[development] Extend database abstraction layer, to include table creation.

[Bèr Kessels]

Op zaterdag 13 mei 2006 14:50, schreef Dries Buytaert:
> Hundreds of books have been written about PHP and MySQL.  As a  
> newbie, you can buy these books and understand what Drupal's MySQL  
> schemas mean.  If we add an extra abstraction layer, these books are  
> going to be less useful.  Hence, we added a barrier.
>
> It does, however, help you write portable code, but that isn't  
> something most people are concerned about.  Newbies want to write  
> code that works, and that they can understand.  Being able to  
> understand something is very rewarding/motivating.  Portability is  
> not their main concern.  IMO.

There is a way inbetween this too. The Middle Road. And that is how Active 
Record works. 
Let us forget about OO vs non OO for a second and look at this:

Comment.find_by_id(12)
Comment.title = "Foo Bar"
Comment.save!

But you can also do:
Comment.find(:first,
		     :conditions => "id = 12")
..same as above ..

And even:
Comment.find_by_sql("select * from comments where id = 12")
..same as above..

Now. The point is that in your Day to Day work, you need not bother about SQL.  
But that is not the same as "not being allowed to use SQL". 

David Heinemeier Hansson:
"Some object-relational mappers seek to eradicate the use of SQL entirely..."
"..Active record does not. It was built on the notion that SQL is neither 
dirty nor bad, just verbose in the trivial cases."
"... Therefore, you shouldn't feel guilgy when you use find_by_sql() to handle 
either performance bottlenecks or hard queries. Start out using the 
object-oriented interface for productivity and pleasure, and then dip beneath 
the surface for a close-to-the-metal experience when you need to".

Which IMO is how we should treat Drupals "abstraction layer" too. 

Not try to pull out the SQL etc for sake of abstraction. Not making stuff more 
OO for the sake of portability. But only to make working on Drupal more fun, 
faster, and more productive. 

We should really try to avoid becoming a platform that you "fight against to 
get stuff done your way". It should be a fun and productive thing to do, 
working on a Drupal site. Working with Drupal should leave you all warm and 
fuzzy. With a "wow! this is very smart and usefull" erlebnis every hour.

Instead of a "why the *** cant I just use foo bar here. Wy the *** do i need 
to read sqlApiLayers introductions and manuals when all I need is to store a 
value."

I am not saying this is the case now. But I fear that if we continue rolling 
down the road of more complexity and more abstraction, without remaining 
pragmatic, we are going to loose precious developers.

Bèr