How can I use hook_update_N() to update a FieldConfigStorage?

Question

This is the code I am attempting to use to update a content type with a new field. When I run drush dbup I get this error.

PHP Fatal error: Using $this when not in object context in EntityStoageBase.php.

function some_config_update_8101() {
  if (!FieldConfig::load('image_byline')) {
    $config_path = drupal_get_path('module', 'some_config') . '/config/install/field.field.node.main_image.field_image_byline.yml';
    $data = Yaml::parse($config_path);
    \Drupal::configFactory()->getEditable('field.field.node.main_image.field_image_byline')->setData($data)->save(TRUE);
    $message .= "FieldConfig installed for module some_config.\n";
  }
  else {
    $message .= "It didn't work!\n";
  }

  if (!FieldConfigStorage::load('image_byline')) {
    $config_path = drupal_get_path('module', 'some_config') . '/config/install/field.storage.node.field_image_byline.yml';
    $data = Yaml::parse($config_path);
    \Drupal::configFactory()->getEditable('field.storage.node.field_image_byline')->setData($data)->save(TRUE);
    $message .= "FieldConfigStorage installed for module some_config.\n";
  }
  else {
    $message .= "That didn't work either!\n";
  }
}

How is my code affecting the context of EntityStorageBase, if I have not changed code in that file?

Answer 1

Updating Entities and Fields in Drupal 8, in particular Updating field storage config items, shows the following example code.

if (!$field_storage_configs = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('field_storage_config')->loadByProperties(array('type' => 'taxonomy_term_reference'))) {
  return;
}

foreach ($field_storage_configs as $field_storage) {
  // Since the usual workflow for field storages do not allow changing the
  // field type, we have to work around it in this case.
  $new_field_storage = $field_storage->toArray();
  $new_field_storage['type'] = 'entity_reference';
  $new_field_storage['module'] = 'core';
  $new_field_storage['settings']['target_type'] = 'taxonomy_term';

  $vocabulary_name = $new_field_storage['settings']['allowed_values'][0]['vocabulary'];
  unset($new_field_storage['settings']['allowed_values']);

  $new_field_storage = FieldStorageConfig::create($new_field_storage);
  $new_field_storage->original = $new_field_storage;
  $new_field_storage->enforceIsNew(FALSE);

  $new_field_storage->save();
}

That example code updates an entity field to change its type; it doesn't add an entity field if that doesn't exist. Still, comparing that code with the code you are using, it's clear you are using the wrong class: It's FieldStorageConfig, which is a a configuration entity class, not FieldConfigStorage, which is a storage handler class.

Being a class that implements an entity, FieldStorageConfig has the create() static method and the load() static method.

The example code is still useful for your case, since it shows how to create a new entity field storage configuration entity. In your case, you will check first the field storage configuration entity doesn't already exist by calling FieldStorageConfig::load().

Answer 2

FieldConfigStorage::load() isn't static, so you can't use it statically.

Get an instance of FieldConfigStorage instead, and use that

if ($storage->load('image_byline')) {
  // ...
}