Moodle in English: Plugins and problems in database schema

Plugins and problems in database schema

by Séverin Terrier - Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 5:18 PM

Hi,

I've launched the script admin/cli/check_database_schema.php on several Moodle instances, used from years, and found problems for several plugins.

I think it's a coherence problem between files db/upgrade.php and db/install.xml.
Plugin developpers should think to adapt the db/upgrade.php file to reflect changes in db/install.xml.

On the other hand, administrators should think to launch admin/cli/check_database_schema.php before and after each plugin update. That would allow them to see problems soon when a new plugin version comes out, with this problem, to report it to the developper.

For the benefit of the whole community, what would be the best way to verify lots of plugins? Install an old Moodle version, with old plugins versions, and try to update them (several times) to see where the problem occur? Ask administrators to launch admin/cli/check_database_schema.php on there Moodle installations and publish the results?

And then, how to inform plugin developpers so that they can improve plugins?

Séverin

Re: Plugins and problems in database schema

by Séverin Terrier - Thursday, March 5, 2020, 4:40 PM

Hi,

No reactions, ideas?

So, i've opened a discussion in General developper forum pointing here ; hope it will help having more people informed, and more answers.

Séverin

Average of ratings: -

Re: Plugins and problems in database schema

by Tim Hunt - Thursday, March 5, 2020, 7:20 PM

It would also be good to add a check to moodle-plugin-ci script to catch this, so such problems are caught during development (for people who have automated testing set up), rather than waiting for people to install the plugin.

Average of ratings:Useful (1)

Re: Plugins and problems in database schema

by Renaat Debleu - Thursday, March 5, 2020, 8:11 PM

Hi,

It is a very good idea to check_database_schema after each plugin update. This script already saved me a couple of times from installing defective plugins.

However the script does not detect violations sometimes found by the XMLDB editor. Perhaps the script should also check indexes, integers and foreign keys (cfr foreign key violations in the custom_cert plugin).

Average of ratings:Useful (1)

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