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Some games have quirks, traits, aspects, and other goods along those lines baked right into the game. I’m mainly thinking of GURPS, Hero System, Fate, and Savage Worlds. There are plenty more games that I didn’t list here that have some way to customize and define your characters beyond “I’m a dwarven barbarian with an axe.”

This article is more for those gamers playing the games without these baked-in features of the game, but it can also assist the games that do have these structures.

As a player, I’ve found that my characters are more enjoyable (and memorable) if they have a quirk or three. I generally don’t do more than three because then the character gets annoying to play and to be around. I may even adopt new quirks or allow an old one to be overcome (or simply fade away) as game progresses because of in-game activities.

As a GM, I love adding one quirk (maybe two if it’s a major character) to NPCs that I want the players to remember. It’s a mental hook for them to hang their memory on. They may not remember that “Ragnar” was the fellow with the McGuffin, but they’ll certainly remember “the fellow with the bad limp and comb-over hairstyle.” These mnemonic clues can ease the game for players. This is especially true for those campaigns that may have long gaps between sessions (like a monthly game).

So, let’s get on to some tables you can roll on to generate some quirks. As always, random generation tables are going to produce some really odd results, so use them to spark your imagination. In other words, don’t take the results literally…. Unless that really works for you and your group.

Physical

To find a physical quirk, roll a d4 to determine which list to use. Then roll a d20 on that list.

1. 1. Adaptable
   2. Aggressive
   3. Animated
   4. Antsy
   5. Careless
   6. Cheap
   7. Colorful
   8. Comical
   9. Conventional
   10. Creative
   11. Cultivated
   12. Debonair
   13. Destructive
   14. Dignified
   15. Disciplined
   16. Energetic
   17. Excessive
   18. Extravagant
   19. Fanciful
   20. Farsighted
2. 1. Fastidious
   2. Flamboyant
   3. Flashy
   4. Flexible
   5. Formal
   6. Gentle
   7. Glamorous
   8. Grandiose
   9. Gregarious
   10. Hardworking
   11. Hyper
   12. Idle
   13. Inactive
   14. Industrious
   15. Inflexible
   16. Intense
   17. Irritating
   18. Lackadaisical
   19. Lazy
   20. Loutish
3. 1. Meticulous
   2. Militant
   3. Nearsighted
   4. Nervous
   5. Orderly
   6. Organized
   7. Ostentatious
   8. Peculiar
   9. Plain
   10. Polished
   11. Pompous
   12. Precise
   13. Professional
   14. Proper
   15. Provocative
   16. Pushy
   17. Resourceful
   18. Respectable
   19. Restless
   20. Rough
4. 1. Savage
   2. Sensual
   3. Shallow
   4. Showy
   5. Simple
   6. Sleazy
   7. Slothful
   8. Slow
   9. Sluggish
   10. Sneaky
   11. Sophisticated
   12. Swaggering
   13. Threatening
   14. Tireless
   15. Unassuming
   16. Unblemished
   17. Uncouth
   18. Vain
   19. Versatile
   20. Weak

Mental

To find a mental quirk, roll a d6 to determine which list to use. Then roll 2d20 on that list.

1. 2. Absent-Minded
   3. Academic
   4. Adaptable
   5. Adventurous
   6. Alert
   7. Ambitious
   8. Analytical
   9. Apathetic
   10. Argumentative
   11. Arrogant
   12. Artistic
   13. Bewildered
   14. Bookish
   15. Boring
   16. Bossy
   17. Braggart
   18. Brainy
   19. Bratty
   20. Bright
   21. Broad-Minded
   22. Bullheaded
   23. Calculating
   24. Callous
   25. Carefree
   26. Careless
   27. Cautious
   28. Charitable
   29. Clever
   30. Close-Minded
   31. Colorful
   32. Composed
   33. Confident
   34. Considerate
   35. Contemplative
   36. Controlling
   37. Conventional
   38. Cooperative
   39. Corrupt
   40. Crafty
2. 2. Cranky
   3. Creative
   4. Critical
   5. Curious
   6. Dauntless
   7. Deceptive
   8. Decisive
   9. Dedicated
   10. Deep
   11. Defiant
   12. Dense
   13. Dependable
   14. Determined
   15. Devoted
   16. Diligent
   17. Disciplined
   18. Dishonorable
   19. Disorganized
   20. Distracted
   21. Doubtful
   22. Down-To-Earth
   23. Driven
   24. Droll
   25. Dutiful
   26. Eccentric
   27. Eloquent
   28. Enthusiastic
   29. Exact
   30. Fair-Minded
   31. Faithful
   32. Faithless
   33. Fanatical
   34. Fearful
   35. Flighty
   36. Focused
   37. Foolhardy
   38. Forgetful
   39. Frugal
   40. Generous
3. 2. Gentle
   3. Gossipy
   4. Greedy
   5. Gullible
   6. Hardworking
   7. Hasty
   8. Headstrong
   9. Heartless
   10. Heedless
   11. Hesitant
   12. Honest
   13. Honorable
   14. Hospitable
   15. Hostile
   16. Humane
   17. Humorless
   18. Idealistic
   19. Illogical
   20. Imaginative
   21. Impolite
   22. Impulsive
   23. Inactive
   24. Indecisive
   25. Industrious
   26. Inflexible
   27. Ingenious
   28. Inquisitive
   29. Insecure
   30. Insightful
   31. Intense
   32. Introspective
   33. Introverted
   34. Inventive
   35. Irresponsible
   36. Keen
   37. Knowledgeable
   38. Lackadaisical
   39. Learned
   40. Logical
4. 2. Long-Winded
   3. Loyal
   4. Manipulative
   5. Materialistic
   6. Meddlesome
   7. Meditative
   8. Meek
   9. Melodramatic
   10. Merciful
   11. Meticulous
   12. Militant
   13. Mischievous
   14. Miserly
   15. Modest
   16. Naive
   17. Neurotic
   18. Nosy
   19. Obedient
   20. Objective
   21. Obliging
   22. Oblivious
   23. Observant
   24. Obsessive
   25. Obstinate
   26. Open-Minded
   27. Optimistic
   28. Orderly
   29. Organized
   30. Orthodox
   31. Patient
   32. Peaceful
   33. Perfectionist
   34. Persistent
   35. Pious
   36. Polite
   37. Possessive
   38. Positive
   39. Practical
   40. Pragmatic
5. 2. Precise
   3. Prejudiced
   4. Proactive
   5. Professional
   6. Proper
   7. Prudent
   8. Prying
   9. Radical
   10. Rash
   11. Rational
   12. Realistic
   13. Reasonable
   14. Rebellious
   15. Reckless
   16. Refined
   17. Relaxed
   18. Reliable
   19. Resentful
   20. Reserved
   21. Resourceful
   22. Responsible
   23. Restless
   24. Restrained
   25. Reverent
   26. Rude
   27. Ruthless
   28. Scatterbrained
   29. Scheming
   30. Secretive
   31. Sensible
   32. Shallow
   33. Simple
   34. Skittish
   35. Slow
   36. Snooping
   37. Speculative
   38. Spineless
   39. Stingy
   40. Structured
6. 2. Stubborn
   3. Studious
   4. Submissive
   5. Subservient
   6. Systematic
   7. Thick-Headed
   8. Thorough
   9. Thoughtful
   10. Thoughtless
   11. Thrifty
   12. Tolerant
   13. Truthful
   14. Two-Faced
   15. Uncertain
   16. Uncooperative
   17. Uncouth
   18. Understanding
   19. Unreliable
   20. Unstable
   21. Untruthful
   22. Vain
   23. Verbose
   24. Versatile
   25. Vigilant
   26. Visionary
   27. Vulgar
   28. Wary
   29. Wasteful
   30. Watchful
   31. Weak
   32. Well-Mannered
   33. Wicked
   34. Willful
   35. Wily
   36. Windbag
   37. Wise
   38. Wishy-Washy
   39. Witty
   40. Workaholic

Emotional

To find an emotional quirk, roll a d6 to determine which list to use. Then roll 2d20 on that list.

1. 2. Abrasive
   3. Accepting
   4. Affable
   5. Affectionate
   6. Aggressive
   7. Agreeable
   8. Aloof
   9. Amicable
   10. Amorous
   11. Amusing
   12. Annoying
   13. Antagonistic
   14. Antisocial
   15. Anxious
   16. Appealing
   17. Appreciative
   18. Arrogant
   19. Assertive
   20. Audacious
   21. Authentic
   22. Bellicose
   23. Benevolent
   24. Big-Hearted
   25. Bitter
   26. Bloodthirsty
   27. Boisterous
   28. Bold
   29. Boorish
   30. Brave
   31. Bubbly
   32. Calm
   33. Carefree
   34. Caring
   35. Caustic
   36. Cautious
   37. Cheerful
   38. Childish
   39. Chivalrous
   40. Clingy
2. 2. Cocky
   3. Cold
   4. Colorful
   5. Compassionate
   6. Composed
   7. Compulsive
   8. Conceited
   9. Confrontational
   10. Congenial
   11. Considerate
   12. Contemptuous
   13. Content
   14. Constrained
   15. Courageous
   16. Courteous
   17. Covetous
   18. Cowardly
   19. Crabby
   20. Critical
   21. Crude
   22. Cruel
   23. Cynical
   24. Daring
   25. Dashing
   26. Dauntless
   27. Deep
   28. Demanding
   29. Demure
   30. Dependable
   31. Depressed
   32. Destructive
   33. Detached
   34. Devoted
   35. Dignified
   36. Diplomatic
   37. Direct
   38. Disciplined
   39. Discourteous
   40. Discreet
3. 2. Disdainful
   3. Docile
   4. Doting
   5. Dour
   6. Earnest
   7. Easygoing
   8. Ebullient
   9. Edgy
   10. Egocentric
   11. Encouraging
   12. Energetic
   13. Entitled
   14. Envious
   15. Erratic
   16. Evasive
   17. Excessive
   18. Excitable
   19. Extroverted
   20. Exuberant
   21. Faithful
   22. Fervent
   23. Fickle
   24. Finicky
   25. Flippant
   26. Flirtatious
   27. Frank
   28. Free-Spirited
   29. Friendly
   30. Frigid
   31. Frisky
   32. Frivolous
   33. Fun-Loving
   34. Funny
   35. Fussy
   36. Gallant
   37. Garrulous
   38. Gentle
   39. Genuine
   40. Gracious
4. 2. Grateful
   3. Gregarious
   4. Grouchy
   5. Guarded
   6. Gutsy
   7. Happy
   8. Happy-Go-Lucky
   9. Hateful
   10. Haughty
   11. Helpful
   12. Heroic
   13. Hopeful
   14. Humble
   15. Icy
   16. Ill-Tempered
   17. Immature
   18. Insolent
   19. Intense
   20. Jaded
   21. Jealous
   22. Jovial
   23. Judgmental
   24. Kind
   25. Lighthearted
   26. Lively
   27. Loving
   28. Macho
   29. Magnetic
   30. Mean
   31. Mercurial
   32. Merry
   33. Meticulous
   34. Militant
   35. Moody
   36. Morbid
   37. Nagging
   38. Narcissistic
   39. Negative
   40. Nervous
5. 2. Neurotic
   3. Nurturing
   4. Ornery
   5. Outgoing
   6. Over-Confident
   7. Overbearing
   8. Oversensitive
   9. Paranoid
   10. Passionate
   11. Pensive
   12. Peppy
   13. Persistent
   14. Pessimistic
   15. Petty
   16. Phony
   17. Playful
   18. Pompous
   19. Private
   20. Protective
   21. Proud
   22. Provocative
   23. Pushy
   24. Quarrelsome
   25. Raucous
   26. Relentless
   27. Resolute
   28. Respectful
   29. Romantic
   30. Rowdy
   31. Savage
   32. Scornful
   33. Sedate
   34. Selfish
   35. Selfless
   36. Sensual
   37. Sentimental
   38. Serene
   39. Shifty
   40. Showy
6. 2. Silly
   3. Sincere
   4. Sleazy
   5. Sly
   6. Sneaky
   7. Sociable
   8. Sour
   9. Spirited
   10. Spiteful
   11. Spoiled
   12. Spontaneous
   13. Spunky
   14. Sulky
   15. Superficial
   16. Swaggering
   17. Sympathetic
   18. Tame
   19. Temperamental
   20. Tenacious
   21. Tender
   22. Threatening
   23. Timid
   24. Touchy
   25. Trusting
   26. Trustworthy
   27. Uneasy
   28. Uninhibited
   29. Unruly
   30. Unstable
   31. Upbeat
   32. Vengeful
   33. Vindictive
   34. Volatile
   35. Weak-Willed
   36. Whimsical
   37. Whiny
   38. Wholesome
   39. Withdrawn
   40. Zealous

A side note: Yes, I’m aware that 2d20 on a “linear list” isn’t a fair chance for each item on the list, and I didn’t cultivate the list to make oddball quirks more or less likely. I just decided that it’d be easier to lay it out the way I did rather than a d12 followed by a d20, which would be more mathematically fair. It would also give us a chance to use those rarely-rolled d12s. Ah well, such is how I have things done.

I hope you’re able to use this list of quirks and traits in your various games!

Depending on the implementation of the menu it is necessary to check the
"Show as expanded"-checkbox all the time - but the default implementation of the Drupal "Add menu item"-form has false as default value.

That is just annoying - and a potential source of error and frustration!

Show as expanded - always helps the editor to do this (sometimes) unnecessary job: It checks the "Show as expanded"-checkbox by default when creating a new menu item.

SCORM and E-Learning. Can Drupal Fit In? Vasundhra Fri, 12/14/2018 - 17:32

Referred to as the de facto standard of e-learning, Shareable Content Object Reference Model aka SCORM was sponsored by US Department of Defense to bring uniformity in the standards of procuring both training content and Learning Management Systems. 

Long gone but not forgotten are those days when learning was only limited to books and classrooms. With the development of technology, virtual learning has transformed into an approachable and convenient method.

Can Drupal, which is a widely popular CMS for education websites, conform to SCORM standards? How does it ensure that it remains SCORM compliant? 

In Details - What is SCORM?

SCORM is a set of standard guidelines and specifications for the programmers on how to create LMS and training content to be shared across systems. 

The agenda to bring SCORM was to create standard units of training and educational material to be shared and reused across systems. 
                           

Shareable Content Object refers to creating units of online training material that can be shared and reused across systems and contexts.

Reference Model refers to the existing standards in the education industry while informing developers on how to properly use them together.

Working with the authoring tools to design and produce the content, e-learning professionals, training managers, and instructional designers are the ones who typically use SCORM packages.

Content (used in courses and LMS) is exported to a SCORM package (.zip folder) to deliver the learners a seamless and smooth upload of the content.

The Evolution of SCORM

Since SCORM wasn’t built as a standard from the ground up and was primarily a reference to the existing ones, the goal was to create an interoperable system that will work well with other systems. 

Till date, there are three released versions of SCORM, each built on top of the previous one solving the problem of its predecessor.

SCORM 1.0 was merely a draft outline of the framework. It did not include any fully implementable specifications but rather contained a preview of work which was yet to come. 

SCORM 1.0 included the core elements that would become the foundation of SCORM.  

In other words, this version specified how the content should be packaged. How content should communicate to systems and how the content should be described.

• SCORM 1.1

SCORM 1.1 was the first implementable version of SCORM. It marked the end of the trial implementation phase and the beginning of the application phase for ADL. 

• SCORM 1.2

SCORM 1.2 solved the many problems that came along version 1.1. It provided with robust and implementable specifications, this version presented its end users with drastic cost savings. 

It was and still remains one of the most widely used version.

• SCORM 2004 (1st - 4th edition)

The 2004 1st edition allowed content vendors to create navigation rules between SCOs. The 2nd edition covered the various shortcomings of the 1st. It brought with it Advanced Distributed Learning which focused on developing and assessing the distributed learning prototypes, enabling more effective, efficient, & affordable learner-centric solutions.

The 3rd edition removed any ambiguity, improving the sequencing specifications for greater interoperability.

The final and 4th edition was focused on disambiguation and addition of new sequencing specifications. These specifications widened the options available to the content authors which made the creation of sequenced content even more simple.
 

Why Should You Use SCORM?

Now that we have an idea about SCORM and its attempt of reducing chaos in the entire industry, let’s know what benefits it brings along. 

Here are some of the reasons that can contribute to a huge factor in terms of using SCORM.

• It is a pro-consumer initiative. The online courses are eligible to be used on any compliant LMS vendor. You can alternatively upload the courses to LMS as long as you have a zip folder.
• All the high-quality LMSs and the authoring tools are SCORM compliant so that they can build and be part of a great ecosystem of interoperability and reliability.
• The introduction and evolution in SCORM have brought about a great reduction in overall cost of delivering training. The reason is that it has no additional cost for integrating any type of content. 
• SCORM helps in standardizing eLearning specifications. SCORM provides a set of technical specifications that gives the developers a standard blueprint to work with.

How does SCORM Work?

Other than guiding the programmers, SCORM administers two main things, i.e packaging content and exchanging data at runtime to ensure workability. 

• Packaging content or content aggregation model (CAM) defines how a piece of content should be presented in a physical sense. It is required by the LMS to export and import a launch content without the use of any human interventions
• Runtime communication or data exchange helps in defining how the content is supposed to work with the LMS while it is actually being played. This is the part which describes the delivery and tracking of the content. Eventually, these are the things that include “request the learner’s name” or “tell the LMS that the learner scored 95% in a test”. 

“SCORM recommends contents to be delivered in a self-contained directory or a ZIP file.”
Working of SCORM Packages

SCORM recommends contents to be delivered in a self-contained directory or a ZIP file. These files contain content, defined by the SCORM standards and is called Package Interface File (PIF) or in other words SCORM packages. 

It contains all the files that are needed to be delivered in the content packages via SCORM runtime environment. 

Course manifest files are considered as the heart of the SCORM content packaging system. The manifest is considered as the XML file that describes the content. 

Some of the pieces involved in the packaging are:

• Resources 

Resources are the list of parts that bundle up to be a single course. There are two types of resources that contribute to the course.

The first is the collection of one or more files that make up a logical unit presented to the users. The other is SCO or Sharable Content Object which is the unit of instructions that are composed of one or more files, to communicate with LMS. It mostly contains the instructional or static part of a content that is presented to the users via course. 

Resources should contain a complete list of all the files that are required for proper functionality of the resources. 

This is done to port the list to a new environment and function it the similar way. 

 

• Organizations

Organizations are considered as the logical grouping of the parts of resources into a hierarchical arrangement. This is what is delivered to a particular learner when the item has been selected. 

• Metadata 

Metadata are used to describe elements of a content package in its manifest file. They are important because they facilitate the discovery of learning resources across content package or in a repository. 

When a learning resource is intended to be reusable, it is a best practice to describe it with metadata. 

For describing learning content, Learning Object Metadata contains many predefined fields.   

• Sequencing

Sequencing is responsible for determining what happens next when a learner exits an SCO. With navigational control, it orchestrates the flow and status of the course as a whole. 

However, it doesn’t affect how SCOs operate and navigate internally, that is defined by the content developer.

Drupal With SCORM 

Drupal is best at managing the digital content, but the task of planning, implementing, and assessing a specific learning process can be best done by an LMS.

How can Drupal become a platform for an organization that delivers effective training, manage learners, individual progress and record results?

Since Drupal is not an LMS, its distributions and modules help it become more effective. When it comes to SCORM compliance, Drupal has Opigno LMS as its core distribution.  

Opigno LMS is a Drupal distribution that integrates H5P technology (an open-source content collaboration framework based on javascript), which enable you to create rich interactive training content. It allows you to maintain the training paths that are organized in courses and lessons. 

This distribution includes the latest version of Opigno core that offers you effective and innovative online training tools.

Opigno LMS is fully compliant with SCORM (1.2 and 2004 v3) which offers a powerful editor for content management, in particular, to create course material. These courses can eventually be grouped into classes to provide easy and manageable training paths. It should also be noted that this distribution is the quickest way to present a functional e-learning platform out of the box, with the users, courses, certificates, etc. 

Based on this distribution, Opigno SCORM implements the SCORM feature in Opigno which allows you to load and play SCORM packages within Opigno training and is also responsible to handle and manage training paths that are organized in courses and lessons. 

Opigno LMS comprises an app store that also enables you to install latest features easily, without asking you to upgrade the current install. 

According to the requirements and expectations of the learners, Opigno LMS can be summarized by the following specification:

1. Scalable to manage the hardships of a dynamic and modifying environment
2. Safe and easy to update
3. Support further development of customized functionalities with proper integration with the core solution in a modular way
4. Open to letting each client be free and independent
5. And most importantly, easy integration with other enterprise systems 

H5P javascript framework makes it easy to create, share and reuse HTML5 content and applications, allowing users to built richer content. With the use of H5P, the authors can edit and construct videos, presentation games, advertisement etc. To create an e-learning platform, the integration of HP5 framework and SCORM is essential.  

H5P SCORM/xAPI module allows to upload and view SCROM and xAPI packages. It uses two HP5 libraries namely (HP5 libraries are used to create and share rich content and applications)

1. H5P SCORM/xAPI library to view SCORM package.
2. H5PEditor SCORM library to upload and validate SCORM package.

You can create a new content type by uploading it in the preceding step of a process using the H5P editor.

In the nutshell

Different people adopt SCORM for different reasons. You and your team are the only ones that can decide whether sticking to SCORM is worthwhile or not. 

Depending upon the nature of your requirement and the course of action, it can be decided which platform is best for you. At OpenSense labs, we have been giving adequate solutions to our customers. Contact us on hello@opensenselabs.com to make the right decision on the correct choice of a platform. 

blog banner blog image Drupal Drupal 8 SCORM LMS Learning Management System Shareable Content Object Reference Model SCORM 1.0 SCORM 1.1 SCORM 1.2 SCORM 2004 E-learning Content Aggregation Model Organization Sequencing Resource Opigno LMS Blog Type Articles Is it a good read ? On

This is used to insert the embedded videos in the CKEditor .This plugin has the following functionality:-
a)Takes the Input as embedded code
b)Generate the HTML of the input code and insert the video in CKEDITOR.
c) This module is multipurpose module so it can be used to insert the video from YouTube website or sound cloud website or any other website.

Technology can\\\'t be an afterthought.

Drupal is one of the leading open source and secure content management systems used by businesses across the world. Drupal [...]

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Today Blizzard announced plans to pull developers off of its free-to-play MOBA Heroes of the Storm and discontinue Heroes eSports events in a bid to position the game for "long-term sustainability." ...

Initial works to bridge between Stripe and Drupal on a decoupled approach.

A lot of people have been jumping on the headless CMS bandwagon over the past few years, but I’ve never been entirely convinced. Maybe it’s partly because I don’t want to give up on the sunk costs of what I’ve learned about Drupal theming, and partly because I’m proud to be a boring developer, but I haven’t been fully sold on the benefits of decoupling.

On our current project, we’ve continued to take an approach that Dries Buytaert has described as “progressively decoupled Drupal”. Drupal handles routing, navigation, access control, and page rendering, while rich interactive functionality is provided by a JavaScript application sitting on top of the Drupal page. In the past, we’d taken a similar approach, with AngularJS applications on top of Drupal 6 or 7, getting their configuration from Drupal.settings, and for this project we decided to use React on top of Drupal 8.

There are a lot of advantages to this approach, in my view. There are several discrete interactive applications on the site, but the bulk of the site is static content, so it definitely makes sense for that content to be rendered by the server rather than constructed in the browser. This brings a lot of value in terms of accessibility, search engine optimisation, and performance.

A decoupled system is almost inevitably more complex, with more potential points of failure.

The application can be developed independently of the CMS, so specialist JavaScript developers can work without needing to worry about having a local Drupal build process.

If at some later date, the client decides to move away from Drupal, or at the point where we upgrade to Drupal 9, the applications aren’t so tightly coupled, so the effort of moving them should be smaller.

Having made the decision to use this architecture, we wanted a consistent framework for managing application configuration, to make sure we wouldn’t need to keep reinventing the wheel for every application, and to keep things easy for the content team to manage.

The client’s content team want to be able to control all of the text within the application (across multiple languages), and be able to preview changes before putting them live.

There didn’t seem to be an established approach for this, so we’ve built a module for it.

As we’ve previously mentioned, the team at Capgemini are strongly committed to supporting the open source communities whose work we depend on, and we try to contribute back whenever we can, whether that’s patches to fix bugs and add new features, or creating new modules to fill gaps where nothing appropriate already exists. For instance, a recent client requirement to promote their native applications led us to build the App Banners module.

Aiming to make our modules open source wherever possible helps us to think in systems, considering the specific requirements of this client as an example of a range of other potential use cases. This helps to future-proof our code, because it’s more likely that evolving requirements can be met by a configuration change, rather than needing a code change.

So, guided by these principles, I’m very pleased to announce the Single Page Application Landing Page module for Drupal 8, or to use the terrible acronym that it has unfortunately but inevitably acquired, SPALP.

On its own, the module doesn’t do much other than provide an App Landing Page content type. Each application needs its own module to declare a dependency on SPALP, define a library, and include its configuration as JSON (with associated schema). When a module which does that is installed, SPALP takes care of creating a landing page node for it, and importing the initial configuration onto the node. When that node is viewed, SPALP adds the library, and a link to an endpoint serving the JSON configuration.

Deciding how to store the app configuration and make all the text editable was one of the main questions, and we ended up answering it in a slightly “un-Drupally” way.

On our old Drupal 6 projects, the text was stored in a separate ‘Messages’ node type. This was a bit unwieldy, and it was always quite tricky to figure out what was the right node to edit.

For our Drupal 7 projects, we used the translation interface, even on a monolingual site, where we translated from English to British English. It seemed like a great idea to the development team, but the content editors always found it unintuitive, struggling to find the right string to edit, especially for common strings like button labels. It also didn’t allow the content team to preview changes to the app text.

We wanted to maintain everything related to the application in one place, in order to keep things simpler for developers and content editors. This, along with the need to manage revisions of the app configuration, led us down the route of using a single node to manage each application.

This approach makes it easy to integrate the applications with any of the good stuff that Drupal provides, whether that’s managing meta tags, translation, revisions, or something else that we haven’t thought of.

The SPALP module also provides event dispatchers to allow configuration to be altered. For instance, we set different API endpoints in test environments.

Another nice feature is that in the node edit form, the JSON object is converted into a usable set of form fields using the JSON forms library. This generic approach means that we don’t need to spend time copying boilerplate Form API code to build configuration forms when we build a new application - instead the developers working on the JavaScript code write their configuration as JSON in a way that makes sense for their application, and generate a schema from that. When new configuration items need to be added, we only need to update the JSON and the schema.

Each application only needs a very simple Drupal module to define its library, so we’re able to build the React code independently, and bring it into Drupal as a Composer dependency.

The repository includes a small example module to show how to implement these patterns, and hopefully other teams will be able to use it on other projects.

As with any project, it’s not complete. So far we’ve only built one application following this approach, and it seems to be working pretty well. Among the items in the issue queue is better integration with configuration management system, so that we can make it clear if a setting has been overridden for the current environment.

I hope that this module will be useful for other teams - if you’re building JavaScript applications that work with Drupal, please try it out, and if you use it on your project, I’d love to hear about it. Also, if you spot any problems, or have any ideas for improvements, please get in touch via the issue queue.

A framework for progressively decoupled Drupal was originally published by Capgemini at Capgemini Engineering on December 14, 2018.

'Tis the season for giving. This is the first of many articles about why and how to give back to the community. The information can be used by individuals, agencies, and companies that want to increase their community contribution efforts.

https://drupal.stackexchange.com/a/273986/15055

* description needs to be written
* screenshots need to be added
* tests need to be written
* README needs to be added

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