Using Features Override to Capture Local Site Customization

Using Features Override in Mukurtu

Features Override is a module included in Mukurtu (version 2.0.7 and later) that can be used to preserve some local site customization during Mukurtu updates. Much of Mukurtu is packaged using Drupal Features. During updates, new copies of these features are installed and may overwrite local site customization. Features Override can be used to package local site customization into one or many features that will be re-applied after updates.

General Steps

• Identify local site customization that result in overridden feature components
• Create a new feature that includes those overridden components from the "Feature Overrides" section
• Upload and enable the new feature on your site
• Proceed with the Mukurtu update as normal

Note: The following steps require site administrator credentials and access to the Mukurtu installation's file system. The exact procedure will be highly dependent on the exact customization made, this is only intended as a general overview.

Identify Local Site Customization

• Visit the features admin page at 'admin/structure/features'
• For each feature that has a state of "Overridden", click the "Overridden" link to show the detailed list of changes
• Make a note of each change, noting both the category (e.g., "DS_FIELD_SETTINGS") and the specific component (e.g., "node|community|full")

Create a New Features Override Feature

• Create a new feature by visiting '/admin/structure/features/create'
• In the "General Information" section, give your feature a name (e.g., "My Local Site Customizations")
• Expand "Features Override" in the "Components" section
• For each of your identified local site customization, select the corresponding checkbox (e.g., "ds_field_settings node|community|full")
• Press the "Download feature" button, which will download your feature as a file

Upload and Enable the New Feature

• Extract the feature folder from the downloaded file
• Upload to the 'sites/all/modules/custom/features' directory of your Mukurtu site. Refer to your hosting provider's documentation on how to upload files
• Visit the features admin again page at 'admin/structure/features'
• Find your new feature, enable it, and press the "Save settings" button at the bottom of the page

Proceed with the Mukurtu Update

• With the previous steps complete, you can follow the Mukurtu update procedure. Mukurtu features will be updated and reverted to their original state, but your any local site customization captured in your new feature will be re-applied after the update
• It is a good idea to capture a backup of your site prior to update, in the case that some local site customization are missed