In the last chapter, we looked at changes to the theming system that were introduced in Drupal 7. These changes have made the API more robust and easier to use. They also make it easier to implement high quality themes for your site.
In this chapter, we will look at changes to the database abstraction layer of the Drupal API. There are several significant changes to the Drupal API that have been made for version 7. The biggest of these is the new DBTNG layer, which provides an abstracted layer between Drupal and the database that stores your content. We will explore the DBTNG layer in detail during this chapter. In the next chapter, we will explore the other major changes and new features of the API including:
Using the Field API
Image handling API
Revised tokens and actions
RDF API
Permissions changes
Taxonomy changes and much more...
Without further ADO, let's start looking into the new DBTNG layer, which is critical for all Drupal 7 modules.