Orchard CMS Module development workflow

Question

How can I force Orchard to rerun the Migrations.Create method to re-create my module's data? All the tutorials I've seen use the Migrations.UpdateFrom methods to make Orchard recognize module data changes, but this means I'll have to create a new method every time I make a change during development. These methods make sense for actual version updates, but not for initial development.

I've tried disabling and re-enabling the module, no dice. I've also tried uninstalling and reinstalling the module, but running the uninstall command permanently deleted the module from my computer, bypassing the recycling bin.

Axe Axe · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-05T23:05:29

I'm a little confused by you question, but I'll try to answer

Migrations update the database, and data in the database. If you want to make a change to a view you see in the dashboard, you shouldn't neet to re-run migrations.

however if you want to change the model and data, you do need to either run more migrations or reset the database and run the create migration.

When I rebuild a module I'm working on it will run any outstanding migration with out having to disable / enable the module on my local version,

That is to say if the current migration version is 1 and there is an UpdateFrom1 method, in the migration, this will be run when the project is built.

you can check the current version number in the following table Orchard_Framework_DataMigrationRecord

If you want to force rerun a migration, you can reset the value of table in the database. Or you can back up the database, and restore before running the entire suite of migrations.

While developing I use short migrations, creating a method each time I need to add data, I try and keep these small so I can identify any issues easily during development.

then before completing the module, amalgamate migrations into 2 or 3 logical blocks of code

Here's a migration for a custom type

public int Create()
        {
            // Define the project type 
            ContentDefinitionManager.AlterTypeDefinition("Project", cfg => cfg
                .WithSetting("Stereotype", "Content")
                .CommomPart()
                .AutoroutePart("our-work")
                .BodyPart()
                .WithPart("TitlePart")
                .WithPart("PublishLaterPart")
                .WithPart("MenuPart", builder => builder
                    .WithSetting("MenuPart.OnMenu", "true")
                    .WithSetting("MenuPart.CurrentMenu", "Project Menu"))
                .WithPart("Project")
                .Creatable()
                .Draftable());

            return 1;

        }

        public int UpdateFrom1()
        {
            // Define project part - having a part with the same name will create fields in the project type
            ContentDefinitionManager.AlterPartDefinition("Project", builder => builder
               .MediaPickerField("MainImage")
               .MediaPickerField("MediumImage")
               .MediaPickerField("SmallImage")
               .MediaPickerField("Logo")
               .TextField("ShortDescription", Flavour.TextArea)
               .TextField("Features", Flavour.Markdown)
               .TextField("ClientTitle", Flavour.DefaultFlavour)
               .TextField("ClientName", Flavour.DefaultFlavour)
               .TextField("ClientQuote", Flavour.Textarea)
               .BooleanField("MainProjectOnHomePage", false)
               .Attachable());

            return 2;
        }

I added some extension methods to make this less verbose.

here they are

 public static class MigrationExtentionHelpers
    {
        // part definitions 

        public static ContentPartDefinitionBuilder MediaPickerField(this ContentPartDefinitionBuilder builder, 
                                                                    string name, bool required = true, string hint = "")
        {
            var displayName = SplitCamel(name);

            // default implementation of Media picker field - create overloads for more options
            return  builder.WithField(name, fieldBuilder => fieldBuilder
                        .OfType("MediaPickerField")
                        .WithDisplayName(displayName)
                        .WithSetting("MediaPickerFieldSettings.Required", required.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture))
                        .WithSetting("MediaPickerFieldSettings.AllowedExtensions", "jpg png gif")
                        .WithSetting("MediaPickerFieldSettings.Hint", hint));

        }

        public static ContentPartDefinitionBuilder TextField(this ContentPartDefinitionBuilder builder, 
                                                             string name, Flavour flavor, bool required = true, string hint = "")
        {
            var strFlavor = SplitCamel(flavor.ToString());

            // default implementation of Media picker field - create overloads for more options
            return builder.WithField(name, fieldBuilder => fieldBuilder
                        .OfType("TextField")
                        .WithSetting("TextFieldSettings.Required", required.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture))
                        .WithSetting("TextFieldSettings.Flavor", strFlavor)
                        .WithSetting("TextFieldSettings.Hint", hint));

        }

        public static ContentPartDefinitionBuilder BooleanField(this ContentPartDefinitionBuilder builder,
                                                                string name, bool defalut, string hint = "")
        {
            // default implementation of Media picker field - create overloads for more options
            return builder.WithField(name, fieldBuilder => fieldBuilder
                        .OfType("BooleanField")
                        .WithSetting("BooleanFieldSettings.Hint", hint)
                        .WithSetting("BooleanFieldSettings.DefaultValue", defalut.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)));

        }

        // type definitions 

        public static ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder AutoroutePart(this ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder builder, string pathPrefix = "")
        {
            var pattern = string.Format("[{{Name:'{0}/Title', Pattern: '{0}/{{Content.Slug}}', Description: 'my-page'}}]", pathPrefix);

            return builder.WithPart("AutoroutePart", partBuilder => partBuilder
                        .WithSetting("AutorouteSettings.PatternDefinitions", pattern)); 
        }


        public static ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder BodyPart(this ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder builder, 
            Flavour defaultFlavour = Flavour.Markdown)
        {
            return builder.WithPart("BodyPart", partBuilder => partBuilder
                        .WithSetting("BodyTypePartSettings.Flavor", defaultFlavour.ToString()));            
        }

        public static ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder CommomPart(this ContentTypeDefinitionBuilder builder)
        {
            return builder.WithPart("CommonPart")
                        .WithSetting("OwnerEditorSettings.ShowOwnerEditor", false.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture).ToLower());

        }

        private static string SplitCamel(string enumString)
        {

            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();

            char last = char.MinValue;
            foreach (char c in enumString)
            {
                if (char.IsLower(last) && char.IsUpper(c))
                {
                    sb.Append(' ');
                    sb.Append(c.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture).ToLower());
                }
                else
                {
                    sb.Append(c);
                }
                last = c;
            }
            return sb.ToString();

        }
    }

Orchard CMS Module development workflow

2 Answers