Planet Drupal

Stop making your own life difficult. Integrate your CI/CD Pipeline with these monitoring tools ddd.png jeremy.chinquist Mon, 07/08/2024 - 13:28 If you do not use a CI/CD pipeline, we highly recommend it. For the past several years our team has set up projects in a CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins or Github actions. The tools that we will present in this session have proven to be a good set of automated testing tools for several projects. Over time we have chosen to move away from previous solutions and to new testing frameworks. As part of our commitment to high standards of performance and quality, we are always on the lookout for the best tools available on the market.

Mastering Multi-Site Configurations in Drupal: A Comprehensive Guide bhavinhjoshi Mon, 07/08/2024 - 15:26

In the constantly evolving digital world, the ability to efficiently manage multiple websites has become a necessity for businesses of all sizes. 

Thankfully, Drupal, an open-source content management system, has made this simpler with its multi-site configuration feature. 

This functionality makes it easier to handle numerous websites from a single Drupal installation, saving time, effort, and resources. But how do we configure this feature in Drupal? 

This blog post explores the ways to achieve multi-site configurations in Drupal in thorough detail.

Understanding Drupal Multi-Site Configurations

Before we go deeper, let's understand what Drupal multi-site configuration means. Simply put, it allows you to run multiple websites from one codebase. Each website can have its own content, settings, enabled modules, and themes, while sharing the core code, contributed modules, and themes. This arrangement benefits website managers who manage multiple sites, as they can apply updates to all at once.

How to Set Up Multi-Site Configurations

1. Creating Sub-Directories
   The first step is to create sub-directories for each site in the 'sites' directory. This is where individual settings for each site reside. The directory name would typically be your site's URL. For instance, if your site's URL is 'example.com', the directory name would be 'sites/example.com'.
2. Setting Up the Database
   Each site requires its own database. During Drupal installation, you need to set up a new database for each site. Remember to collate each database in 'utf8mb4_general_ci' to avoid any characters failing to write to the database.
3. Configuring Settings.php
   For each site, you will need a settings.php file. This file contains critical information about your site such as base URL, database credentials, and more. You can find a default.settings.php file in the 'default' directory. Copy this file into your new site directory and rename it to 'settings.php'. Update the necessary details like the database name, username, and password.
4. Configuring the Web Server
   Next, you need to configure your web server to point to the correct site directory. For Apache servers, you would use the .htaccess file, while nginx servers use the nginx.conf file.
5. Installing Drupal
   Finally, install Drupal for each site by navigating to your site's URL in a web browser. Follow the installation prompts, and in no time, your website will be up and running.

The Importance of Multi-Site Configurations

With multi-site configurations, you can centralise your web management tasks, reducing the need for redundant tasks. You can apply core updates, security patches, and other changes across all your sites with a single stroke. This translates into reduced effort, time, and risk of errors.

Further, this simplifies your hosting environment as you're using a single codebase, making it easier to manage your server resources and optimise for performance.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Despite its numerous benefits, multi-site configurations are not without their challenges. Remember, changes made are site-wide; an update beneficial to one site might disrupt another. Thus, always carry out extensive testing before deploying changes. Additionally, ensure to maintain regular backups to quickly restore any problematic updates.

Conclusion

Mastering Drupal's multi-site configurations can become an asset in your digital arsenal. It not only optimises resources but also streamlines your web management process. However, it requires strategic planning and careful execution to exploit its full potential.

Drupal Multi-site Drupal Planet

Contributing to LocalGov Drupal is a great way to get used to how the platform works, and, in turn, makes the platform better for everyone. Here's some thoughts on how to get started.

Journey into Drupal: Becoming a Contributor That Counts! bhavinhjoshi Mon, 07/08/2024 - 10:23

Drupal, the renowned content management platform, is a result of collective efforts by developers and contributors worldwide.

But have you ever considered how you can contribute to its evolution? Let's unpack the benefits of contributing, explore avenues to contribute and decipher tools that ease the process.

The Benefits of Contributing

Contributing to Drupal is a symbiotic process, where every effort you put in reaps multiple rewards:

1. Skill Enhancement: Whether you choose to contribute code, help with testing, design or translations, each contribution is an opportunity to sharpen your skills. 

2. Networking: Engage with the global Drupal community at meetups, workshops, and forums. These platforms present a potent opportunity to connect with fellow developers, learn about Drupal trends, and imbibe best practices.

3. Impact: Every contribution counts. Whether it's contributing code, reporting bugs, suggesting enhancements, or sharing expertise and insights in the community, each contribution plays a pivotal role. These collective contributions help in creating a more robust, user-friendly, and advanced platform. Thus, every contribution, regardless of its size or nature, holds immense value as it brings about change and propels Drupal forward in its ongoing evolution.

Contribute to Drupal: The How-To Guide

There's a multitude of ways to contribute to Drupal. Here's a few:

1. Code Development: If you're proficient in PHP, consider developing for Drupal core or contributing modules. 

2. Testing: Quality assurance plays a crucial role in Drupal development. Test new features or updates, and report bugs. 

3. Documentation: A clear, comprehensive documentation bolsters user experience and uptake.

4. Community Support: Help others on Drupal forums or organise Drupal events. 

Tools That Make Drupal Contribution Easy

Several tools can support your journey as a Drupal contributor:

1. Drupal.org: A treasure trove of resources, Drupal.org is your starting point.

2. 'Simply Test Me': This tool lets you test patches or projects before submission. 

3. Drupal CI: This integrated tool helps test your code's compatibility with different environments. 

4. Dreditor: This browser extension streamlines code review and submission. It aids in identifying errors within the code, ensuring your contributions are more sturdy and resilient.

5. Slack: Join the Drupal Slack workspace for ongoing discussions and mentorship. 

In conclusion, contributing to Drupal is not just about giving back to the community but also about enhancing your skills, creating influential networks, and leaving a lasting impact. Remember, every contribution matters, no matter how small. 

So, wear your Drupal contributor hat and let’s keep the wheel of innovation turning. Together, we can shape the future of this robust platform. Every step we take, every effort we make, brings Drupal a step closer to the epitome of perfection. 

It’s a journey, and everyone’s invited. After all, the best way to predict the future is to create it. Let's create the Drupal we want, together!

Drupal Community Drupal Planet

Recently, we worked on performance improvements for a complex enterprise-scale Drupal system. Performance bottlenecks can appear in many different parts of such systems. Many possible performance improvements merit their respective discussion - each with a high level of detail. In this blog post, we want to share what we have learned from a more distant perspective. For some improvements, the Drupal ecosystem already offers well-working solutions in core and the contribution space. Some other changes sound easy on paper, but the implementation requires much effort. That is why we need to zoom out more to make good decisions on the software architecture level. Here are some of the noteworthy changes and decisions we made.

Authored by Nadiia Nykolaichuk.

Drupal is ceaselessly evolving, with the best Drupal minds nurturing brilliant ideas and implementing them in the new releases. Six months ago, Drupal 10.2 rolled out with a set of exciting enhancements. Now it’s time to celebrate that Drupal 10.3 has been officially released on June 20.

Continuous forward compatibility checking of extensions for Drupal 12, 13, etc using @gitlab CI 😍 https://www.hojtsy.hu/blog/2024-jul-05/continuous-forward-compatibility-checking-extensions-drupal-12-13-etc Get inline and ongoing feedback about readiness for upcoming major versions of Drupal as you develop extensions!

1.5 week prior, Lee “larowlan” + Jesse fixed a bug in the undo/redo functionality and added the first unit test (#3452895), and added it to CI (where it now runs immediately, no need to wait for composer to run JS unit tests!) Except … the unit tests didn’t actually run — oops! Rectifying that revealed a whole range of new Cypress challenges, which Ben “bnjmnm” worked tirelessly to solve this during the entire 5th week, and it was merged on Wednesday of this week :)

Anybody who has contributed to the drupal.org GitLab CI templates knows how painful this can be!

Missed a prior week? See all posts tagged Experience Builder.

Goal: make it possible to follow high-level progress by reading ~5 minutes/week. I hope this empowers more people to contribute when their unique skills can best be put to use!

For more detail, join the #experience-builder Slack channel. Check out the pinned items at the top!

As alluded to in last week’s update, I’m shifting my focus to coordinating.

That, together with quite a few people being out or preparing for webinars or Drupal Dev Days Burgas means this is an unusually short update — also because I left on vacation on Friday the 21st of June.

Before going on vacation, I wanted to ensure work could continue in my absence because we need to get to the point where Lauri’s vision is accessible in both UX wireframe form (Lauri’s working on that with Acquia UX) and technical diagram form (up to me to get that going). So, since last week:

1. Lauri created #3454094: Milestone 0.1.0: Experience Builder Demo. I created #3455753: Milestone 0.2.0: Experience Builder-rendered nodes. Anything that is not necessary for either of those two should not be worked on at this time. They together form “the early phase” — the milestone 0.1.0 has a hard DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 deadline in September, the 0.2.0 does not have a similar firm date.
2. As much of 0.2.0 as possible should already be in 0.1.0, which means ideally the back end is ahead of the front end. That’s what #3450586: [META] Early phase back-end work coordination and #3450592: [META] Early phase front-end work coordination. are for. I did a big update to have the next ~10 or so back-end things to build spelled out in detail in concrete issues, with vaguer descriptions for the things that are further out and subject to change anyway.
3. Initial diagram of the data model as currently partially implemented and the direction we’ve been going in … followed by a significant expansion of detail. You can see the diagrams on GitLab, in the docs/diagrams directory.
4. The JSON-based data storage model is influenced significantly by some of the product requirements, and what those are and their exact purpose has not been very clear. To fix that, I created [later phase] [META] 7. Content type templates — aka “default layouts” — affects the tree+props data model (which updates the data model diagram!) — and Lauri recorded a video with his thinking around this, in which he walks through two diagrams: one for data sources + design system, one that breaks down a concrete content type.
5. A lot of discussion happened between Lauri, catch and I on [META] Configuration management: define needed config entity types, which needs a lot more clarity before all config entity types can be implemented.

One pretty cool issue landed this week that drives home that second item : #3455898: Connect client & server, with zero changes to client (UI): rough working endpoints that mimic the UI’s mocks — thanks to that, the PoC UI is now optionally populated by the first article node, unless you enable development mode (see ui/README.md), then it uses dummy data not served by Drupal. A small but hacky change but an important pragmatic step in the right direction :) And it unblocks Jesse on next steps on the UI!

Try it yourself locally if you like, but there’s not much you can do yet.
Install the 0.x branch — the “Experience Builder PoC” toolbar item takes you there!

Weeks 7 and 8 will be special editions: I will have been completely absent during week 7 (plus, it’ll be Drupal Dev Days!), and present only for the last day of week 8. I’ll catch up what happened and do a write-up both for myself as well as all of you!

Thanks to Lauri for reviewing this!

• Drupal
• Acquia
• Experience Builder

• The UI starts being powered by the server side.

Continuous forward compatibility checking of extensions for Drupal 12, 13, etc

We still keep improving the ecosystem readiness and tooling with each new major Drupal core version. Drupal 11 is to be released in a few weeks on the week of July 29 (so probably the first days of August) and already almost half of the top 200 modules are ready. But we need to keep thinking ahead.

The Project Update Bot (originally built by Ted Bowman at Acquia and since then very actively owned and improved by Björn Brala at SWIS) posted into more than 7600 project issue queues on Drupal.org with merge request suggestions to improve and in many cases solve compatibility with the upcoming major version. 

The bot is a clever combination of Upgrade Status and drupal-rector with some custom decision logic. So humans can also run those tools! But what if we automate it even more? What if we help pre-empt forwards incompatible code getting into modules in the first place? 

Gábor Hojtsy Fri, 07/05/2024 - 20:34

This study published in The DropTimes by Veniz Maja Guzman, SEO Expert & Content Strategist at Promet Source, uncovers the growing trend of Drupal adoption in government websites, correlating with entity size. Highlighting Drupal's scalability and robust features, the research shows large entities have the highest adoption rates. However, Drupal's benefits, including cost-effectiveness, security, and customization, are valuable for all government levels. The study emphasizes the need for better education and marketing to increase Drupal adoption among smaller entities, demonstrating its flexibility and potential for long-term growth in the public sector. Discover the full insights and implications for government website modernization.

Here's what I've been working on for my Drupal contributions this week. Thanks to Code Enigma for sponsoring the time to work on these.

A Journey Towards Sustainability and Team Building drunomics Team Event 2024 Burgas, Bulgaria jurgen.thano Fri, 07/05/2024 - 15:15 The drunomics team gathered for an event full of excitement and inspiration in Burgas, Bulgaria. From bonding activities to insightful discussions and workshops, it was a day full of energy and enthusiasm. Want to know more? Our blog post covers all the key moments and takeaways from this fantastic day! Body

At drunomics GmbH, our dedication to sustainable digital practices is at the heart of everything we do. We see technology as a powerful force for positive change, and our recent team event in Burgas, Bulgaria, emphasized sustainability as the focal point of the event. Here is a glimpse into the vibrant discussions, collaborative learning, and memorable moments that made this event truly special.

Nurturing Sustainability 1. Green UX Design Insights

During our event, we immersed ourselves in the principles of Green UX design. Our discussions centered on creating digital experiences that are both user-friendly and environmentally conscious. Here are some of the key insights we shared:

• Optimizing Code for Efficiency: Streamlining scripts and using efficient algorithms not only boosts performance but also cuts down on energy consumption, contributing to a greener web.
• Data Transfer Reduction: Minimizing data transfer is crucial for sustainability. We explored methods like lazy loading, content compression, and efficient caching to create smoother user experiences while reducing our digital carbon footprint.
• Balancing Aesthetics and Sustainability: Green UX is about finding harmony between visual appeal and resource efficiency. Thoughtful use of images, animations, and fonts can achieve this balance effectively.

2. User-Centric Sustainability

Our discussions also focused on empowering users to make eco-friendly choices through smart intuitive design:

• Empowering Users: We brainstormed ways to integrate sustainability into user interactions, such as through informative tool-tips, personalized recommendations, and eco-friendly badges.

• Behavioral Nudges: Subtle prompts within the user experience can encourage eco-friendly behavior, like promoting energy-saving modes, suggesting public transportation options, or highlighting sustainable product choices.

3. Collaborative Learning

The event was an engaging forum for sharing ideas and fostering dynamic discussions. We challenged assumptions and explored new perspectives on integrating sustainability into our projects. This collaborative approach helped us discover innovative solutions and prepared us to infuse eco-consciousness into every stage of our work.

Over the past few weeks I've been sharing handy ways to set up Drupal for easier Drupal core development. Here's a bash script for installing Drupal and allowing you to choose what profile you want.

Here's what I've been working on for my LocalGov Drupal contributions this week. Thanks to Big Blue Door for sponsoring the time to work on these.

Explore how AI is revolutionizing Drupal development in Jay Callicott's latest article, "The AI-Driven Developer: From Assistance to Autonomy in Drupal Development." This insightful piece delves into the evolution of AI tools from mere coding assistants to autonomous agents, transforming the roles of developers. Discover the potential of AI-driven modules like DrupalAI and the importance of crafting effective AI prompts to enhance productivity and innovation in web development. Don’t miss out on this glimpse into the future of AI and Drupal!

At 1xINTERNET, we proudly sponsored and spread our knowledge at Drupal Developer Days in Burgas 2024. Discover the insights we shared this year!

With Drupal 7’s (D7) end-of-life (EOL) in 6 months on January 5, 2025, organizations relying on D7 face critical decisions regarding the future of their websites. This article will help guide you through the paths you can take: migrating to modern Drupal, leveraging extended long-term support options, or staying on unsupported Drupal 7. 

Update to Modern Drupal

Transitioning from Drupal 7 to a newer version is crucial in future-proofing your digital presence. These versions embrace modern PHP standards, object-oriented programming, and Symfony components, providing a powerful foundation for your website. This upgrade allows you to access advanced features, enhanced performance, and ensures ongoing support and security updates.

Why Migrate to the Latest Versions?

Modernization: Drupal 10 offers cutting-edge features and performance improvements, and an easy upgrade path to Drupal 11, releasing very soon.
Security: Continuous security updates protect your site from vulnerabilities.
Flexibility: Adopt contemporary coding standards and best practices.
Future-Proofing: Ensure compatibility with future updates and maintain a seamless digital experience.

Additionally, the upcoming release of Starshot, slated before the end of 2024, promises even more enhancements and features that will elevate your website's capabilities. By migrating now, your organization can seamlessly integrate these future advancements.

Migrating to newer versions can involve navigating significant architectural changes, and may require extensive modifications to custom modules and themes. However, tools like Drupal Rector and Retrofit on our DIY migration resources page can help make this process easier. The benefits of modernization, enhanced security, and future-proofing outweigh the initial investment in time, resources, and budget.

But you don’t have to do it yourself.  There are a number of Drupal Certified Partners who can assist organizations in planning and implementing their migration.

Find the qualified company that is best for you: Certified Migration Partners.

Extended Security Support for Drupal 7

To address the challenges of using unsupported software, the Drupal Association has established a program for supporting site owners who won't be able to migrate before the end of life date.  The D7 Extended Security Support Program identifies existing Drupal Certified Partners who meet stringent standards and who the Drupal Association feels confident recommending.

With the end of support, the Drupal Security Team will no longer be involved in supporting Drupal 7.  The Drupal Association recognizes that some site owners will not be in a position to migrate their site or need more time to do so.  For many of these site owners, paying for extended support would be a good option.

Recognizing that the Drupal Security Team would not be officially involved in any such service, the Drupal Association created rigorous standards before certifying companies under this program.  Some of these requirements include:

• Being a Drupal Certified Partner at the Gold tier or higher
• Employing a core security team member
• Experience in providing security and compatibility fixes
• History of reporting 2 or more CVEs and creating fixes for the same
• Willingness to enter in a service level agreement to ensure standards are being met

Find the company that will work best for you: D7 Extended Security Support Partners

Stay on Unsupported Drupal 7

When Drupal 7 reaches its EOL, it will no longer receive new security updates, fixes, or official support from the Drupal community. While this option might seem cost-effective and leverages your team's stability and familiarity with Drupal 7, it comes with significant risks.

Without updates, your site will be vulnerable to new security exploits and non-compliance with standards such as FedRAMP, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA. Over time, tools and utilities supporting your Drupal 7 site may become incompatible with new versions of dependencies like PHP, and finding developers skilled in outdated technology could become increasingly difficult.

The Drupal Association does not recommend this option.

Conclusion

Organizations must carefully weigh their options as Drupal 7 approaches its EOL to ensure continued security, compliance, and compatibility. Embracing Drupal 10 and the upcoming Drupal 11 and Starshot release will position your organization for long-term success with access to the latest features, security updates, and a vibrant support community..

Fellow Drupalists!

We have exciting news. As a way to express our appreciation for our community, the Drupal Association is pleased to announce some changes to the Individual Membership program, now called Ripple Makers!

Our goal is to increase communication and transparency, and create more opportunities for engagement.

The Drupal Association is a United States incorporated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations to Ripple Makers are tax deductible, where applicable. We raise funding primarily through event registration, event sponsorship, the Drupal Certified Partner program, some grants, and individual contributions. We do not have a for profit parent corporation telling us what to do, nor do we ever charge to download Drupal. In fact, it is our mission to ensure that it will always be free. 

Drupal has given members of our community opportunities beyond just a career. The values adopted by open source communities create innovation, collaboration, and creation across the globe. Drupal itself is recognized as a Digital Public Good. Drupal is a lever for change and makes a difference preserving the integrity of the internet. 

At the heart of the Ripple Makers transformation is a commitment to fostering deeper connections with each and every member of our community, recognizing the invaluable role that sustaining donors play in advancing our shared mission and impact. By revamping our sustaining donors club to be more inclusive and communicative, we aim to create a culture of belonging where every donor feels valued, heard, and empowered to make a difference. 

Ripple Makers is your chance to give back—and to celebrate the Drupal community and the open source ecosystem that helps it thrive. We invite you to make a monthly donation in support of the Drupal Association.

Long gone are the days of using HTML tables for page layouts. That time almost seems shrouded in myth. One of the (many) reasons tables fell out of use was the advent of responsive design to meet the needs of different contexts and screen sizes. Tables are rigid. Their presence naturally hampers the responsiveness of a website to conform to a smaller screen size.

But tables are still useful. In some cases, they are necessary.

Experience Builder (XB) is set to redefine how we build and launch Drupal sites. As a cornerstone of the Starshot initiative, the XB module bridges the gap between Drupal installation and site launch, simplifying the process for all users. Kazima Abbas, sub-editor at The Drop Times, interviews Lauri Eskola, the Product Lead for the XB initiative. Lauri shares the inspiration behind XB, its integration with Starshot, and how it enhances Drupal's user experience and accessibility.