Talking Drupal

Today we are talking about Drupal Canvas, What it is, and when we can use it with guest Lauri Timmanee. We’ll also cover Starshot Demo Design System as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/518 Topics What is Drupal Canvas The Evolution and Future of Drupal Canvas Building with Drupal Canvas: Components and Templates User Experience and Flexibility in Drupal Canvas Collaboration and Extensibility in Drupal Canvas Default Components in Drupal Canvas Introduction to Modular Components Drupal CMS and Site Templates Acquia Source and Drupal Canvas Integration Pricing and Use Cases for Acquia Source Canvas Beta and Stability Migration and Upgrade Paths AI Integration in Drupal Canvas Future of Drupal Canvas Resources Civictheme storybook Acquia Source Guests Lauri Timmanee - lauriii Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to try out Canvas (previously known as Experience Builder) with a fully built-out design system? There’s a Drupal theme for that. Module name/project name: Starshot Demo Design System Brief history How old: created in July 2024 by longtime Drupalist Kristen Pol of Salsa Digital Versions available: 1.0.6, which supports Drupal 10 and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Documentation - Multipage writeup of SDDS, including contribution and development guides Number of open issues: 34 open issues, 3 of which are active bugs Usage stats: 79 sites Module features and usage Some of our users may have already tried out the pre-release demo of Canvas that phenaproxima posted on Github. That actually has the Starshot Demo Design System, or SDDS, baked in. So, even if you watched a demo video of Canvas, you’ve probably seen SDDS in action SDDS is itself built on CivicTheme, a Drupal theme built to act as a component-based atomic design system. As such, CivicTheme includes a rich component library, built from published Figma and Storybook UI Kits. And because some of the early builds for SDDS were for GovCMS, the Australian whole-of-government CMS project, it is accessible, with WCAG 2.2 compliance out-of-the-box While the official purpose of SDDS is providing a platform to use for demos in Driesnotes and other presentations to illustrate the progress being made on Canvas, I think it’s also safe to say that testing the latest features of Canvas with a fully-realized design system has also helped to identify issues in Canvas itself. That means the products of all the work that has gone into SDDS will include a more production-ready stable release when that gets tagged (hopefully in time for Vienna)

Chris Wells, Co-founder and CTO of Redfin Solutions, shares his passion for open-source development and insights on Drupal. The discussion covers exciting innovations at DrupalCon Vienna, including a custom project browser and AI integration, enhancing user experiences. They also tackle the personal challenges of navigating ADHD, sharing strategies for success. With light-hearted reflections on summer memories and the future of web development, this conversation is both engaging and informative.

Martin Anderson-Clutz, a principal solutions engineer at Acquia and the world’s first triple-triple certified expert, joins the discussion to uncover the latest advancements in Drupal's Event Platform. He shares insights into the new multi-event architecture and the innovative Event Horizon theme, highlighting its ties to astrophysics. The conversation dives into community engagement for upcoming features and improvements, while also covering effective data manipulation through the ECA Tamper module. Listeners are encouraged to get involved and explore the evolving landscape of event management in Drupal.

Dharizza Espinach, a Drupal developer and educator from Costa Rica, shares her insights on Drupal CMS analytics and recipes. She discusses the challenges of content migration and the importance of effective tools for optimizing data accuracy. The conversation dives into Google Analytics integration and how to make it user-friendly for developers. Collaboration within the community is emphasized, along with the balancing act of personal and professional contributions to open-source projects. Plus, juicy insights on the new Field Data module for better content management!

In this episode, Martin and Jürgen dive deep into the concept of modular API, ECA and more. Jürgen shares insights from Dev Days in Lubin, key improvements in ECA 3.0, and the exciting potential of leveraging the BPMN interface for AI. The conversation also addresses future aspirations for ECA. Additionally, Jürgen and Martin share their personal travel hacks and discuss the intersection of Drupal travel and photography. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe008 Topics Introduction to Modular API Conversations at Dev Days Exploring Modeler API AI Integration and Future Prospects Challenges and Comparisons with Other Tools Community Collaboration and AI Initiatives Future Roadmap for ECA Travel Hacks and Personal Insights Conclusion and Final Thoughts Martin Anderson-Clutz Martin Anderson-Clutz is a highly respected figure in the Drupal community, known for his extensive contributions as a developer, speaker, and advocate for open-source innovation. Based in London, Ontario, Canada, Martin began his career as a graphic designer before transitioning into web development. His journey with Drupal started in late 2005 when he was seeking a robust multilingual CMS solution, leading him to embrace Drupal's capabilities. Martin holds the distinction of being the world's first Triple Drupal Grand Master, certified across Drupal 7, 8, and 9 as a Developer, Front-End Specialist, and Back-End Specialist. He also possesses certifications in various Acquia products and is UX certified by the Nielsen Norman Group. Currently serving as a Senior Solutions Engineer at Acquia, Martin has been instrumental in advancing Drupal's ecosystem. He has developed and maintains several contributed modules, including Smart Date and Search Overrides, and has been actively involved in the Drupal Recipes initiative, particularly focusing on event management solutions. His current work on the Event Platform aims to streamline the creation and management of event-based websites within Drupal. Beyond development, Martin is a prominent speaker and educator, having presented at numerous Drupal events such as DrupalCon Barcelona and EvolveDrupal. He is also a co-host of the "Talking Drupal" podcast, where he leads the "Module of the Week" segment, sharing insights on various Drupal modules. Martin's dedication to the Drupal community is evident through his continuous efforts to mentor, innovate, and promote best practices within the open-source landscape. Jürgen Haas Jürgen Haas is a seasoned software architect, open source advocate, and long-time contributor to the Drupal community. Based in Germany, Jürgen brings decades of experience in enterprise IT solutions, specializing in system architecture, security, and digital transformation. He is known for his leadership within the ECA project and for being the track lead for privacy and data protection in Drupal CMS. Jürgen is an active participant in community initiatives, a frequent speaker at Drupal events, and a mentor to developers looking to deepen their expertise in scalable and secure web applications. His work reflects a passion for innovation, collaboration, and the power of open-source technology to solve real-world business challenges Guests Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Jürgen Haas - jurgenhaas

Michael Schmid, founder of Amazee.ai and an advocate for open source technologies, joins to discuss the intersection of AI and privacy. He emphasizes the importance of safeguarding user data and how Amazee.ai is leading the charge in privacy-focused AI solutions. The conversation dives into integrating AI with Drupal, showcasing tools like LiteLLM for streamlined API management and enhanced search functionalities. Michael also outlines practical steps for implementing AI in Drupal, addressing privacy risks and the potential of AI-driven content management.

Today we are talking about HTMX, What it is, and why it could be a game changer for Drupal with our guests Shawn Duncan & Carson Gross. We’ll also cover RefreshLess as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/514 Topics What is HTMX HTMX and Drupal Integration Community and Contribution Discussing HTMX and Its Integration HTMX's Stability and Composition Programming with HTMX: A Lego-like Experience Drupal's HTMX Initiative Proof of Concept and Community Involvement HTMX's Flexibility and Developer Experience Big Pipe and HTMX Integration Comparing HTMX with Hotwire Turbo Getting Involved with the HTMX Initiative Resources [Plan] Gradually replace Drupal's AJAX system with HTMX HTMX in core Proof of Concept HTMX contrib module HTMX Documentation Hypermedia Systems - Carson’s book A comparison of Hypermedia Application architecture with Single Page Application. Available for purchase and free online. Academic Paper on HTMX FACET Essays HTMX Sucks Locality of behavior Future of HTMX Drupal community initiatives Contrast of htmx vs hotwire grugbrain Primeagen Fireship dev Guests Shawn Duncan - HTMX intiative fathershawn Carson Gross - bigsky.software 1cg Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to give your Drupal site a more application-like feel, by only reloading parts of the page that need to change? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: RefreshLess Brief history How old: created in Mar 2016 by Wim Leers, but recent releases are by ambient.impact, a fellow Canadian Versions available: 2.0.0-alpha9 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Documentation Number of open issues: 40 open issues, only 2 of which are active bugs against the current branch Usage stats: 2 sites Module features and usage The RefreshLess module aims to give Drupal sites a smooth, fast, and responsive experience by using Javascript to selectively update the parts of the existing page that need to change, instead of a full page refresh. It uses the HTML5 History API to ensure the browsing behaviour is equivalent, and unsupported browsers will see a standard page refresh instead Using RefreshLess also makes it possible to use transitions (with or without the View Transition API in modern browsers), morphing, and persistent elements to enhance the application-like feel There is some indication that sites may encounter issues if they use RefreshLess with JS aggregation enabled, so it’s probably better to use it if your site has HTTP/2 enabled RefreshLess is currently built on the Turbo library originally built for Ruby on Rails, but there is already an issue open to move the implementation to use HTMX instead

Today we are talking about Working from home, heading back to the office, and the current state of remote work with guest Kaleem Clarkson. We’ll also cover Microsoft 365 Connector as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/513 Topics Exploring Remote Work with Kaleem Clarkson Trust Issues in Management Employee Red Flags and Data-Driven Decisions Managerial Concerns with Return to Office Policies Respectful Implementation of Return to Office Challenges of Enforcing Office Mandates Benefits of In-Person Work Hybrid Work Models and Their Challenges Variations in Hybrid Work Policies Impact of Seniority on Office Policies Cutting DEI Initiatives: Fear and Legal Risks Employer Brand and Social Contracts Resources Blend Me Inc Guests Kaleem Clarkson - kclarkson Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted your Drupal site to integrate with Microsoft 365, so users can log in with their Azure AD credentials, and then have direct access to shared files, see recent emails, and more? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Microsoft 365 Connector Brief history How old: created in July 2019 by immoreel, though the most recent release is by Boris Doesborg (batigolix), both of Finalist, a Dutch Drupal shop Versions available: 5.0.22 and 5.1.0-beta1, the latter of which supports Drupal 9.4, 10, and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Two documentation guide available Number of open issues: 18 open issues, 1 of which is a bug, though it is postponed waiting for more info Usage stats: 365 sites Module features and usage This module integrates your Drupal site with the Microsoft Graph API, a unified API that provides a single endpoint for accessing data and intelligence from Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more Microsoft 365 Connector includes more than a dozen submodules, each of which provide specific capabilities like Single Sign-On, syncing data to Drupal user accounts, sending Teams messages from within Drupal, and more You can also use this module to do things like automatically add an event node to your Outlook calendar, and invite other people at the same time It’s worth noting that in the documentation guide the submodules are named “Office 365”, which is probably what the module was named until around 5 years ago when Microsoft retired the Office 365 name Finally, setting up this module requires registering an app in Azure AD, so it’s not for the casual user. But if you're working on an intranet or similar collaboration platform for an organization that is heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 suite, this could make for a compelling integration

In this episode of Talking Drupal Cafe, Stephen and Nic continue Talking Drupal #510's discuss about Drupal Hooks. They discuss the challenges, successes, and the importance of community collaboration in open-source projects. Nic also touches on the personal impact of working on Drupal core and the balancing act between contributing to the project and client work. Along the way, they share personal anecdotes, including a discussion on watches and coffee preferences. Watch this insightful conversation to better understand the evolution of Drupal hooks and the dedication behind core development. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe007 Topics Stephen Cross Stephen Cross is a seasoned Drupal developer, community advocate and content creator with over a two decades of experience building and optimizing web applications. In 2013 he founded and still hosts the Talking Drupal podcast, a community show where he’s published over 500 interviews and deep-dives with core contributors, agency leads and end-users—helping drive best practices and innovation across the ecosystem. Capitalizing on his podcast production expertise, Stephen also offers end-to-end remote video podcast services: he handles all technical planning, multi-camera recording, post-production editing and distribution, so clients can focus solely on their content. He’s used this service to help real-estate, fitness, interior-design and other niche shows establish polished, engaging interview- and panel-style programs. Outside of Drupal and media, Stephen is an horology enthusiast, he collects Casio and mechanical watches, and is a Linux and Raspberry Pi enthusiast. Nic Laflin Nic Laflin is an accomplished Drupal architect and the founder of nLightened Development LLC, a web development and design firm established in 2008 that leverages highly extensible CMS frameworks to solve complex business challenges. They’ve been working with Drupal since late 2008, delivering creative solutions for a diverse roster of clients—from government agencies and e-commerce platforms to higher-education institutions and HIPAA-compliant medical services. Recently, Nic has focused on Native Web Components for platform-agnostic design, and has deep experience integrating AWS and building mobile application back ends. A recognized Drupal guru, Nic speaks regularly at regional Drupal camps and co-hosts the Talking Drupal podcast, where they share best practices and innovations with the community. Outside of technology, Nic enjoys building with LEGO, experimenting in the kitchen, and designing home automation projects. You can learn more at www.nlightened.net. Discussing the Game Blueprints Drupal Hooks and Core Contributions Procedural vs Object-Oriented Hooks Challenges and Project Management Bulk Conversion and Future Steps Scaling Back and Procedural Hooks Challenges and Lessons Learned Balancing Core Contributions and Client Work Documentation and Community Awareness Impact on Client Work Core Committers and Project Management Coffee Preferences and Personal Interests Conclusion and Final Thoughts Guests Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan Stephen Cross - StephenCross.com

Today we are talking about The Member Platform, Why it was created, and How you can get involved with guest JD Leonard. We’ll also cover Profile as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/512 Topics Introduction to Member Platform Member Platform: Origin and Vision Member Platform Features and MVP Post-MVP Vision and Challenges SaaS Solutions and Drupal Forge CRM Project and Member Platform Vision Evaluating CRM Options Integrating External CRMs with Drupal Targeting Different Market Segments Current Progress and Future Plans Community Involvement and Contributions Getting Involved with Member Platform Resources Member Platform https://www.drupal.org/project/member Drupal Slack #member-platform Sign up for Member Platform news CRM https://www.drupal.org/project/crm Drupal Slack #crm Drupal forge Drupito https://debugacademy.com/ https://drupito.com/ Erpal CRM Core CIVICRM Contributors to Drupal Core Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi JD Leonard - jdleonard MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to store user information in one or more configurable profiles, independent of the user entity itself? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Profile Brief history How old: Project created in Oct 2015 by bojanz (boy-yan Z), but seems to originate in code that was in the 4.0.x branch of Drupal core. Recent releases are by Jonathan Sacksick (jsacksick) or Centarro Versions available: 8.x-1.12, which supports Drupal 9, 10, and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Number of open issues: 125 open issues, 53 of which are bugs Usage stats: 34,338 sites Module features and usage Profiles are conceptually separate from the user account, and users will even edit their profile in a separate tab, which is a pretty common pattern A site can have multiple profile types, and then use permissions and roles to determine who can create which kind of profile Profile forms can optionally be shown during registration Profile fields can also be set as private, meaning that the value will only be visible to the user and site admins By default profiles will be displayed on the user’s view page, and this can be configured in the “Manage Display” tab on accounts Profiles are also optionally revisionable The project page also notes that profiles are not currently translatable, but there is an issue with a patch, so you can try that if it’s a requirement for you