layout: post title: "First feature: Silent Auction" created: 1275890252 categories:

• Drupal tags:
• git
• Github
• Features
• silent auction
• exportables

I finally got around to making a "real" feature rather than just playing around with the functionality.

I had left a comment a while back on Peter Rukavina's post 'How to run a silent auction using Drupal' about how this would be perfect as a feature. So, I installed a new site, grabbed the necessary modules, and turned Peter's description into a silent_auction feature.

The code is available from my (also brand new) Silent Auction Github repo.

This was a very easy process. I'm familiar with Drupal site building, so I point and clicked my way through the content type and manage fields screens as the main component of the project. Peter did a very good job of documenting the steps he took, so it was easy to do.

I then added his custom code to the silent_auction.module file to override comment displays. I didn't quite complete the "amount raised" block - my buggy custom block code needs some help, Github collaborators welcome :P

This was also my first experience sitting down and getting into git / Github. It's pretty amazing how great the experience of git is when you're having your hand held by Github.

The nice thing to see about features like this is that it supports a builders point of view: a certain way of building something - no user signups / accounts, using comments as bids directly, etc., plus the choice of certain modules to put it together.

Node to node relations, making a full module, enabling paypal, requiring user accounts -- all are different ways one COULD choose to build a silent auction feature. If such a silentauction.module were to be built, we'd surely find a simple_silentauction.module not far behind.

Features nicely encapsulates a starting point, but with overrides being as easy as changing a few settings, it makes it simple to continue the lego block building tradition of Drupal, as opposed to the much heavier full module or full install profile. Nice!

Now, where do I go to bang people over the head to make sure all their contrib modules are exportable…

Useful links:

• Direct download of silent auction master branch code: http://github.com/bmann/Silent-Auction/tarball/master
• How to Build a New Feature - this has extended information for making an Open Atrium specific feature, but the basics are still there, especially the non-UI methods for making a new feature.
• Demo site: http://silentauction.bmannconsulting.com