In this chapter, we looked at some of the ways we as module developers can set up simple and complex data processing tasks that can run at any time we want.
We started by looking into using the multirequest capabilities of the update hooks. This was a continuation from Chapter 8, The Database API, where we introduced them for the first time, and we have now seen how we can expand on their capabilities. Then, we turned to the more complex Batch API that uses similar, albeit more complex, techniques. This system allowed us to construct a series of operations that leveraged Drupal's multirequest capabilities. Our playground was the JSON products Importer, which now can handle large amounts of data without the concern of PHP memory timeouts. Next, we looked at how Drupal's cron system works and why it is there, and even saw an example of how as module developers...
