Drupal 8 custom modules - Installing additional configuration from YML files with a hook_update_N - module

Question

I have a custom module which installs a specific set of configurations - these are all stored in the config/install folder, which means they are installed when the module is installed.
The configuration includes a content type, paragraphs, view modes, form modes, field storages and fields attached to both the content type and the paragraphs, etc. The idea is to use this module to install a 'feature' (a blog) and use it across multiple sites, as well as provide updates and extensions when we add more stuff to this feature.
Since upon initial install, you cannot add more configuration through the config/install folder, I've been trying to find a way to import additional configuration files through an update hook, and this is one that works:
<?php
use \Symfony\Component\Yaml\Yaml;
/**
* Installs the file upload element
*/
function MODULE_NAME_update_8002() {
// Is the flaw with this the fact that the order of loading configurations now
// matters and is a little bit more difficult to deal with?
// NOTE: YES. If, for example, you comment out the installing of the
// field_storage for the field_cb_file, but try to add the field_cb_file to
// the paragraph type, the update is successful and no errors are thrown.
// This is basically me trying to re-create the drupal configuration management
// system, without the dependency checks, etc. What is the PROPER way of
// importing additional configuration from a module through an update?
// FIXME:
$configs_to_install = [
'paragraphs.paragraphs_type.cbsf_file_download',
'field.storage.paragraph.field_cb_file',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_file',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_heading',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_icon',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_text',
'core.entity_form_display.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.default',
'core.entity_view_display.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.default',
];
foreach ($configs_to_install as $config_to_install) {
$path = drupal_get_path('module', 'MODULE_NAME') . '/config/update_8002/' . $config_to_install . '.yml';
$content = file_get_contents($path);
$parsed_yml = Yaml::parse($content);
$active_storage = \Drupal::service('config.storage');
$active_storage->write($config_to_install, $parsed_yml);
}
}
however, there are flaws with this method since it means you have to order configuration files in the right order if they depend on each other, and any dependencies that are present in the config file are not checked.
Is there a way to utilise configuration management to import config properly, in this same, 'loop over the files' way? Or to point to a folder that contains all of the config files and install them?
EDIT: There are further issues with this method - even if you've ordered the files correctly in terms of dependencies, no database tables are created. The configuration is simply 'written in' as is, and no other part of Drupal seems to be made aware that new entities were created, so they cannot run any of the functions that are otherwise ran if you were to create the entities through Drupal GUI. Definitely not the recommended way of transferring more complex configuration.

Answer 1

I've pushed this a step further - there is a way to use the EntityTypeManager class to create / update configurations.
2 links have helped me with this largely:
https://drupal.stackexchange.com/questions/164713/how-do-i-update-the-configuration-of-a-module
pwolanins answer at the bottom provides a function that either updates the configuration if it exists, or creates the configuration outright.
https://www.metaltoad.com/blog/programmatically-importing-drupal-8-field-configurations
the code on this page gives a clearer idea of what is happening - for each configuration that you'd like to install, you run the YML file through the respective storage manager, and then create the appropriate entity configurations, which creates all of the required DB tables.
What I ended up doing was:
Utilised a slightly modified version of pwolanins code and create a generic config updater function -
function _update_or_install_config( String $prefix, String $update_id, String $module) {
$updated = [];
$created = [];
/** #var \Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigManagerInterface $config_manager */
$config_manager = \Drupal::service('config.manager');
$files = glob(drupal_get_path('module', $module) . '/config/update_' . $update_id. '/' . $prefix . '*.yml') ;
foreach ($files as $file) {
$raw = file_get_contents($file);
$value = \Drupal\Component\Serialization\Yaml::decode($raw);
if(!is_array($value)) {
throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('Invalid YAML file %s'), $file);
}
$type = $config_manager->getEntityTypeIdByName(basename($file));
$entity_manager = $config_manager->getEntityManager();
$definition = $entity_manager->getDefinition($type);
$id_key = $definition->getKey('id');
$id = $value[$id_key];
/** #var \Drupal\Core\Config\Entity\ConfigEntityStorage $entity_storage */
$entity_storage = $entity_manager->getStorage($type);
$entity = $entity_storage->load($id);
if ($entity) {
$entity = $entity_storage->updateFromStorageRecord($entity, $value);
$entity->save();
$updated[] = $id;
}
else {
$entity = $entity_storage->createFromStorageRecord($value);
$entity->save();
$created[] = $id;
}
}
return [
'udpated' => $updated,
'created' => $created,
];
}
I placed all of my yml files in folder config/update_8002, then utilised this function to loop over the config files in a hook_update_N function:
function MODULE_NAME_update_8002() {
$configs_to_install = [
'paragraphs.paragraphs_type.cbsf_file_download',
'core.entity_form_display.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.default',
'core.entity_view_display.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.default',
'field.storage.paragraph.field_cb_file',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_file',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_heading',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_icon',
'field.field.paragraph.cbsf_file_download.field_cb_text',
];
foreach ($configs_to_install as $config_to_install) {
_update_or_install_config('paragraphs.paragraphs_type', '8002', 'MODULE_NAME');
_update_or_install_config('field.storage.paragraph', '8002', 'MODULE_NAME');
_update_or_install_config('field.field.paragraph', '8002', 'MODULE_NAME');
_update_or_install_config('core.entity_view_display.paragraph', '8002', 'MODULE_NAME');
_update_or_install_config('core.entity_form_display.paragraph', '8002', 'MODULE_NAME');
}
}
Note that the _update_or_install_config function loops over all of the configs in the folder that match a specific entity type manager - thus you should just include the prefix in the function, and all of the YML files that import configuration of the same type will be included.