Moving a DB table into a different module

Question

Here is cleanetica_advanced.install file (of a "custom" module containing particulars of the site we work on):

<?php
function cleanetica_advanced_schema() {
  $schema['video'] = array (
    'description' => 'Videos with HTML titles',
    'fields' => array(
      'id' => array(
        'description' => 'Primary key for our table of videos',
        'type' => 'serial',
        'unsigned' => TRUE,
        'not null' => TRUE,
      ),
      'urlinfo' => array(
        'description' => 'The string referring to the video',
        'type' => 'varchar',
        'length' => '255',
        'not null' => TRUE
      ),
      'title' => array(
        'description' => 'The title for a video, used in admin part only',
        'type' => 'text',
        'size' => 'medium',
        'not null' => TRUE
      ),
      'richtitle' => array(
        'description' => 'The HTML-formatted title for a video',
        'type' => 'text',
        'size' => 'medium',
        'not null' => TRUE
      ),
    ),
    'primary key' => array('id'),
  );

  return $schema;
}

function cleanetica_advanced_update_1(){
  drupal_install_schema('cleanetica_advanced');
}

I now think that it is better to create a separate module to manage 'video' database table and related things.

The trouble is that I have already created 'video' DB table. How to move/transfer a table into an other module?

Answer 1

The simplest way is to uninstall your existing module completely (not just disable), cut the schema definition from the old to the new, then enable both modules. The uninstall will remove the table, and the install will add it back in from the other module.

You'll also want to get rid of the cleanetica_advanced_update_1() function from your current module as that could cause some interesting inconsistencies if left unchecked.