Drupal Development Tricks for Designers

Chapter 2. Working on the Command Line: Some Basic Commands

Okay, folks, here we are: it’s time to start looking at the command line. Back when I was a young and naïve Drupal designer, I fought passionately against the command line, arguing that Drupal should be easy enough that I shouldn’t need to use Terminal to get things done. And technically, many aspects of Drupal are easy enough to get away without needing it. But, my friend, easy (or rather, easy-ish) doesn’t mean efficient. Since then, I’ve made a point of learning just enough command line to get by.

Here’s why you should use the command line:

• It’s quicker. Many commands are just a few characters, and can get you to what you need to be doing in half the time of ordinary methods. When we get into Drush in Chapter 3, you’ll see this firsthand.

• It makes you feel like a ninja. Let’s face it: even with all the wonderful usability enhancements that have been built into Drupal 7, working in Drupal can be intimidating for people who aren’t developers by training. Being able to work in the command line, just a little bit, can be ridiculously gratifying.

• It makes developers like you. While I’ve certainly annoyed my share of developers by asking them constant questions about different command-line things, the majority of the developers I’ve spoken to genuinely appreciate someone who’s willing to learn the basics. For one thing, it makes their jobs easier (no constant asking for minor things while they’re trying to solve complex code issues); ...