If you're a web programmer, your experiences have taught you certain lessons-and only some of them apply well to Drupal. Drupal has its own set of programming principles that require a different approach, and many programmers make mistakes when relying on skills they've used for other projects. This book will show you which programming techniques you can use-and which you should avoid-when building web applications with this popular content management framework. Updated to cover both Drupal 7 and Drupal 8, the guidelines in this book demonstrate which programming practices conform to the "Drupal way" and which don't. The book also serves as an excellent guide for Drupal 7 programmers looking to make the transition to Drupal 8. Get a complete overview of Drupal, including Drupal core and add-on modules and themes Learn Drupal's basic programming principles, such as the ability to customize behavior and output with hooks Compare Drupal 7 and Drupal 8 programming methods, APIs, and concepts Discover common Drupal programming mistakes-and why hacking is one of them Explore specific areas where you can put your programming skills to work Learn about the new object-oriented Drupal 8 API, including plugins and services