Hidden dependency on node module

Proposed resolutions (one of these):
1) Add drupal/node as dependency in the info.yml
2) Add a new entity to entity_embed that is expressly for the purpose of creating the formatter.
3) Use a different entity, such as User (which is more common than Node). Could there be a Drupal site without User module installed?
4) See if there's a way to do the same thing without using an entity

Here's solution number 2. I'm not sure if I should have gone number 1 or number 2.

I think for number 2, we'd have to install the entity to pass that test. This would mean we'd have a useless database table added. Is there any way around that? I don't think the database table hurts anything, but it has no purpose other than legitimizing our content entity.

I just had an idea. Can't we just use the entity type that will be embedded?

Oh, I guess the parent in this context must be a content entity, but the embed could be another type of entity since we're rendering a field on an entity, such as a config entity which isn't fieldable, so we can't just use the same type as the embed.

Update: I don't think this is true:

I guess the parent in this context must be a content entity,

It seems to work using a config entity as the phony parent.

At least when I was testing, it seems the reason it's done the way it's done is that entity reference formatters call getEntity on the field item list, somewhere in here:
$formatter->prepareView([$node->id() => $items]);

It looks like a non content entity works though. Since we already have a dependency on embed, maybe we could use the EmbedButton entity.

I'm surprised this worked.

Wow, nice find. This has been this way since commit 862f82a from May 30, 2014. Five years ago in eight days!

I think this is … very hairy. But obviously a pre-existing problem. This makes it less coupled, so is a step in the right direction. If @dpi confirms this works, I'm okay with committing this.

Clarifying what this still needs.

Hm, interesting. All of this is definitely very smelly :P

So now the tables have turned: rather than @dpi needing to approve @oknate's proposal, now @oknate needs to approve @dpi's proposal :)

Many thanks to the both of you! 🙏

Update hook ran fine, and it doesn't create a table, so it solves my major problem with proposal number 2. I also find the name nicely self-explaining.

mysql> show tables like '%fake%';
Empty set (0.00 sec)

I tested it manually and it works fine. I ran it through coder sniffer and didn't see anything to change.

This is awesome. I didn't know there was a null ContentEntityNullStorage. I can think of several times over the last few years when this would have been useful.

    'handlers' => [
      'storage' => 'Drupal\\Core\\Entity\\ContentEntityNullStorage',
    ],

Thanks, @oknate!

🚢

#18: lovely :)