Talking Drupal

Today we are talking about Drupal Marketing, how it applies to Drupal CMS, and what a Drupal and Drupal CMS Marketing Future look like with guest Suzanne Dergacheva. We’ll also cover Drupal 11.1 as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/481 Topics Drupal marketing moves New brand Marketing people at the DA Goal of marketing How does this impact Drupal CMS Drupal CMS marketing How will you educate people about the differences between core and CMS Any challenges How do you like the new homepage Next steps to move the brand forward Case studies Why did you volunteer If someone wants to get involved how can they Resources Brand Portal Drupal.org homepage https://new.drupal.org/home https://www.drupal.org/project/drupalorg/issues/3475832 Case study guidelines Webinar with Suzanne and Rosie Gladden about Key Strategies for Expanding Drupal’s Reach Advent Calendar Freelock.com - 24 days of Drupal automations Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Suzanne Dergacheva - evolvingweb.com pixelite MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you been wanting a version of Drupal with improvements to the recipes system, the ability to write hooks as classes, and an icon management API? The new Drupal 11.1 release has all of that and more. Module name/project name: Drupal 11.1 Brief history How old: created on Dec 16 by catch of Tag1 and Third & Grove Module features and usage We’ve talked a number times on this show about the recipes system, particularly because it’s at the heart of Drupal CMS. In Drupal 11.1 recipes can define whether or not to use strict comparison for provided configuration, and there are a ton of new config actions. These allow your recipe to place blocks, take user input, enable layout builder for content types, clone configuration entities and more. It’s a huge leap forward, and I think you’ll quickly see a number of recipes that require Drupal 11.1 or newer. Hooks have long been a powerful Drupalism that allow for deep customization of how your website functions. These hooks can now be written as classes, thanks to the new Hook attribute on methods. This will bring many of the object-oriented benefits of modern Drupal to the hooks system, and should also make it easier for developers new to Drupal to understand the code to create these customizations. A new Icon Management API allows themes and modules to define icon packs, with unique identifiers for each included icon. Drupal 11.1 also includes PHP 8.4 support. I haven’t been able to find any data on speed improvements compared to PHP 8.3, but there are interesting new features like property hooks, asymmetric visibility, new functions for finding array items, and more There are plans to use Workspaces for content moderation, so the UI for Workspaces is now in a separate module. For new site builds if you want your editors to be able to use Workspaces, you’ll need to remember to enable this new UI module as well New installs of Drupal 11.1 will also see improvements to the initial experience. These include defaulting to admin-created user accounts only, not adding the body field by default when creating new content types, and more. Drupal 11.1 also includes a new views entity reference filter, opt-in render caching for forms, and improved browser and CDN caching for Javascript and CSS, among a host of other improvements. A number of these improvements will also find their way into the upcoming 10.4 release, ensuring, for example, that recipes built to use the new config actions can be used with Long-Term Support (LTS) versions of Drupal, that will be supported until the stable release of Drupal 12 in mid- to late-2026

Join Julia Kranzthor, who leads fundraising at the Drupal Association, as she dives into the Ripple Makers program designed to foster community engagement and personalized support. Discover how this initiative redefines membership and invites smaller, recurring contributions to strengthen the Drupal ecosystem. Julia also discusses the vital changes in Drupal's membership structures and the importance of tailored donation platforms for nonprofits. Plus, hear about Migrate Boost— a new module that streamlines Drupal migration!

Joining the conversation is Tony Barker, a UK-based front-end specialist at Annertech, who leads the media management track for Drupal CMS. He discusses the evolution of media management and its significance in modern web development. Listeners will learn about overcoming challenges with integrating Digital Asset Management systems, enhancing user experiences, and simplifying media uploads. Tony also shares insights on future enhancements and the importance of community engagement to optimize media assets within the Drupal ecosystem.

Matt Glaman, a Drupal expert and maintainer of PHPStan Drupal and Drupal Rector, dives into the revolutionary world of WebAssembly. He discusses its role in enhancing web app performance, the challenges of browser compatibility, and its potential within the Drupal ecosystem. The conversation also touches on the exciting concept of integrating interactive features and AI into Drupal sites. Additionally, they explore the advantages of dark mode for user experience and the importance of accessibility. Get ready to rethink possibilities in web development!

Today we are talking about being the CTO of the Drupal Association, How the job has changed, and How its impacted Drupal with guests Josh Mitchell & Tim Lehnen. We’ll also cover Automatic Anchors as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/477 Topics How long ago were you CTO Josh Tim when did you take over DA infrastructure Drupal Credit System Josh's proudest moment Tim's proudest moment Growth Josh if you could do one thing differently Tim if you could make one change Future of the CTO job Resources OOP Hook conversion Oregon State University Open Source Lab Whuffie: Cory doctorow Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Rethink weighing of contrib projects and credits Guests Tim Lehnen - aspenthornpress.com hestenet Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Joshua "Josh" Mitchell - joshuami.com joshuami MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted headings on your Drupal site to have unique id values, so links can be created to take users to specific parts of any page? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Automatic Anchors Brief history How old: created in Jun 2020 by Chris Komlenic (komlenic) of Penn State Versions available: 2.1.1-beta1, which supports Drupal 8.8, 9, and 10 Maintainership Test coverage Number of open issues: x open issues, y of which are bugs against the current branch Usage stats: 137 sites Module features and usage By default, the module automatically generates ids on , , , , and elements within the page content Even if two headings have the same content, the module will make sure their ids are unique, as well as making sure they are i18n-friendly, use hyphens instead of spaces, and are short enough to be useful The module won’t interfere with or change manually-added or already-existing HTML ids There’s a permission to view helpful links on each heading that the ids obvious and easy to copy Configuration options include the root element it should look within (defaults to the body tag), which elements should get ids, what content to use for the displayed links, and whether or not generate ids on admin pages

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!

Today we are talking about Workspaces, What They are, and How They Work with guest Scott Weston. We’ll also cover Workspaces Extra as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/475 Topics What are Workspaces in Drupal What's a common use cases for Workspaces Are Workspaces stable Do Workspaces help with content versioning What does the module ecosystem look like for Workspaces Inspiration Workspaces best practices Any interesting ways it is being used Is there a way to access workspace content in twig Navigation integration Workspaces and workflows What aspects of a Workspace are limited to live If someone wants to get involved or get started Resources Drupal Workspaces Core issue: Media library form can only be submitted in the default workspace Integrate Navigation with Workspaces Guests Scott Weston - scott-weston Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Joshua "Josh" Mitchell - joshuami.com joshuami MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Do you want to extend the capabilities of the Workspaces system in Drupal core? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Workspaces Extra Brief history How old: created in Apr 2021 by Andrei Mateescu (amateescu) of tag1, who has also contributed to Workspaces in core, among other many things Versions available: 2.0.0-alpha3 which works with Drupal 10.3 or 11 Maintainership Actively maintained, latest release is less than a week old Security coverage: technically yes, but not really until it has a stable release Test coverage Number of open issues: 20 open issues, 3 of which are bugs against the current branch, though one has already been fixed Usage stats: 89 sites Module features and usage One of the big features in Drupal 10.3 was that Workspaces is now officially stable. That said, not everything works the way some site builders will want it to. That’s where a contrib solution like Workspace Extra can help to fill in the gaps It provides new options like letting you roll back changes from a published workspace, move content between workspaces, discard changes in a workspace, squashing content revisions when a workspace is published, and more Workspaces Extra, or WSE also includes a number of submodules to add even more capabilities. For example, they can allow your workspace to stage an allowlist of configuration changes, deploy workspace content using an import/export system, stage menu changes, and more. For workflow, there’s an option to generate a shareable workspace preview link for external users, and a scheduler to publish your workspace at a specific day and time I will add that the first time I played with workspaces I ran into an issue where I couldn’t create media entities within a workspace. I don’t know for sure that this hasn’t been fixed in core, but the core issue about it is still listed as “Needs work”. That said, the last comment on that issue (link in the show notes) lists WSE as something that helps, so if you encounter the same issue with Workspaces, WSE is worth a try

In this discussion, Alexander Varwijk, a Technical Architect at OpenSocial and gaming enthusiast, teams up with Martin Anderson-Clutz, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Aquia and Drupal module maintainer. They dive into the fascinating world of the Revolt Event Loop, exploring its importance for Drupal's core and improvements in managing asynchronous tasks. Topics include the impact on cron jobs, tackling test instability, and how event loops can enhance performance, especially for long-running processes. Plus, they introduce the IEF Complex Widget Dialog for more efficient content creation!

Today we are talking about Color with CSS, Sass, and bringing it all into Drupal with guest Aubrey Sambor . We’ll also cover Navigation Extra Tools as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/473 Topics A little career background Why Front end Do you prefer JS or CSS How do colors work today in CSS Is this different from the past What is gamut Can color functions help with contrast What color functions make you the most excited Is Sass still a thing Do you use preprocessors with color functions Post CSS in Drupal Any modules you can recommend to help with CSS colros Any benefit for single directory compontents or web components Resources New England Drupal Camp Color in CSS: using new spaces, functions, and techniques to make your site shine Text wrap Gamut Do you still need Sass in 2023 Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Aubrey Sambor - star-shaped.org starshaped MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you been using the new Navigation module in Drupal core, but wanted some of the useful links previously available in the Admin Toolbar Tools submodule? There’s a module for that Module name/project name: Navigation Extra Tools Brief history How old: created in Oct 2024, less than a week ago by friend of the podcast James Shields aka lostcarpark Versions available: 1.0.0-beta3 which works with Drupal 10.3 and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained, already 3 releases Security coverage - too new, but hopefully will have in time Test coverage Number of open issues: 8 “open” issues, 4 of which are bugs, but all but one of which are now marked as fixed with the latest release Usage stats: 12 sites Module features and usage With this module enabled, the new left side Navigation menu available in Drupal core will include links to clear caches (all or a specific cache), run cron, and run database updates It’s a good example of a module that does something very specific and very useful, so I wanted to share it with our listeners as quickly as possible I know these functions are ones I’ve been missing in my own Drupal 11 dev sites, so I’m looking forward to using this module right away

Today we are talking about Access Policy API, What it does, and How you can use it with guest Kristiaan Van den Eynde. We’ll also cover Visitors as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/472 Topics What is the Access Policy API Why does Drupal need the Access Policy API How did Drupal handle access before How does the Access Policy API interact with roles Does a module exist that shows a UI What is the difference between Policy Based Access Control (PBAC), Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) and Role Based Access Control (RBAC) How does Access Policy API work with PBAC, ABAC and RBAC Can you apply an access policy via a recipe Is there a roadmap What was it like going through pitchburg How can people get involved Resources Access Policy API Access Policy Talking Drupal #226 Group Flexible Permissions External roles Test Super access policy Access policy talk at Drupalcon barcelona D.o Issue about exception on security issue Guests Kristiaan Van den Eynde - kristiaanvandeneynde Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Aubrey Sambor - star-shaped.org starshaped MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted a Drupal-native solution for tracking website visitors and their behavior? There’s a module for that Module name/project name: Visitors Brief history How old: created in Mar 2009 by gashev, though recent releases are by Steven Ayers (bluegeek9) Versions available: 8.x-2.19, which works with Drupal 10 and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Documentation guide is available Number of open issues: 20 open issues, none of which are bugs against the 8.x branch Usage stats: Over 6,000 sites Module features and usage A benefit of using a Drupal-native solution is that you retain full ownership over your visitor data. Not sharing that data with third parties can be important for data protection regulations, as well as data privacy concerns. You also have a variety of reports you can access directly within the Drupal UI, including top pages, referrers, and more There is a submodule for geoip lookups using Maxmind, if you also want reporting on what region, country, or city your visitors hail from It provides drush commands to download a geoip database, and then update your data based on geoip lookups using that database It should be mentioned that the downside of using Drupal as your analytics solution is the potential performance impact and also a likely uptick in usage for hosts that charge based on the number of dynamic requests served