Make install profiles optional on site install?

[mikemccaffrey]

Could we make the selection of an install profile optional? If we remove the minimal install profile in #1999 and make its actions the default, couldn't we then just allow people to skip running an install profile on site install?

[klonos]

I think that this was one of the 1-minute installation (or similarly branded) goals. I believe that we already have an issue for it, but can't find it.

👍 from me.

[mikemccaffrey]

I think that this was one of the 1-minute installation (or similarly branded) goals. I believe that we already have an issue for it, but can't find it.

That issues is #467. However, the profile selection process is currently skipped, so adding it back in and making it optional would actually increase time on the process However, I think it is an important step and worth the extra few seconds.

[klonos]

I always have #467 at the back of my mind each time I run the installer, and quite often I think that it might be worth having an "Advanced" fieldset, that is collapsed by default. We could then add sensible defaults for most of the less common settings presented to the user during the installation. A drop-down menu that allows selecting a profile fits the bill for something that could be added to that fieldset. The drop-down menu could be populated with profiles detected within /core/profiles, and /profiles.

Having said that, I think that things should be the opposite. We should have the standard profile be the default one selected; reason being that minimal would be the opposite of the goals we have for providing a better OOTB user experience (#2946).

If not hidden within an "Advanced" fieldset, I would then prefer it if there was a profile selection drop-down menu during the 1st step, same as when the user is asked to select a Language.

I would also like us to figure out a way to allow distributions to "lock" this setting, by providing two separate options: one to change the default, pre-selected profile, and another to allow hiding the drop-down menu completely.

[philsward]

Add 15 seconds to the install by providing a "choose a profile" page or force everyone to spend the next hour configuring things by hand so we can have a 1 min installer...

If this can be accomplished post install (as discussed in another issue), I would be fine with that approach as well.

[ghost]

I like this idea. It'll make a good solution for https://github.com/backdrop/backdrop-issues/issues/5587 where people can choose to install Backdrop without all the 'bloat' of default content, content types, vocabularies, extra views, etc.

@mikemccaffrey previously posted a list of what the Minimal install profile does in https://github.com/backdrop/backdrop-issues/issues/1999#issuecomment-230125461, but since that seems somewhat out-of-date, here's an updated list:

• Installs dblog as a dependency (it also 'depends' on node and layout, but they're both required by Backdrop anyway)
• Sets the default Site Name in the UI installer to the server name
• Sets the default theme to Basis (instead of Stark)
• Sets the homepage to node
• Gives all users (anonymous and authenticated) permission to access content

I think everything in that list is either a reasonable default, or needs updating anyway (e.g. homepage as node). With maybe the exception of installing dblog by default, I think all this can be updated and moved into core.