This document discusses how to make clients happy by creating reusable components for building Drupal sites. Reusable components like slideshows, news listings, and events listings can be created as features in Drupal to make them easily portable between sites. Custom entities can also be built as reusable components using entity construction kit (ECK) and other modules. Developing components as products provides benefits like improved quality, easier project planning and documentation. Creating reusable components, treating them as products, and ensuring documentation and support can lead to happier clients through easier site building and management.

1. Make You, & Your Clients, Happy
by using Reusable Components
to Build Drupal Sites
Trent Stromkins
Front End Development Lead
trent@imagexmedia.com • github.com/bmx269 • @bmx269 • d.o: bmx269

2. Reusable Components
What do you mean?

7. 1760
Mass production of screws using lathes
1841
J Witworth suggests standardizing thread pitch & count per diameter
1860
His proposal became standard practice in Britain
100 YEARS AFTER MASS PRODUCTION
!!!

8. What about this?
Slideshows

9. Or this?
News Listings

10. These can all be the same

11. Features Right?
That is just one part of the puzzle

12. Events Listing
Example Reusable Component
Exporting the work to a Feature is one step of making a
component. Making the component reusable by the client / site
admin / developer makes it valuable.
Drupal Piece Specific Item Description
Event Content Type Event Category Taxonomy Used to categorize the Events.
Display Suite View Modes •IMG Left Teaser
•IMG Top Teaser
•Featured Teaser
•etc
Build the layouts of your displays
Views Content Pane •Exposed Taxonomy Filter
•Content: (your View Mode)
•Allow Pane Settings
This is where the magic happens. Exposing
the Views settings to the Panel editor.
Panels / Panelizer Staff Name Edit and formatting
Panopoly Magic Views Content Panes Better UI. Previews & exposed View
Modes

17. Next Level
Custom Entities

18. Splash Image / Slideshow
Example Reusable Component
This is a dynamic optional Splash Image or Slideshow. Using ECK,
Flexslider 2, Entity Reference, Inline Entity Form, and Views.
I wanted to make the slideshow management experience as easy to manage as adding images to a node.
Considerations:
Option to add a Splash image or Slideshow to any page
Easy to use and manage by the client
Reusable Slides
Reusable on other projects
Methods:
Separate Content Type / Views (Flexslider View Display) - More training. Not easily managed.
Rotating Banner Slideshow Module – Easy to use. Non-reusable Slides. Block Training
Field Collection / Views (Flexslider View Display) – Easy to use. Poor UI. Reusable with some work.
ECK, Entity Ref., Inline Entity Form, Views (Flexslider View Display) – Easy to use. Better UI. Reusable.

19. Use ECK to create the Entity
Use an Entity Reference Field

21. Inline Entity Splash
Referencing Existing Splash

22. The Listing
Editing an Item

23. Now Features?
Yes, Now.

24. Exporting the work
This is not that hard to do.
Create your Feature, keeping naming generic, &
version it.
You will need to save the Content Type, Entity Types,
Fields, Taxonomy, Display Suite settings, View Modes,
Views, along with any other parts to your component.
You now have a few Reusable Components.
If you don’t know how to use Drupal Features, there are a lot of
helpful tutorials, and helper modules.

25. Products?
I thought you were talking about components?

26. Products
Own each component
When each Reusable Component is considered a product on it’s
own, we can provide a higher quality result, with less time spent
per website developed. This means more money.
This may sound like hopes and dreams, but in reality, it is the essence of the industrial revolution.
Benefits of components as Products:
Better with Reuse
Feature Set Refinement
Quality Control
Business Analysis
Project Planning
Documentation is Clear
Training and Augmentation

27. Client Happiness
This can happen… Really.

28. Client Happiness
This can happen… Really.
Easy
Management
Clear
Documentation
Quality
Features

29. Even Further
Make the Benefits Full Circle

30. Products
Own each component
Benefits of components as Products:
Better with Reuse
Feature Set Refinement
Quality Control
Business Analysis
Project Planning
Documentation is Clear
Training and Augmentation

31. Sales / PM Client SupportDevelopment

32. Client SupportDevelopment
Sales Documentation
Easier Estimation
Clear Feature Set
Pricing Structure
Business Analysis
Project Planning
Training and Augmentation
Sales / PM

33. Client SupportDevelopment
Sales Documentation
Easier Estimation
Clear Feature Set
Pricing Structure
Business Analysis
Project Planning
Training and Augmentation
Developer Documentation
Better with Reuse
Feature Set Refinement
Development Speed
Sales / PM

34. Client SupportDevelopment
Sales Documentation
Easier Estimation
Clear Feature Set
Pricing Structure
Business Analysis
Project Planning
Training and Augmentation
Developer Documentation
Better with Reuse
Feature Set Refinement
Development Speed
Client Documentation
Ensured Quality
Set Training for Components
Sales / PM

35. ORLY?
Ask me some questions

36. Make You, & Your Clients, Happy
by using Reusable Components
to Build Drupal Sites
Trent Stromkins
Front End Development Lead
trent@imagexmedia.com • github.com/bmx269 • @bmx269 • d.o: bmx269
Thank You