Drupal is a popular framework for developing robust and feature-rich websites. Below are a list of web design best-practices for Drupal. By following these best practices, you will improve the performance, security, architecture and maintenance of your Drupal websites.
Drupal web design best practices
- Never hack the Drupal core. Hey buddy, put down that PHP! Yes, you may be more comfortable writing code, but Drupal is a unique platform. Don't hack the core, or you may hate yourself in the future. By hacking the Drupal core, you will make it amazing complicated or damn near impossible to apply website updates such as Security and bug fixes in the future. Your job will become unbearable and you will develop a terrible cursing habit.
- Avoid hardcoding. Short-term this may seem fine, but long-term it will be messy. For example, writing a custom SQL query in your theme could make it more difficult to reinstall that theme in a fresh instance in the future. Hard coding will make it harder for other web developers to take over your code in the future, which means your face may end up on dart boards one day.
- Website planning & wireframing. Drupal offers a powerful set of tools to help developers build robust websites, but nothing can make up for proper planning. Don't rush the planning process. Ensure you and your client think through the wireframes and plan the architecture of the website appropriately.
- Take upgrades into account: Remember to plan for future upgrades. Don't build and forget it, which can be a common mistake for many clients. This applies to budgeting, the code and client/agency relationships. Drupal upgrades are a reality of Drupal web design. Evaluate and plan for an upgrade approximately each 12-24 months.
- Slow down with the modules buddy... Too many modules can slow down your website and make it tricky to update the site. The more modules, the harder the website maintenance will be. Sure modules can be like candy in a candy store... How do you stop? But, this is why planning is so important. Try to not evolve your website organically. Instead, install the modules that you need and not more.
- Back up your website. Back-ups should apply to both the database and the files on the web server. Install a production version of the website to ensure that your back-up version is in working order.
- Consider bundling Drupal website settings using Features. This uniquely Drupal 7 capability allow a web developer export to website settings and configuration using the CTOOLS contrib module. Features is a method of bundling these exportable settings in a new downloadable feature module. Essentially it makes it easier to download and export your site settings.
