Drupal core recipes should use the createIfNotExists action where possible to allow for better composability and reusability

Drupal core' Standard recipes have been converted from importing configuration from the /config folder, to being created only if they do not exist via the createIfNotExists config action. This allows multiple recipes to depend on, and build upon these recipes.

To validate, apply each recipe twice.

Appears the standard install recipe test is failing.

Adding some ideas for tests. This is the first. If I try applying core's recipes to a site that has been created with the standard profile, or re-applying recipes, I get the following errors:

1. Install Standard

2. Apply core/recipes/article_comment

The configuration 'core.entity_form_display.node.article.default' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

3. Apply core/recipes/article_tags

The configuration 'core.entity_form_display.node.article.default' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

4. Apply core/recipes/basic_block_type

The configuration 'field.field.block_content.basic.body' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

5. Apply core/recipes/basic_html_format_editor

The configuration 'filter.format.basic_html' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

6. Apply core/recipes/comment_base

The configuration 'field.field.comment.comment.comment_body' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

7. Apply core/recipes/core_recommended_admin_theme

The configuration 'system.theme' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

8. Apply core/recipes/core_recommended_front_end_theme

The configuration 'system.theme' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

8. Apply core/recipes/feedback_contact_form

The configuration 'contact.form.feedback' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

9. Apply core/recipes/full_html_format_editor

The configuration 'filter.format.full_html' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

10. Apply core/recipes/page_content_type

The configuration 'field.field.node.page.body' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

11. Apply core/recipes/standard

The configuration 'field.field.block_content.basic.body' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

12. Apply core/recipes/standard_responsive_images

The configuration 'image.style.max_1300x1300' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

13. Apply core/recipes/tags_taxonomy

The configuration 'taxonomy.vocabulary.tags' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration

There are couple of problems here:

Drupal does not recognize when the config is identical. I wrote a recipe and applied it. When I immediately tried to apply it again, I got "The configuration 'CONFIG_ID' exists already and does not match the recipe's configuration". The config cannot have actually changed. I suspect this is because of key order, which often makes big diffs on config export even when nothing has changed.

When applying a recipe, I should be able to overwrite the existing config. The point of applying a recipe is to get the config to be a particular way. If the config exists but is different from what the recipe calls for, I should have the option to have the site use the recipe's version. It should probably be the default to do this this way. Otherwise, Drupal will say that the recipe has been installed when in fact at least some of what the recipe calls for will not have been done.

@liam

Take a look at 🐛 Recipes' imported config is validated too strictly by default Active that was just added to 10.4 and 11. That provides more leniency for configuration files from modules and the config folder.

This issue should be closed as the referenced issue is a much better solution than using createIfNotExists as it is a pretty dumb config action and really only checks for existence of the ID/config file itself, not the actual attributes in the file.

Thanks for your reply, @thejimbirch.

I have opened a ticket regarding the first issue I mention in #7; see 🐛 Drupal does not recognize when the config is identical Active .

Regarding the second issue, I write about a possible solution in #3478669-5: Consider making recipes' comparison with existing config lenient by default → .