video

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
Audience
Experience Level
Intermediate
Schedule Info
Conference Year
2016
Date / Time
Status
Accepted
Session Track
Coding and Development