Let's kill $user->data

Having supplied this patch http://drupal.org/node/7
9804 (needs a 4.7
backport) - I agree that $user->data is mostly a
headache.  However,
as Chris says, there could be effective ways to use this
column.

My suggestion would be establish a mechanism for cleanly
separating in
the user add/edit form those form values that should get
saved into
the data field.  That way, form values don't have to be
carefully
unset() to avoid having them saved into the data column.

For example, set up a form element in the default form like:

$form['data'] = array('#tree' => TRUE);

And then modules could form_alter this and add items like;

$form['data']['mymodule'] = array(
  '#type' => 'checkbox',
  '#title' => 'Should this be set?',
);

So only form values under 'data' would get saved into the
data column.

--------
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 09:58:07 +0100
From: "Karoly Negyesi" <karolynegyesi.net>
Subject: [development] Let's kill $user->data
To: devel <developmentdrupal.org>
Message-ID: <op.tjetu5dvq2e0ribean>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; delsp=yes;
charset=utf-8

Hi,

Two steps

a) We remove $user->data handling code from D6 core. No
save, no load. New
installs won't have this column.
b) D7 will drop the $user->data if it exists. (SELECT *
FROM user,
$account = db_fetch_array, if(isset($account['data'])) -- no
need for DDL
to check for a column).

This way D6 contribs can clean up $user->data and migrate
to their own
tables.

Regards

NK