Planet Drupal

The story of how I came to present at Drupal Camp Florida 2024 began in the previous year, with what someone called my “Dharizza World Tour”! I attended Drupal events in six cities throughout 2023, and ended up being invited to several more as a result. 

 

At DrupalCon Lille in October 2023, I presented a session on how to improve the Layout Builder user experience. In the audience was Michael Herchel, a member of the Drupal Association Board of Directors and lead developer of Olivero. He and Amy June Hineline (a Drupal core mentor and A11yTalks organizer) invited me to bring my Layout Builder session to the next Florida DrupalCamp. 

 

That camp was last week, and the official start to Dharizza World Tour 2024! In this blog post, I’ll catch you up on the talks I attended as well as some fun experiences from the camp (featuring rockets and fake animals, oddly!). 

Friday, February 23 Presenting to a big crowd (and one unlikely guest)

The DrupalCamp kicked off at Florida Technical College with several training sessions, including one from Lisa Ridley on how to make designer-developer collaboration easier. She had some excellent advice on leveraging FIGMA features and plugins for effective design implementations. 

 

I spent the morning preparing for my upcoming session while my teammates Nikolay, Jesse, Josh and Robert set up our booth. That afternoon I presented to a packed room at Florida Technical College—including a skeleton at the back of the class! Luckily, the skeleton was the only attendee who wasn’t lively.

 

Everyone shared notes about how we’re using Layout Builder. We discussed its pros, cons, and alternatives. We also talked about how to configure modules to improve the user experience, including Layout Builder Browser and Layout Builder Restrictions. And we tried out Layout Builder operation links, save and edit, instant preview, and Gin. By the end of the session we focused on developing Layout Plugins, either with only updates to *.layouts.yml file or by creating classes for them. It was a great time!

 

With DrupalCamp wrapped up for the day, I joined my teammates at the unofficial after-party, which went from Bounce House to Lazy Moon and back to Bounce House again. We had a blast meeting new friends and seeing familiar faces. The night was made particularly special thanks to a huge, yellow, almost-full moon. We even found out there was going to be a rocket launch on Saturday.  

 

The night ended and we arrived at the house we were staying at—only to be greeted by an enormous taxidermy deer on the wall! I’m not sure if it was real, but it was definitely creepy. After the initial surprise wore off, we named him Luke and began to treat him as one of us. He even featured in our plans and goodbyes!

 

"Luke the Deer" was an unexpected but interesting addition to our crew!
Saturday, February 23 Lessons about talent and opportunity

On Saturday we arrived early for a jam-packed day that kicked off with the Opening Session led by the camp’s organizers, Mike Herchel, Amy June Hineline and Adam Varn.

 

Next, I listened to Matt Glaman present on the opportunities of open source. He told the story of how he went from transporting beer to becoming a top Drupal contributor! Did you know he created Retrofit? It’s a project that you can use to run your Drupal 7 code in Drupal 10 while you fill the gaps and actually get them ported. (Matt ran a session on Retrofit the next day, where he explained how to contribute to the project). 

 

One of my favourite moments was when Matt said: “Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not.” I think that’s a powerful message. There are lots of talented people out there that haven’t yet had the opportunity to shine. But open source can help with that: it empowers people to develop and show off their skills, helping them advance both their career and the open web. Matt highlighted the importance of lifting people up through mentorship and friendship.

 

Meanwhile, Rod Martin presented a session on Advanced Layout Builder for the Ambitious Site Builder. He created a starter site that anyone can spin up and test out to help them develop their Layout Builder skills. 

 

At 11am it was time for our own Jesse Dyck to present ‘What Non-Developers Should Know About Content Migration’. Jesse spoke to a full room on how to develop a migration plan, common migration challenges, how to ask your team the right questions, and how to anticipate and fix issues. 

 

At the same time, Matthew Ramir gave insight into his personal story in ‘Code, Cerebral Palsy, and Compassion: My Journey into Tech’. He spoke about his history, struggles, and triumphs, and even shared some of his poetry! We learned about the importance of opportunities, diversity, acceptance and self-acceptance. It was a truly inspiring talk. 

 

After lunch at Gringos Locos (our DrupalCamp Florida tradition), it was time for our own Nikolay Volodin to share the case study of a custom CKEditor 5 plugin that he developed at Evolving Web. He dissected the plugin for the audience to identify its parts and explain how they behave and interact. 

 

Meanwhile, Aubrey Sambor, Florida Drupal Camp Featured Speaker, took to the auditorium stage to talk about Color in CSS—including using new spaces, functions and techniques to make your site shine. Ana Laura Coto and Carlos Ospina led a session about Building the IXP Fellowship, a new initiative for onboarding inexperienced developers.

 

Next, it was our Robert Ngo’s turn to present. He delivered a session to a packed room about building a component library with single directory components (SDCs). But it wasn't the usual “how to” format. Instead, he explored the strategy behind the way we structure SDCs, how to define conventions with development and design teams, how to evolve a component library, and how to test it.

 

We wrapped up the day with a few lightning talks, as well as a session from Ofer Shaal on how to quickly create web components for reuse across React, Angular, Vue, Drupal and other CMSs.

 

Evening brought the camp’s official after party. It was fantastic to spend more time with our Drupal friends, both new and old. Sadly the rocket launch was delayed. We were also hoping to see some ‘gators, but all we found was a huge fake one with a sign that said “Swampies”! We decided that was good enough—and certainly a less dangerous photo opportunity.

 

Me enjoying the start of "Dharizza World Tour 2024"!
Sunday, February 24 Wrapping up the weekend with a different kind of launch

Time passes fast when you’re having fun and that’s how Sunday found us. We packed our luggage and waved goodbye to Luke the taxidermy deer, before heading back to Florida Technical College for a last day of sessions and contributions events. 

 

First up were Matt Glaman and Darren Oh from the Retrofit project, who troubleshooted and live coded to show how to run D7 code in D10. At the same time, Kyle Einecker cleared up the meaning of coupled and decoupled Drupal. 

 

A contrib learning extravaganza happened at 11am in the auditorium, where Amy June and Mike Anello showed people how to contribute through code, documentation, project managing, and everything Drupal related. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for the afternoon due to allergies. But my team members enjoyed the contrib afternoon—and even got to witness the rocket launch!

 

Thanks to everyone who made DrupalCamp 2024 possible. If you didn’t make it to the camp, I hope this article gives you some insight and inspires you to attend the next one. The “Swampies” and I will see you there!

 

Looking for more events that focus on open source innovation? Check out the EvolveDrupal summit! 

 

+ more awesome articles by Evolving Web

Explore the journey of growth with Drupal: Uncover the essence of progress and its transformative benefits.

Dear Subscribers, 

Sometimes, growth hinges on the effort we invest—the sweat equity makes all the difference. It's an ongoing journey that reminds us of our potential for continual advancement. Growth isn't just a milestone; it's a guiding force steering us toward realizing there's always more to achieve.

Let's take a moment to appreciate Drupal's remarkable evolution in this spirit of perpetual progress. With an ever-expanding community and a track record of powering some of the world's most influential websites, Drupal continues to ascend in popularity and capability. Its open-source ethos fosters collaboration, driving collective growth and empowerment for all involved.

As Drupal flourishes, so do its users. Its robust features and scalability ensure that businesses and organizations can adapt and thrive in today's dynamic environment. Drupal's unwavering commitment to security and its ever-growing community sets it apart from other CMS platforms. The truth that cannot be denied is the level of security it provides, which remains unmatched in the industry. Moreover, Drupal excels in providing customer-centric and personalized user experiences, empowering organizations to tailor their digital presence to the unique needs of their audience.

However, what truly propels Drupal's growth to unprecedented levels is its community-driven ethos. With a vast network of developers, designers, and enthusiasts collaborating and contributing tirelessly, Drupal evolves rapidly, staying ahead of the curve in innovation and adaptability. This collective effort fosters a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring that Drupal remains at the forefront of technological advancements.

Now, Let's take a moment to revisit the highlights from last week's coverage at The Drop Times.

I had the opportunity to connect with Amber Matz, a key contributor, who shared insights into the Documentation and Help initiative. Amber provided valuable insights into the initiative's goals and the recent updates to Drupal.org's documentation page, emphasizing the community's dedication to improving user experience. 

Elma John presented an exciting feature on MidCamp happening in Chicago. She conversed with Norah Medlin and Avi Schwab, the lead organizers of MidCamp 2024. Through their insights, we learned more about the event's agenda and the collaborative opportunities it offers for the Drupal community.

Alka Elizabeth shared insider views of DrupalSouth Sydney 2024, giving us a glimpse into key technical updates and diversity initiatives. Her article offered valuable perspectives on the enriching experiences shared at Drupal South, which took place on March 20-22. She also shared the list of winners of The Drupal Splash Awards 2024 in Australia and New Zealand across all categories, revealed during the DrupalSouth Sydney 2024 event held at Sydney Masonic Centre. 

Explore the evolving dynamics of Drupal's page-building features with André Angelantoni's latest series on The Drop Times. In part 1 of the series, André explores Paragraph-Based Solutions, shedding light on the progression of Drupal's page layout options. Stay tuned for insightful discussions on enhancing page-building capabilities in Drupal. The second part of the series is scheduled to be published today. 

The Drupal Pune Group announced its first meetup of 2024, scheduled for March 30 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM IST at Bookavibe - Book Cafe and Co-working space on Fergusson College Road, Pune. Following the success of the first in-person Drupal Camp in India last year, the group is gathering once again to discuss plans for future Drupal events and collaborations. Registration has officially opened for EvolveDrupal Atlanta, an event that brings together developers, designers, strategists, marketers, managers, and more for learning, networking, and inspiration. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a vibrant Drupal community event.

DrupalCamp Ghent has issued a call for sponsors for its upcoming event. Sponsors' support is crucial in ensuring the camp's success, enabling organizers to provide valuable experiences to attendees. Consider becoming a sponsor to support the Drupal community and showcase your organization's commitment to Drupal. Antonio José Fuster, Community Manager - Technical Communication and Innovation at the City of Benidorm in Spain, revealed the dates for the upcoming DrupalCamp Spain 2024. The event is scheduled for October 25 and 26, with October 24 earmarked as Business Day. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting event!

Mark your calendars for June 12 as Drupaljam 2024 opens at the Fabrique in Utrecht. This gathering promises an engaging experience for Europe's Drupal community. Take advantage of limited-time early bird ticket offers available until March 31. Secure your spot now for this anticipated event! Don't miss DrupalCamp Colorado 2024, scheduled for June 25 and 26. This event allows attendees to foster new community ties and engage in thought-provoking conversations. 

Excitement buzzed at DrupalSouth Sydney 2024 when Tim Doyle, CEO of the Drupal Association, made a surprise announcement during his closing remarks. DrupalCon Asia 2024 is set to happen in Singapore, likely from December 4-6, 2024, sparking enthusiasm among the global Drupal community. DrupalSouth Sydney 2024 featured captivating keynote sessions, including one by Dries Buytaert, the pioneer of Drupal. Buytaert delivered an inaugural keynote on the topic "The Drupal Project Update," providing valuable insights into the future direction of Drupal.

After a notable tenure as Program Manager and Drupal Innovation Coordinator, Alejandro Moreno López bids farewell to the Drupal Association. In his heartfelt LinkedIn post, Alejandro reflects on his journey with the organization and praises its dedication to advancing open-source technology. 

Drupal is witnessing a new wave of discussions and proposals, particularly around marketing and features. Notable figure Andrew Kucharski, CEO of Promet Source, ignited conversation with a thought-provoking post on LinkedIn. Kucharski addressed the need for a more accessible and polished list of Drupal features and benefits for a broader audience. Click here to get a detailed insight. 

We understand that there are additional stories worth exploring. However, due to current constraints in selection, we must temporarily halt further exploration.

To get timely updates, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Also, join us on Drupal Slack at #thedroptimes.

Thank you,

Sincerely
Kazima Abbas
Sub-editor, TheDropTimes.

Beyond buzzwords: demystifying diversity and inclusion Suchi : Amazing talk! Panel discussion of three panelists and one moderator, all from Girls in Tech.  They shared their experiences of not feeling included at different points in their lives and what people can do to make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not just a buzzword (phrase) but is actually embraced in organisations.  Paul : Great discussion on diversity and inclusion.  While the theme was girls in tech and the examples of unconscious gender bias and real-world challenges of the panel members made it all real, the most powerful takeaways were actually more generally about inclusion and providing every person an opportunity to be heard and succeed.  Very simple message on driving inclusion, “Ask people!

Drupal 11 development has reached a point where the system requirements are being raised in the development branch. To prepare core developers for this and to inform the community at large, we are announcing the following requirements for Drupal 11.

Webserver

We announced in mid-February that there is an RFC to remove support for Windows in production. Other webserver requirements are unchanged.

PHP

Drupal 11 will require PHP 8.3 and older versions of PHP are not supported. Note that as of Drupal 9.4, a policy was adopted to automatically drop support for PHP versions no longer supported by the PHP maintainers, so future minor versions of Drupal 11 will increase the requirement further.

Database

The minimum database requirements for backends supported by Drupal 11 are MySQL 8.0, MariaDB 10.6, PostgreSQL 16 and SQLite 3.45.

Composer

Similar to Drupal 10.2, Drupal 11 will require Composer 2.7.0 or newer; this change was made for the Composer security fix released in February 2024.

Browsers

The existing browser policy has not changed and there was no need to update it for Drupal 11. Drupal already drops support for older versions of browsers as new ones get released.

PHP and JavaScript dependencies

Drupal 11 will depend on Symfony 7, PHPUnit 10 and jQuery 4, work is ongoing to update to these versions'.

Drupal 10 will receive long term support

Drupal 10 will continue to be supported until mid-late 2026 and the release of Drupal 12.

As the Pitchburgh projects are reaching their final milestones and they get completed, I wanted to do something new for this update, something different and, hopefully, something exciting and fun as well.

For this update I asked a few of them to provide a demo or video, so the project leads could explain in their own words, what their projects are about and how they look. I thought that it would be specially interesting for the projects that are more technical (which in turn, are difficult to understand for the less technical people) but really, nice for the rest of them as well, so after those many months just reading updates about them, we could actually see them giving some updates “in the flesh”. If applicable, we will also review next steps for those projects, as some of them (a few actually) will continue beyond Pitchburgh funding.

And I want to emphasize that last point. We need to think how amazing it is that, a seed capital like Pitchburgh has not just accomplished so much, but it has also started something bigger, something that will go beyond the scope of Pitchburgh and will continue to provide a lot of value for the community and Drupal even after the funding is finished.

Ok, let’s start with the projects that have completed all their milestones and are finished or mostly finished in the scope of Pitchburgh.

Access policy

Kristiaan´s Access Policy code has been merged into core, and we couldn’t be more excited, as his work is the first Pitchburgh project that made it into core (of the two projects that will have code contributed to core).

Kristiaan continues his work and conversations with the core maintainers team to get the next part committed, which is to make core itself run on the API. All the work is finished, it just needs to be reviewed and committed

His Pitchburgh proposal was to “add an API to Drupal core that allows people to assign permissions via other means than user roles. These permissions will be assigned based on custom policies such as time of day, safety level of the account, etc”

You can watch his Pitchburgh winning pitch here:

Watch Kristiaan’s demo to understand more about the project, what updates and innovations is introducing and more.

Next steps

Kristiaan is in conversations with the core committers, as this has been approved to be released in Drupal 11 (although it could be as soon as 10.3) and he’s keeping an eye in case anything is needed from himself.

JSON api

The other project that will introduce code in Drupal core is JSON API, led by Brad Jones. 

His work will “unlock the ability to perform NoSQL-like queries within Drupal's existing relational data model, making Drupal more flexible as a site grows and matures”

You can watch his Pitchburgh winning pitch here:
 

And his final update here:

Next steps

His work is on queue to be merged into core, and although the code is ready to be merged, and hence project can be considered as done, Brad continues working on his JSON api, updating the code as needed on the code review process and ensuring that it will be on a mergeable state once the core committer team is on a position to do so. We're very grateful for Brad for continuing to foster this project across the finish line!

Decoupled LB

The goal of this project was to “transform and improve the Layout Builder UI experience [...] By rewriting it using React. We’ll design an API that describes the future state of how a Decoupled Layout Builder could work, dramatically enhancing the content editor experience and in turn, bringing Drupal into the modern era of Web UX”.

Work is finished and Lee Rowlands has prepared the demo we are showcasing the way the blocks work, that you can watch here:

You can watch the winning pitch here:

Gutenberg in Drupal

Frontkom went through a workshop, which was part of the pitch to improve Gutenberg in Drupal, and in which Automattic (yes, the company behind Wordpress) not just participated with their people and extremely valuable expertise in this matter, but they even took care of the funding.

This was their pitch:

“Drupal should be the most easy to use enterprise CMS. Let’s move in that direction through Drupal Gutenberg. We want to take it to the next level, connecting the relevant people to innovate together”

And the video:

Thor from Frontkom provided me with the next update after their workshop as a project closure.

After going through the two full days of workshop together we conclude that we met all our 5 defined goals. The Drupal Gutenberg team believes we achieved a lot more than expected, and we had high expectations. The deliveries for the Pitchburgh project are now done, and summaries are being updated to the d.o issues as we speak.

We are working on a strategic action plan for the integration of Gutenberg into Drupal. Key actions for the coming year include:

• Refactor the Gutenberg UI: The transition from using the full Post Edit component in Gutenberg to employing smaller, more suitable components from Gutenberg was identified as a crucial step.
• Facilitate efficient data migration: Strategies were proposed to aid migration from CKEditor 5 to Gutenberg, with considerations for structuring data and handling symmetric translations.
• Better developer experience: Implement a plugin system to generate blocks which would ease the onboarding for developers and reduce the need for extensive Gutenberg and/or React knowledge.
• Community Adoption: Foster wider adoption of Gutenberg within the Drupal community by meeting the challenges of Gutenberg and Drupal theming knowledge requirements and migration from CKEditor and Layout Builder.
• Entity Agnostic: The development of an ‘entity agnostic’ feature for Gutenberg in Drupal is proposed. This allows Gutenberg to be used independent of the parent entity type, increasing flexibility and compatibility across various Drupal entities.
• Enable Single Field Editing in Gutenberg: Another key strategy is to enable the use of Gutenberg for single field editing, which can make content management and individual adjustments more efficient and intuitive. This enhances the granularity of the Gutenberg editor’s control within Drupal.

These strategic decisions aim to improve the Drupal experience with Gutenberg, targeting both user-facing features and the underlying developer experience. The common goal is to promote Gutenberg as a viable and efficient solution for content creation and layout handling.

Next steps

Frontkom is one of the Pitchburgh teams keen to continue working after the context of the Pitchburgh project itself has finished, continuing the work to improve the way users build their sites in Drupal.

Those are the projects that have fully completed their Pitchburgh scope already. Let’s look at the two final projects:

Drupal API

Brian Perry requested funding with the goal to

“assemble a group of contributors in order to combine the best of existing Drupal API clients into a set of utilities that can both address common use cases with little configuration, and also be extended to support the needs of a diverse JavaScript ecosystem.“

Watch his Drupal API Pitchburgh winning proposal:

He provided the next March update:

After a bit of a lull around the holidays, we’ve resumed momentum towards the 1.0 release of our json-api-client package and are once again making good progress. Our most recent release is 0.4.0 which includes support for additional authentication methods, along with support for all JSON:API create, read, update and delete operations. More information can be found in the following changelogs:

@drupal-api-client/json-api-client
@drupal-api-client/api-client

We’ve also created our Open Collective, along with a related project focused on our Pitch-burgh work. We’ve established a budget using some of our funds and have started the process of using these funds to sponsor time for some of our contributors. At the time of this writing we still have budget available to sponsor a modest amount of someone’s time to contribute to our 1.0 release. If you’re interested, join us in the #api-client channel in Drupal Slack and let us know.

We’ve also updated our timeline for the completion of our Pitch-burgh work. Our new target to complete 1.0 is the end of March. This target also ensures that we’ll have a solid month to prepare to spread the word about our 1.0 release at DrupalCon.

Next steps

Brian has not just shown interest to continue working on the project after the funds run out, he is actually committed to finding further funds, resources and help as necessary, and has been working hard on this regardless of the extra resources he may have been finding.

Mentor the mentor

AmyJune continues her amazing work evangelizing and bringing Drupal to new generations, including trailing her new first time contributor workshop in DrupalCon Lille, more recently at Florida DrupalCamp, and the upcoming DrupalCon Portland where the final workshop will be held.

Her goal was to “rebuild the assets for a first time contributor workshop to be more interactive instead of straight content delivery and provide documentation and turn key presentations that any one can use at their local event. I would like to build a presentation around best practices for organizations starting in contributions to help combat ‘“gaming the system’.”

Watch her winning pitch here:

And this is her update:

The new First Time Contributor Workshop was warmly received outside DrupalCon for the first time at Florida DrupalCamp. Designed with flexibility in mind, the workshop slides come fully scripted and can be adapted to various time frames, making it a breeze to tailor to a specific event's needs.

Mike Anello, ultimike, did a fantastic job customizing the workshop for the 45 minute time requirement. The workshop ran smoothly by selectively hiding slides and reserving demos for the contribution room. Meanwhile, AmyJune was in attendance, gathering valuable feedback in real-time, which allowed the slides to be tweaked in real-time, ensuring the presentation was better for the next mentor.

Thanks to the constructive feedback, the Mentoring team is excited to roll out an enhanced version of the slides at upcoming camps over the next few months. This workshop is easily adaptable for both DrupalCon and regional camps alike. The best part? The slides are ready to go as is (scripted and accessible), making them incredibly straightforward for organizers and mentors to use without extensive preparation.

Watch for our revamped First Time Contributor Workshops at upcoming events including DrupalSouth, MidCamp, DrupalCamp New Jersey, and DrupalCon Portland. We can't wait to see you there, and we look forward to making contributing to Drupal an even more accessible and enjoyable experience for newcomers!
 

And like that famous character would say. That’s all folks. We’ll likely provide a final update on Drupal API, or maybe some other updates on some of the projects here and there, but, as most of them are finished, this will likely be my last update talking about the whole scope of Pitchburgh projects in the Innovation Blog. Expect one final update, in person, at DrupalCon Portland. I am looking forward to meeting all of you there; I hope you can make it.

I have to thank everyone involved for their passion, their commitment and the continuing pursuit for improvement and giving back to the community. I particularly love how, every single one of them, are committed to their projects and tasks way beyond any money or personal gains, and they continue to ensure that their work will have a lasting legacy and a positive impact.

Pitchburgh participants:

• AmyJune
• Brian Perry
• Griffyn Heels
• Helder Mendes
• Kim Pepper
• Kristiaan Van den Eynde
• Lee Rowlands
• Marco Fernandes
• Brad Jones
• Thor Andre Gretland

And for sure, thanks Tim Doyle for his advice and continued pursuit of perfection, Tim Lehnen for his incredible support beyond what his role as my manager would imply, and all the donors without whom this would have not been possible:

• Acquia
• 1xInternet
• Skilld
• Palantir
• Digital Polygon
• Zoocha
• ImageX
• Drupal Association

And finally thanks to the judges:

• Dries Buytaert
• Julien Touze
• Baddy Breidert
• Martin Anderson-Clutz
• Tim Doyle

Thank you all, you are all just beyond awesomeness 💗

The Automatic Updates initiative will not only address the often painful process of manually installing crucial security updates but will also make it significantly easier for your Drupal site to remain up-to-date with the security advisories and the latest protections against potential threats. Let's dive into the details and see how it works.

Join Amber Matz on a journey through Drupal's evolution as she unveils insights into the Documentation and Help initiative. Delve into the world of community-driven efforts, discovering how collaborative initiatives are shaping the future of Drupal's documentation and assistance.

Drupal is a CMS that colleges from different countries eagerly use. According to a report by The Drop Times, up to 80% of the world's top 100 universities chose Drupal for at least one of their websites. We wanted to find out how this technology is used in Poland and what other content management systems are popular among Polish higher education institutions - both public and private. This report presents the results of our analysis. 

Google Analytics 4 has taken the world of web analytics by storm. It is an incredible tool that helps you understand how users interact with your business website. You can use these insights to deliver personalized experiences to your customers, enhance loyalty, and boost your revenue. If you have availed of Drupal services and run a Drupal-powered website, this blog will help you delve into how you can successfully combine Drupal and GA4 to accomplish phenomenal results. 

How to Combine GA4 With Your Drupal Website

Given the fantastic user insights provided by GA4, its combination with Drupal can take your business website on an upward spiral of growth. As Drupal is a cutting-edge content management system, its combination with GA4 can result in the creation of an incredible marketing strategy and improvement in your site’s performance. 

A DrupalCamp is a one- or two-day event that centers on the Drupal open source web content management system, and tends to bring together people from a geographical region. The goals are primarily, of course, knowledge sharing and increasing awareness of and helping to grow the Drupal community. It's not easy to do this without also increasing awareness and knowledge of the tools we all use along with Drupal as well, which makes the gatherings all the more valuable.

Avi Schwab, is a prolific contributor to Drupal, and one of the lead organizers of MidCamp, an annual gathering of the MidWest Drupal community in Chicago.

CSS has been on a roll for a few years and we keep getting great things to use. In the process of removing jQuery from Drupal core, we’re running into the problem of replacing jQuery .parents() method by something else. In certain conditions it is very easy to use CSS selectors to replace this method. Given the following HTML:

<html> <body> <main> <article id="article-19"></article> </main> </body> </html>

To select all the parents of the article tag with jQuery you could do:

// This returns: main, body, html $('#article-19').parents(); // This returns: body $('#article-19').parents('body');

The typical way of doing this is with a while loop looking at the parentElement and building the array manually. Now with :has() it becomes much easier:

// This returns: html, body, main document.querySelectorAll(':has(#article-19)'); // To return the same order as jQuery: Array.from( document.querySelectorAll(':has(#article-19)') ).reverse(); // This returns: body document.querySelectorAll('body:has(#article-19)');

The only limitation is that a unique identifier needs to exist to build the CSS selector, that’s easy enough to generate if necessary.

Use the platform. When it’s good, it’s really good.

Mike Goulding

Senior Drupal Engineer

Mike has been part of the Four Kitchens crew since 2018, where he works as a senior engineer and tech lead for a variety of Drupal and WordPress projects.

January 1, 1970

There are many different options available for the organization or team that decides it is time to decouple their Drupal site. There are frameworks that are designed for static site generation (SSG) and there are others that use server-side rendering (SSR), with many that claim to do both well.

React and NextJS have been popular options for a while now, and they are well-loved here at Four Kitchens as well. Another framework that is a little different from the above is Astro, and it may be worth considering.

What is Astro?

Astro is an interesting framework to work with, and it only becomes more so with time. Astro’s website makes claims of performance advantages over many other frameworks in the space. The full report can be found here.

More interesting than performance claims are some of the unique features this framework brings with it. Astro has many official integrations for other popular JS frameworks. This means, for example, that part of a page could use React, while another part could use Svelte. An even more ambitious page could use Vue, React, and AlpineJS for different components. While these examples are not a typical or recommended use case, they do illustrate that flexibility is one of the real strengths of Astro.

This flexibility doesn’t come with a steep learning curve, as Astro makes use of enough familiar pieces so that newcomers aren’t immediately overwhelmed. It is possible to write Astro components in a straightforward manner, similar to HTML, and still incorporate JavaScript XML (JSX) expressions to include data in the component’s output. There are a couple of tutorials for getting started with Astro, and they do a good job of giving the general structure of a project along with some scenarios that are unique to the framework.

(Also, Houston is an adorable mascot and I am here for it!)

Using Astro with Drupal

Despite all of the integrations that can be found in the Astro toolset, there is notably one key thing that is missing: There isn’t an existing integration for Drupal! The list of content management systems (CMSs) that Astro recommends are specifically headless CMSs, which make for a more natural starting point for this setup than converting a Drupal site.

Never fear, though! Drupal may not specifically be on that list, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t something that should be considered. Astro has that incredible flexibility, after all, and that means there are more options than it seems on the surface. All that is needed is an endpoint (or several) to fetch data from Drupal, and things are looking up once again.

Using the Drupal GraphQL and GraphQL Compose modules, it is possible to quickly get data ready to expose from Drupal and into the hands of a decoupled framework like Astro. With that, it becomes possible to fetch that data within Astro and build our frontend while taking advantage of many of the features that Astro offers. This can also be done with REST API or JSON:API, but for our purposes, the consistency and structure of GraphQL can’t be beat when crafting a decoupled integration with Drupal.

Using the fetch function that is available to Astro, (and JavaScript in general), we can get data from just about anywhere into our Astro components. This blends well with the head start from the compose module, as you can take an existing Drupal site and be ready to connect to a frontend framework very quickly. This means quicker prototyping and quicker assembling of components.

Astro also supports dynamic routing out of the box, which is an essential feature when connecting to a Drupal site where routes aren’t always structured like directories. Using this wildcard type of functionality, we can more easily take an existing site — regardless of the structure of the content — and get output into Astro. With the data from the routes in hand, we can get to the fun part: building the components and taking advantage of more of the Astro’s flexibility.

Flexibility is key

For me, Astro’s strength doesn’t solely come from the speed that it builds and renders content or the ease of building pages in a familiar JSX or Markdown pattern. Its real strength comes from the flexibility and variety of build options. While it does a great job handling some functionality on a given component or creating simple pages for a blog listing, it does even more with the ability to bring in other frameworks inside of components. Want to add a search page, but there isn’t an existing integration for Astro? If there is one for React, that works here, too! Do you have an internal team member really excited about building personalized content with Vue? Bring that in, and that component will work as well.

While the reality of the implementations may be a bit more involved than described on the tin, it is surprisingly easy and encouraged to bring in live updating components inside of Astro. This changes what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill frontend tool into something much more interesting. Astro does shine in its own right, especially with statically generated pages and content. It just wouldn’t be doing anything especially new without bringing in other frameworks.

This is also where bringing a CMS like Drupal into a decoupled setup with Astro is intriguing. There is an opportunity for highly dynamic pages that wouldn’t work with a traditional static framework while still getting the speed and benefits of that approach. Drupal sites are typically very quick to update when content changes, which can be a sticking point for working with a decoupled architecture. How often should the frontend be rebuilt and how much can caching make up the difference? With having some parts of the site use components that can update more easily on the page, there benefits of both approaches can come through.

The post AstroJS and Drupal appeared first on Four Kitchens.

Delve into the latest initiative sparked by Andrew Kucharski to transform Drupal's visibility and user perception, addressing the need for a universally accessible features list. This discussion, enriched by insights from tech experts like Alex Dergachev, Ajith T., Dave Smyth, and Anoop John, highlights the community's drive towards showcasing Drupal's extensive capabilities, not just as a developer's framework but as a versatile platform for various business needs. Discover how this collective endeavor sets the stage for a new era in Drupal's market presence and user engagement.

Discover what's next for the Drupal community: Dive into the highlights from DrupalSouth Sydney 2024, including the announcement of DrupalCon Asia 2024 in Singapore and the future DrupalSouth Melbourne 2025. Stay tuned for a closer look at the events set to shape Drupal's future.

Authored by: Nadiia Nykolaichuk 

“Join us this spring in the City of Roses, Portland!”

— the DrupalCon team

The best opportunity to grow your Drupal skills, plant the seeds of connection, and help the Drupal community flourish is just around the corner! This spring, the world’s biggest Drupal meetup is coming back to the City of Roses, which is one of the most famous nicknames for Portland, Oregon.

The Drupal Association has published this guest blog on behalf of author John Picozzi, in collaboration with Chat Hester, Stephen Cross, Nic Laflin, Mike Anello, and AmyJune Hineline.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”  - Margaret Mead

In my mind, the above quote distills the Drupal Community down to one sentence and perfectly describes its mission. Many in the community also use “Come for the code, stay for the community” to highlight that Drupal is more than just open-source software; it’s a community of committed citizens focused on helping each other, growing skills, and developing world-changing open-source software. As many are aware, Drupal 7 will reach end-of-life (EOL) at the end of this year. Many are working to move their sites to Drupal 10, while others are looking to “Level Up” their skills to work with the latest and greatest Drupal version. This story highlights the journey of one developer and how we as a community came together to help him (and hopefully many others) achieve Drupal 10 readiness. 

Our story starts with Drupal Slack and the following message from Chad Hester (chadhester). 

“Hey, I have an idea that I wanted to run by you… Since I'm looking for more contracting work, getting back in to Drupal development is on my radar. I haven't done development work since Drupal 7, though. I'm out of practice since ~2015. There are lots of people who learn Drupal for the first time, but I wonder if anyone has documented their experience re-learning Drupal. Perhaps that's something that could be good as a Talking Drupal mini-series. What do you think?”

I thought it was an interesting idea and told Chad I would take it back to the team at Talking Drupal to discuss. The Talking Drupal team, Stephen Cross (stephencross), John Picozzi (johnpicozzi) & Nic Laflin (nicxvan), discussed and loved the idea. Working with Chad, they refined the show format and structure to something like a scrum meeting, where each week they reviewed what was done, what challenges were faced, and what tasks should be completed in the week to come. While brainstorming about the mini-series format they also thought of community members who could be involved. 

At Talking Drupal, we strive to provide the Drupal community a platform for learning and awareness. We also include the community in creating that content as much as possible. To that end, we identified Mike Anello (ultimike) of DrupalEasy as a great choice for a mentor and AmyJune Hineline (volkswagenchick) of the Linux Foundation as a host for the series. After identifying all the folks we planned to include, Stephen started outreach, and quickly, everyone was onboard. Within three weeks of the above Slack message, we started recording our first episode. From that point, we started recording weekly and planned eight episodes. 

Everyone contributed to the goals of this mini-series and added their perspective. We wanted to ensure the series would help the community move from Drupal 7 development to Drupal 10 development. However, we also wanted to go above and beyond with real open-source contributions. Mike provided that via a capstone goal of having Chad contribute an automated test to a real-life contrib project. This goal was a perfect outcome and would not only empower Chad to contribute but could empower anyone who watched the series. Overall, we have set out to bring in community members to build content for others. Allowing community members to push/pull others forward in their skill set. 

Today, we are happy to share the first episodes of the Talking Drupal Mini Series: Skills Upgrade. A developer's journey from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10. Through this effort the community has come together to support its members to grow and learn. The power of the Drupal Community isn’t in the software we develop, it's in the people we empower. Those people are empowered to learn, grow, and use amazing open-source software. Indeed, I believe this group of thoughtful, committed citizens have done their little bit to change the world. 

Episodes will be released over the next few weeks. Thank you, and Enjoy!

Join us THURSDAY, March 21 at 1pm ET / 10am PT, for our regularly scheduled call to chat about all things Drupal and nonprofits. (Convert to your local time zone.)

This month we'll be giving a recap of last week's NTC, and an update on our plans for DrupalCon Portland, including the Nonprofit Summit and the recently announced discount for nonprofit attendees!

And we'll of course also have time to discuss anything else that's on our minds at the intersection of Drupal and nonprofits.  Got something specific you want to talk about? Feel free to share ahead of time in our collaborative Google doc: https://nten.org/drupal/notes!

All nonprofit Drupal devs and users, regardless of experience level, are always welcome on this call.

This free call is sponsored by NTEN.org and open to everyone. 

• Join the call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81817469653

  • Meeting ID: 818 1746 9653
    Passcode: 551681

  • One tap mobile:
    +16699006833,,81817469653# US (San Jose)
    +13462487799,,81817469653# US (Houston)

  • Dial by your location:
    +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
    +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
    +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
    +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
    +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
    +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

  • Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kpV1o65N

• Follow along on Google Docs: https://nten.org/drupal/notes

View notes of previous months' calls.

Join us as we dive into the heart of DrupalSouth Sydney 2024, held at the iconic Sydney Masonic Centre. Discover the insights from Dries Buytaert's keynote on 'The Drupal Project Update,' the push for innovation and contributions, and the unifying power of the Drupal communities from Australia and New Zealand. Stay tuned for exclusive updates and takeaways.

Dries Buytaert, Drupal: past, present and future Phillipa: Dries’s keynote gave a great insight into his journey, from coding at university to building Drupal as an enterprise-grade content management system (CMS). The focus for the future was on innovation (to keep Drupal as a CMS of choice) and marketing (to make sure people know about all of Drupal’s greatness).  Morgan Strong, ArtSEEker: using headless Drupal to power AI art recognition Phillipa: Morgan works in digital transformation at the Queensland  Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Working with headless Drupal 10 and fast.ai he built a new tool for gallery patrons to interact with the art.