Handling Configuration Updates

Varbase utilizes Drupal's configuration management which made it extremely resilient to manage update paths for configuration changes in Varbase versions.

Change or Update Types

In Varbase, we categorize configuration changes and updates into 4 types:

Update Type	Description	Examples
Forced Update	We have a new module that became a dependency, a configuration "fix", or a database table alter.This is forced and will always be executed through hook_update.	Increasing the "Maximum length" of a field of type "Text"Enabling a low-risk module that will become a standard in Varbase
Forced Update if Unchanged	Mostly a configuration change. The hook_update we check if this setting remained the same before we do the update, so we don’t override user’s setting. If the user has overridden it, it becomes an “Optional Update” - see below.	Changed a checkbox default value.​Added a new CKEditor button to the a text format toolbar configuration.
Optional Update	A nice enhancement that we recommend users to use or an update that failed to apply - see "Forced Update if Unchanged" above. There’s no hook_update for this. The UI would give instructions to the users on how to apply this update or manually by liking to release notes or help articles.	Introduced an updated view with more exposed filters for admins to manage content.
No Update	Only new installs would get this change.	A new theme has been introduced.