Drupal CMS really stands out, when it comes to open source platforms. It is widely preferred among the developers for a number of reasons. Creating a website using this robust platform is not that easy. It requires lots of programming skills and expertise in core Drupal framework. However, there are some development tools that can help you develop websites quickly without facing any sort of hassle. Here is the list to pick the tool, which suits the best for your specifications:
Drush
If it is not the most demanded, we can definitely call it one of the most demanded Drupal development tools. For Drupal, Drush is considered the scripting interface and command line. It is a multipurpose tool, which is widely used to develop, install and maintain Drupal websites. Initially, it takes a considerable time to get used to it as it contains a wide array of commands to remember, but once, one is accustomed to using those commands, then this tool is a real time-saver. This is awesome when it comes to developing custom themes and modules.
Coder
By using this module, you can adhere to the coding standards of Drupal. It contains two sub-modules, Coder Upgrade & Coder Review. Coder Upgrade assists the user to upgrade themes or modules to a newer version of Drupal. Coder Review lets the user verify whether a module is meeting the coding standards of Drupal or not. It also allows the user to know, in case, there is any requirement to change anything, if the Drupal API gets changed. This module can be availed from Coder project page and it is available for Drupal 6 and 7.
Backup and Migrate
It becomes simpler to backup the database with the use of Backup and Migrate. You just need to make a click in the admin interface or run Drush command to backup. This tool can also be configured for the sake of sending your backup to services including Amazon S3 or Dropbox.
Masquerade
You have to become a different user to test something on Drupal. Masquerade module is a perfect solution for this purpose as it enables you to switch as a different user easily. This works wonder when a user reports any bug and you are supposed to replicate the same whatever they are doing.
Drupal Project Lookup
This is a Chrome extension, which lets the user save a lot of time at the time of looking for a project page on the site drupal.org. In order to use this, you need to type pml along with the project that you need to look for.
Dreditor
This tool exemplifies the experience to review patches & comment on the issues on drupal.org. It contains the features such as:
- Includes the patch reviewer button to the patches in issues on website drupal.org. As soon as, the user will make a click on the review button, he gets a superb patch file along with syntax highlighting.
- Offers Auto-completion at the time of adding comments in Drupal.org.
- For commit message, it offers a template.
Features
You are supposed to turn on configuration in the module in order to source control and deploy it. It is necessary up to the Drupal 7 as devoid of it, there are many changes that will meet a particular use-case for storing in the database merely. Try not to make such changes on the live website, instead make them on the local server. Now, question arises that how will you deploy them on the live website, so use Features to make this happen. This module is incredibly useful even for a single developer, who is working on a single website. It is also helpful, if more than one developer is working on it.
Diff
Diff becomes very useful for the people, who are already using Features. The features may get overridden that means to say that whatever is there in the database might not match with what is there in code. If it happens, the users can go ahead with Diff module and they will observe the difference clearly. The changes between two revisions of modules & nodes can also be viewed. This module will help users save a lot of time.
Final Words:
These are some of the best picked tools to ease Drupal web development. Thus, you will not have to face any hardship in the development process by merely using the tools as per your specifications. Drush, Coder, Diff, etc have been defined with their best roles, so choose today and make Drupal development a real fun.
Author Bio:
Tom Hardy is working with Sparx IT Solutions as a dedicated drupal developer. His interest towards Drupal is immense and he keeps exploring new ways in Drupal services through his informative articles & blogs.