Dear Readers,

Innovation is the lifeblood of progress. It represents the pursuit of better solutions, the breaking of traditional boundaries, and products that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what is possible. True innovation involves a continuous cycle of exploration, experimentation, and adaptation, driven by a deep desire to solve complex problems and improve human experiences. It's about seeing beyond the current limitations and envisioning what could be, transforming bold visions into tangible solutions that can significantly advance how we live, work, and interact.

As a powerful tool for creating and maintaining dynamic web applications and the most sought-after enterprise-level CMS, Drupal stands as a testament to the power of innovation. As an open-source platform, Drupal thrives on its global community's collective creativity and technical prowess. Through Drupal, innovation is not just an individual pursuit but a shared journey, propelling the platform and its users toward new frontiers of digital possibility.`

Drupal means innovation, and the Drupal Association has introduced an Innovation Hub, a dedicated space to foster collaboration and advance innovation within the Drupal community. Headed by Alex Moreno, the initiative has devised a set of strategic goals for Drupal and its community for 2023-2025. With a focus on inspiration, collaboration, and driving Drupal forward, the Innovation Hub aims to shape the future of digital experiences and strengthen Drupal's vibrant ecosystem.

With that, welcome to the last week's most important content covered by The DropTimes.

Today marks the final day of Florida DrupalCamp 2024, and as media sponsors, The DropTimes came up with two interviews in the last week featuring two of the three featured speakers of FLDC 2024. I had the opportunity to interact with Matthew Ramir, who defied the limits posed by Cerebral Palsy and navigated the realms of Drupal. Read the full interview here.

Aubrey Sambor, the Lead Engineer at Lullabot and the featured speaker at FLDC 2024 in an interview with Kazima Abbas, sub-editor of The DropTimes, shares her experiences and expertise, offering a glimpse into the evolving world of web development and Drupal community contributions.

We have published a selection of essential modules that empower you to build a captivating online brand and turn your product features into compelling narratives with the help of Safallia Joseph, AcroCommerce. If you're crafting an e-commerce experience where storytelling and customer connection come first, Drupal with Drupal Commerce is your solution. If you've created or worked on a successful Drupal Commerce website, share your insights with us at editor@thedroptimes.com. This collaborative exchange will inspire and empower businesses to achieve extraordinary e-commerce results with Drupal and feature you in The DropTimes.

The Pantheon Autopilot Toolbar module addresses navigation deficiencies within Pantheon's Dashboard UI, enabling efficient access to Autopilot. Kevin Reynen, the Principal Web Applications Developer at the University of Colorado, discusses the module's creation and significance in this feature. Also, understand Pantheon's response to the issue. 

Mike Gifford shares his first-hand insights from FOSDEM'24, the eminent open-source conference, shedding light on the significant discussions around open-source solutions in government, digital public goods, and the evolving role of open-source in societal advancement. Read the full article here. The Drupal Delhi Meetup, organized by Anushri Kumari, Megha Sharma, and Libbna Mathew, marked great promise for Drupal devotees. Kazima Abbas connected with the organizers to learn more about the event.

In other news, DrupalCamp Rennes revealed its lineup of keynote speakers and conference topics, and early bird registration is now open for DrupalCon Portland 2024. Tickets are also available for Midcamp 2024, and the Drupal MountainCamp schedule is out. 

Drupal.org has made a significant announcement revealing that Drupal 11 is now open for development, while Drupal 10.3.x has been branched. A security advisory has been issued for the Node Access Rebuild Progressive module, identifying an access bypass vulnerability in versions prior to 2.0.2. Additionally, Neil Drumm has announced a streamlined process for accepting the Git Terms of Service within the Drupal community by transitioning the acceptance procedure to their GitLab instance.

We acknowledge that there are more stories to share. However, due to constraints in selection, we must pause further exploration for now.

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

Thank you,

Sincerely
Alka Elizabeth
Sub-editor, TheDropTimes.

Using different systems in a company is important for success. Today, in a world full of changing technologies and IT tools, Drupal is notable. It's an open-source software that's always getting better with the help of a big community. 

Drupal is flexible because it has modules written in PHP, and you can use tools like Composer with it. This makes Drupal an ideal choice for integrating different programs in an organization. It adapts well to the evolving needs of a company's IT infrastructure.

In this guide, we will have a close look at the right way to perform seamless Drupal integration with enterprise systems. 

Why is Drupal a Great Choice for Integration? 

Drupal works well for integration due to a few key reasons. First, it's highly flexible and comes with a vast collection of modules available on Drupal.org. 

These modules, which are like pre-built pieces of software, keep growing and often offer ready-to-use solutions for integration.

The rule of thumb is straightforward — the faster, the better. The speed of carousel sliders in Drupal has a huge impact on how users interact with your content. If adjusted correctly, it will surely drive your platform to the top of SERPs. 
Drupal carousel slider optimization, among other design elements, helps you entice your audience to stay on your site and speeds it up. Customers quickly abandon pages if they don’t satisfy their needs. As research shows, 7% and 11% drops in conversions and pageviews, respectfully, can happen because of a one-second lag between page loads.

As regular sponsors, we have tried and tested tips for getting involved and getting the most out of the DrupalSouth Code Sprint. It's a fantastic day of collaboration and contribution you won't want to miss!

We’re excited to be running and sponsoring the Code Sprint again, this time at DrupalSouth 2024. 

We’re hoping to see you there too - either in-person or virtually!

It’s a chance for as many of us as possible to get together, work, and learn–all while contributing to the Drupal open-source project and community. 

There are many compelling reasons for individuals and businesses to contribute. 

An event of this nature adds an extra layer of possibility to what can be achieved–and it’s a lot of fun too!

When will the Code Sprint take place?

This year’s Sprint will take place on Friday, 22nd March 2024, from 9 am to 3 pm (AEDT). 

More details are available on the DrupalSouth registration form.

How do I register?

When you book your DrupalSouth ticket, you can also register for the Code Sprint. 

Attendance is free and open to all levels of experience.

The Sprint is always highly popular and regularly oversubscribed (last year in Brisbane was no exception), so please register early to avoid disappointment! 

Remote participants

Are you unable to attend in person? Join us remotely from wherever you are! 

Let us know if you'll be taking part, via the Slack channel (details below under Communication). Information for connecting via Zoom on the day will also be shared on Slack prior to the event. 

What is a Sprint, and why is it important?

Drupal is open-source, meaning it relies on organisations and individuals contributing to keep it moving forward and improving. A sprint is a focused effort, in this case, a day, where we can progress things and see tangible results.

Drupal contribution demonstrates your individual or organisational expertise, ensuring you gain recognition for your work. Participating in the Sprint is a great way to build your contribution levels for the Certified Partner Program. It’s also an opportunity to be mentored by other developers.

New to Drupal Sprints? Below are recorded sessions from the 2021 sprint that will help you prepare for the day.

• Introduction to Drupal Sprint days
• How the Drupal Issue queue works
• How to triage Drupal bug reports
• How to use Drupal pod for a cloud-based development environment
• Drupal Patch and Merge request workflows
• How to review patches / merge requests
• How a committer reviews and commits a patch

Sprints are an excellent opportunity to put a face to a name and discuss common interests. Groups are loosely arranged by topic. e.g. Bug Smash, Media, Drupal 10 porting. Find a group working on an area you’re interested in and introduce yourself! 

Chatting directly with fellow contributors is a great opportunity to have discussions and put forward ideas. Don't feel like you need to come away from the day having completed lines and lines of code.

Communication 

We'll use #drupalsouth-code-sprint in Drupal Slack as the primary communication channel for the Sprint. 

For most of the day, we’ll use Slack threads to keep track of sprint topics and reduce the noise in the main channel.

If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to sign up and join the Australian / New Zealand Drupal community in Slack. Follow the instructions for how to join. 

Who can contribute and how?

Sprint day is for everyone, not just developers! Contribution comes in many forms. See the list of contributor tasks if you’re looking for different ways to contribute to this fantastic project. 

Find issues to work on

Looking for an interesting issue to work on? Head to the Drupal.org Issue Queue and look for issues tagged with 'DrupalSouth'. These are issues that others have tagged.

You can also tag an issue to add to the list.

Set up a development environment

There’s more than one way to shear a sheep and many ways to set up a local development environment for working on Drupal!

If you still need to get a local development environment setup, we recommend using Docker Compose for local development. Follow the instructions for installing Docker Compose on OSX, Windows and Linux.

If you don't already have a local development environment for Drupal contribution, a handy starter project can be set up using the following:

See the README.md for more details. 

If you are more familiar with DDEV then we recommend you having a look at DDEV Drupal Contrib.

If you have any issues, join us on Drupal Slack in the #drupalsouth-code-sprint channel beforehand, and we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Code of conduct

The sprint day will abide by the DrupalSouth Code of Conduct to provide a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. 

Recap

Now you know everything you need for Sprint Day, it’s time to follow these steps:

• Register (remember to get in fast!)
• Watch the recorded sessions
• Join the #drupalsouth-code-sprint Drupal Slack community
• Check out the contributor tasks
• Search for or tag interesting issues
• Set up a development environment
• Install the dreditor browser extension
• Read the Code of Conduct

We can’t wait to see you there!

Tagged

On the two-year anniversary of the Russian government’s attack on Ukraine, the Drupal Association wishes to reiterate its support for Ukraine. The invasion was an act of aggression, and our hearts are still with our Drupal Ukraine community.

We want to bring attention once more to the ways that the Drupal community can continue to support Ukraine. Here is a list of organizations* accepting donations to help people directly affected by the events in Ukraine:

• Nova Ukraine, a Ukraine-based nonprofit, provides citizens with basic needs and resources. Donate here.

• United Help Ukraine receives and distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to internally displaced Ukrainians and anyone affected by the war. Donate here. 

• People in Need provides humanitarian aid to over 200,000 people on the ground. Donate here. 

• The Ukrainian Red Cross undertakes humanitarian work, from aiding refugees to training doctors. Donate here.

• UN Refugees Agency supports refugees. Donate here. 

• UNICEF Ukraine is repairing schools damaged by the bombings and providing emergency responses to children affected by the war. Donate here.

As always, our global Drupal community is better together. We stand in solidarity and hope for peace. 

*List of resources originally compiled by Global Citizen

Join us on 7 - 10 March 2024 at Drupal Mountain Camp if you are interested in learning about the system that is the platform for many governments, organizations and universities worldwide.

After the summer edition in 2022, the Drupal Switzerland community invites to another gathering in Davos full of workshops, contributions, sessions and winter fun.

Liip is proud to present to present on a variety of topics:

• Drupal for End Users - workshop by Jonathan Noack (jonock) and Josef Kruckenberg (dasjo) on Thursday 15.20-17:10
• A Modern GraphQL Environment for Drupal - session by Jonathan Minder (ayalon) on Friday 14:10-15:00
• HTTP Caching with Varnish - session by David Buchmann (dbu) on Friday 15:10-16:00
• blökkli – Interactive page building experience for Nuxt - session by Jonathan Noack (jonock), Jan Hug (dulnan) on Friday 16:20-17:10
• Drupal Local Association Updates - session by Josef Kruckenberg (dasjo), Marine Gandy (Mupsi) and other association leaders on Saturday 10:40-11:30
• Building website with Nuxt 3 using the GraphQL API of Drupal as backend system - session by Jonathan Minder (ayalon), Jan Hug (dulnan) on Saturday 13:00-13:50

I'm particularly excited about the line-up of keynote speakers:

• Jutta Horstmann presents Running the internet, under-funded and under-staffed? How to achieve a sustainable open source ecosystem
• Preston So speaks on Ethical AI, open source, and the software field
• Tearyne Almendariz will talk about Magic Comes from Pain: 4 Ways that Embracing Grit Will Help you Achieve the Impossible

Thanks to sponsors like Platform.sh, dropsolid, Acquia, soul.media, Unic, Happy Coding, MD Systems, Joinbox, Tag1 Consulting and Liip, the 4-day conference is brought to you at a comparably low price, with tickets available for CHF 100 per ticket.

Drupal Mountain Camp wouldn’t be possible without a team of dedicated volunteers.

Do you want to learn more about Drupal? Do you want to connect with others who are passionate about open-source software solutions and the open web? Do you have a Drupal story to tell? See you at Drupal Mountain Camp 2024!

Changes in the digital world are inevitable and necessary. For Drupal users and developers, one of the key moments is migrating the system to its latest version. In this blog post, I focus specifically on the process of upgrading to Drupal 10, taking you step-by-step through how to prepare for it, what to check, and what actions to take to make the transition as smooth and seamless as possible.