Config import same config different position in yml, keeps importing

Question

Best way to describe this is to show image, So this is one example and it keeps happening. I drush cim and it imports and then when I do drush cim again, it is the same and I can do this 1000 times. Have few of those files

Answer 1

I would typically see this situation when a module adjusts the schema for its config. Usually this would be because they add new config variables or change the existing config variables in some way. Sometimes a module is adding a config schema in the for the first time - they didn't previously have one. Or maybe they're just changing it so it makes more sense. There are any number of reasons they'd change it.

A module will provide an update hook to set new values for any new variables to not break a site. However, the new variables don't always go into the right order in the configuration (they're just being defaulted), it doesn't really matter what order they're in.

However, the config schema will enforce the configuration into a particular format only when you export configuration. That is, if you have active configuration, and the variables are in a jumbled order, they'll stay in that order until the configuration is exported (then imported). The export process will export the configuration in a manner that matches the config schema exactly. Then, the next time you import your configuration, the active configuration will be updated to match.

I've only found myself in scenarios like this when I've updated module code and performed the database updates, but forgot to export configuration after the database updates.