Martin Anderson-Clutz, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Acquia and an active contributor to Drupal, shares his insights on accessibility in web development following a recent DOJ ruling. The conversation dives into the practical features of the Font Your Face module, enhancing web font management for Drupal sites. They also discuss community engagement through events like the Florida Drupal Camp, improvements in event recipes, and the push for a robust Drupal curriculum in universities. Expect a mix of technical talk and lighthearted banter!
The recent DOJ Accessibility ruling mandates compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards for government websites, influencing accessibility efforts across sectors.
The 'Font Your Face' module simplifies font management in Drupal, allowing users to integrate web fonts easily without CSS knowledge.
The Open University Initiative aims to develop an open-source curriculum for teaching Drupal, promoting broader access to educational resources in higher education.
Deep dives
DOJ Accessibility Ruling Implications
The recent ruling by the Department of Justice regarding web accessibility has significant implications for government websites operating under the WCAG 2.1 standards. Jurisdictions have varying deadlines to comply based on their size, with larger entities needing to meet requirements by April 2026 while smaller jurisdictions have until 2027. This ruling not only emphasizes the need for accessible public-facing content but may also influence commercial sites in the future, as legal precedents suggest ongoing concerns about accessibility standards across various sectors. The ruling highlights the necessity for ongoing audits and improvements, particularly as many governmental organizations have historically neglected web accessibility.
Font Your Face Module Overview
The 'Font Your Face' module simplifies the process of managing and integrating web fonts into Drupal sites directly from the admin interface. Available for multiple Drupal versions, the module supports various font providers, such as Google and Adobe, making it easy for users to browse and select fonts without the need for CSS coding. It has an active installation base across numerous sites, underlining its practical value for site builders. However, performance concerns have been raised as clients often prefer curated fonts served locally to mitigate CSP issues.
Drupal CMS Event Recipe Development
The development of the Drupal CMS event recipe aims to streamline event management by providing templates that simplify the creation and setup processes. This includes features like event calendars, registrations, and recurring events, making it easier for site builders to manage events without needing extensive Drupal expertise. Recent updates have focused on aligning with user expectations and facilitating better integrations with existing Drupal functionalities. As these recipes continue to evolve, they offer a promising future for enhanced usability and a more intuitive experience for managing events within Drupal.
Tooling and Standards for Core Development
Core development in Drupal emphasizes adherence to PHP standards to ensure code quality, with a system of baselines that allows developers to address existing legacy code issues without hindering progress. This approach includes a commitment to maintaining new code that meets modern standards while also allowing for gradual updates to older code. The introduction of tools like DDEV further assists in testing and development processes, providing an efficient environment for running unit and functional tests. These developments are significant for improving the overall quality and security of Drupal core.
Open University Initiative for Drupal Education
The Open University Initiative seeks to create an open-source curriculum for universities to teach Drupal, addressing the growing adoption of Drupal within higher education. This initiative aims to make resources and educational materials widely available, alleviating the burden on individual institutions to create and maintain their own content. The curriculum's development could produce a new generation of Drupal advocates and skilled practitioners, serving both the educational sector and the growing demand for Drupal expertise in the workforce. Collaborations with universities could lead to beneficial projects, further integrating practical applications of Drupal within academic settings.
Today we are talking about some things are on our mind including, The DOJ Accessibility ruling,Drupal CMS Event Recipes and Tooling for core development with our Hosts. We’ll also cover @font-your-face as our module of the week.
How old: created in May 2010 by Scott Reynen, but the most recent release was by Henrique Mendes (hmendes) of CI&T
Versions available: 7.x-2.8 and 4.0.0 versions available, the latter of which support Drupal 9.4 and 10.
Maintainership
Actively maintained
Security coverage
Test coverage
Documentation, but looks like it might be ready for a refresh
Number of open issues: 48 open issues, 8 of which are bugs against the current branch
Usage stats:
32,213 sites
Module features and usage
The module provides an interface to browse fonts from Google, Adobe, Typekit, and more
License restrictions for fonts are clearly indicated
When you find a font you want to use, you just click “enable”. You don’t need to write any CSS or define a library, and it’s easy to mix-and-match fonts from different providers. It can even make it easier to include your own local fonts
The module includes submodules for the different font providers, so you enable the submodules based on where you want to use fonts from
Then you can import the fonts for those providers, though you do need an API key to import fonts from Google
The module does also have an API, so you can write your own modules to integrate with other font providers, or access the information about available fonts
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