Overriding custom fields

Features Override

If you absolutly need to override custom fields, use features_overrides BUT, override individual items and NOT the whole field definition.

This is an example of what overriding a field item weight should look like:

DON’T USE THE FIRST ONE. Use the second one. As soon as you start using the first you set the build to a update-blocking state.

Items that are “safe” to override:

• Field weights
• Display weights
• Max length of a charfield
• Cardinality of a field
• Other minor field options

Items that are not a good idea to override:

Allowed Values in a List (Integer|Float|text).

This is how a feature_override of a list of allowed values looks like in an info file:

features[features_overrides][] = field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|0
features[features_overrides][] = field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|1
features[features_overrides][] = field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|10
features[features_overrides][] = field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|11
features[features_overrides][] = field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|12

This is how it looks in the *.features.features_overrides.inc file:

/**
 * Implements hook_features_override_default_overrides().
 */
function my_module_features_override_default_overrides() {
  // This code is only used for UI in features. Exported alters hooks do the magic.
  $overrides = array();

  // Exported overrides for: field_base
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|0"] = '5th of jan';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|1"] = 'Adhoc';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|10"] = 'Fortnightly';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|11"] = 'Monthly';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|12"] = 'One-Time Load';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|13"] = 'Other';
  $overrides["field_base.field_frequency.settings|allowed_values|14"] = 'Quarterly';
  ....

This is how it look in the *.features.inc file:

/**
 * Implements hook_field_default_field_bases_alter().
 */
function eic_custom_fields_field_default_field_bases_alter(&$data) {
  if (isset($data['field_frequency'])) {
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][0] = '5th of jan'; /* WAS: 'Annually' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][1] = 'Adhoc'; /* WAS: 'Biennial' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][10] = 'Fortnightly'; /* WAS: 'Quarterly' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][11] = 'Monthly'; /* WAS: 'Semiannual' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][12] = 'One-Time Load'; /* WAS: 'Semimonthly' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][13] = 'Other'; /* WAS: 'Semiweekly' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][14] = 'Quarterly'; /* WAS: 'Three times a month' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][15] = 'Semesterly'; /* WAS: 'Three times a week' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][16] = 'Semesterly/Ad hoc'; /* WAS: 'Three times a year' */
    $data['field_frequency']['settings']['allowed_values'][17] = 'Weekly'; /* WAS: 'Triennial' */
    ...

Each of the values in the list is an individual item to override. It’s nuts and something that will potentially drive people mad every time they need to solve a merge conflict. Don’t do it.

Suscribe the list of values in a hook_form_alter implementation. If you need an example, look at how the list of allowed values for field_license is implemented. link here

Future enhacements

DKAN Core fields that utilize an allowed values list should implement the same usecase as field_license. This involves:

• Implementing the hook_form_alter approach in a core module
• Allow to subscribe and unsubscribe values using a hook implementation