Talking Drupal

Today we are talking about Drupal Contribution, how you can approach it within your company, and why a Contrib First approach is important with guest Steve Wirt. We'll also cover Config Importer & Tools as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/490 Topics What is contrib first How does this help the Drupal community Why is it a good idea for companies How do you explain this to non dev folks like CEOs or Presidents What do you say if a client does not buy in How do you monitor and build confidence in other developers How can someone get started Any tools or tips for someone trying to bootstrap this Resources MOTW https://www.drupal.org/project/confi https://www.drupal.org/project/upgrade_tool Civic Actions Practice Tools - Contrib First Civic Actions Engineering Practice Area - Drupal Contrib First Module Development Codit menu tools Alt text validation - currently being built as Contrib First Bill requiring US agencies to share custom source code with each other becomes law Link shortners http://dgo.re/ or https://dgo.to/ link shorteners for d.o Drupal Contrib Development Contribution to a module Guests Steve Wirt - civicactions.com swirt Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Avi Schwab - froboy.org froboy MOTW Correspondent Avi Schwab - froboy.org froboy Brief description: Have you ever wanted to streamline the management of config changes during your Drupal project deployment - importing individual configuration changes from contrib or custom modules and synchronizing settings across different environments? There's a module for that. Module name/project name: Config Importer and Tools Brief history How old: created in April 2016 by Andrii Podanenko(podarok) Versions available: 3.2.0 version which works with Drupal 9 and 10, D11 fixes are in the queue. Maintainership Actively maintained - although it's a developer module that's been mostly stable, so there have not been many recent changes. Security coverage Test coverage - unit tests Documentation - video documenting the process on the module page and instructions in the project overview Number of open issues: 8 open issues, 3 of which are bugs against the current branch Usage stats: 300 sites Maintainer(s): 7 maintainers across a few different agencies in Ukraine Module features and usage This module has no UI, and all of its work is done using it's config_import services, either importer or param_updater The importer service imports full config files The param_updater service pulls in single parameters from a config file. Both can be used in .install files of contrib modules or on your own site to pull in configuration during database updates, which can be helpful for adding a new feature, modifying existing features, or pushing changes to many sites. There is also a "spiritual successor" to the Confi module called "Upgrade Tool" which has similar functionality with some extra functionality too. https://www.drupal.org/project/upgrade_tool

Today we are talking about The IXP Fellowship Initiative, Workplace Developer Training, and making Drupal better for the little guy with guests Carlos Ospina & Mike Anello. We'll also cover Cloudflare Turnstile as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/489 Topics What is the IXP initiative Why does the community think this is important What is the current status What changed in the last 10 years How do we encourage businesses to do this How can people get involved Resources Turnstile Intro blog post from Cloudflare Irvine reCAPTCHA Study Deep dive on Google Scholar Alternatives https://www.drupal.org/project/hcaptcha - privacy-focused alternative, still image-based https://www.drupal.org/project/altcha - open, self-hosted option. Seems more basic. Posts referencing Irvine study https://boingboing.net/2025/02/07/recaptcha-819-million-hours-of-wasted-human-time-and-billions-of-dollars-google-profit.html https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/24/googles_recaptchav2_labor/ https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-2023-study-concluded-captchas-are-a-tracking-cookie-farm-for-profit-masquerading-as-a-security-service-that-made-us-spend-819-billion-hours-clicking-on-traffic-lights-to-generate-nearly-usd1-trillion-for-google/ Widgets IXP Fellowship Drupal Couple Talking Drupal 488 - Drupal Open University Get Involved in IXP #ixp-fellowship on the Drupal Slack Workspace Guests Carlos Ospina - adrupalcouple.us camoa Mike Anello - drupaleasy.com ultimike Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Avi Schwab - froboy.org froboy MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to use Cloudflare's Turnstile web service to secure Drupal web forms, as an alternative to more intrusive CAPTCHA widgets that force users to select squares that contain traffic lights, cars, or bicycles? There's a module for that. Module name/project name: Cloudflare Turnstile Brief history How old: created in Sep 2022 by Adam Weiss (greatmatter) Versions available: 1.1.13 which works with Drupal 9.4, 10, and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Number of open issues: 6 open issues, 3 of which are bugs, with 2 of them postponed Usage stats: 3,981 sites Module features and usage Anyone who maintains a Drupal site is well acquainted with the need to mitigate form spam submissions. Best practices around which tool to use are an ever-changing conversation. Recently Google announced that reCAPTCHA implementations will need to be associated with a Google Cloud account, and will need to enable payment for anything that exceeds the free allowance of 10,000 assessments per month reCAPTCHA v2 widgets are notorious for the challenges they can present to actual users, particularly image challenges. In addition, a 2023 UC Irvine study concluded that "the true purpose of reCAPTCHAv2 is as a tracking cookie farm for profit masquerading as a security service", so it's definitely worth considering other solutions Cloudflare developed turnstile as a CAPTCHA alternative, designed to provide security while minimizing the friction for actual users. More importantly, Turnstile never harvests data for ad retargeting. A free Turnstile account can create up to 10 widgets, with unlimited usage. The turnstile module plugs into the existing Drupal CAPTCHA ecosystem, so it can be an easy swap out for anywhere you're currently using CAPTCHA widgets.

Jean-Paul Vosmeer, Founder and COO of React Online and initiator of the Drupal Open University initiative, discusses the vital role of Drupal in academia. He shares insights on how the initiative aims to integrate Drupal into higher education, empowering students with real-world skills. The conversation highlights developing standardized educational materials and engaging the community for resources. Vosmeer also addresses the challenges faced by newcomers and the roadmap for future collaborations that will keep Drupal relevant in tech education.

Brian Perry, a senior front-end developer at Chapter 3 and Nintendo aficionado, joins Jacob Rockowitz, a Drupal consultant and module maintainer. They dive into Single Directory Components (SDCs), discussing their advantages and potential pitfalls. Topics include how SDCs streamline workflows and their future impact on decoupled front ends. The conversation also highlights the Embedded Content module's role in facilitating rich content creation within Drupal, likening SDCs to Minecraft blocks, and sharing best practices for integrating these innovative components.

Today we are talking about GraphQL, Drupal Decoupled, and What to do with them with guest Jesus Manuel Olivas. We'll also cover CORS UI as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/486 Topics What is GraphQL How do you use GraphQL with Drupal Would you use GraphQL without a headless theme Do you need additional server requirements What are some of your favorite GraphQL modules What caused the change from v3 to v4 What is meant by Drupal Decoupled What are the best use cases How do you handle caching and performance How do you handle roles and permissions Do you think AI has made decoupled more interesting Resources GraphQL GraphQL Compose GraphQL Compose Preview GraphQL Compose Webform GraphQL Compose Fragments Swagger UI Custom Field Drupal Decoupled Guests Jesus Manuel Olivas - drupal-decoupled.octahedroid.com jmolivas Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Scott Weston - scott-weston MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to control your site's Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (aka CORS) configuration, directly within the Drupal admin UI? There's a module for that. Module name/project name: CORS UI Brief history How old: created in Sep 2016 by Sam Becker (sam152), a prolific module maintainer in his own right, though the most recent release is by Matt Glaman, who has been on this show and will need no introduction for many of our listeners Versions available: 8.x-1.2 which supports Drupal 9, 10, and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Number of open issues: 2 open issues, 1 of which is a bug, and also has a patch available Usage stats: 274 sites according to drupal.org Module features and usage By default cross-origin requests to Drupal applications will be denied. Since Drupal 8.2 you can add a section to your site's services.yml file to enable responses, and specify what headers, methods, and origins should be supported This module provides a form within Drupal to control these values. This could be helpful if, for example, these values need to change on a frequent basis, or for less technical users who are experimenting with a headless architecture. I should note that the bug mentioned earlier throws a fatal error in PHP 8, but is a simple fix. So if you want to try out this module, make sure you apply the patch.

In this discussion, guest Jay Callicott, a Drupal developer and AI advocate with nearly 20 years of experience, dives into AI Autonomy and its transformative effects on Drupal development. He shares his journey with AI, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize workflows while cautioning against job displacement. Jay discusses the new AI Agents module and the benefits of decoupled systems like Drupal X, as well as the risks of skill decay in an AI-driven world. By prioritizing continuous learning, developers can effectively navigate this evolving landscape.

Matthew Grasmick, who leads Acquia's CMS strategy and has a rich history with Drupal, dives into the latest advancements in Drupal CMS. He discusses the upcoming launch of new features and user-friendly tools designed to simplify the installation process. The conversation highlights the release of Drupal 7 and the importance of community engagement. Grasmick also introduces the TokenOr module, enhancing token functionality, and shares insights on the innovative Experience Builder aimed at non-technical users, shaping the future of web development.

On today's show we are talking with Nic. This is our chance to learn more about our beloved Talking Drupal show host. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/XXX Topics Talking Drupal NLightened Development Contribution Personal Background Interests Drupal Guests Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan Hosts Stephen Cross-@stephencross

On today's show we are talking with John. This is our chance to learn more about our beloved Talking Drupal show host. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/482 Topics Talking Drupal Non-Code Contribution Solution Architect Personal Background and Interests Drupal Guests John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Host Stephen Cross-@stephencross

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