The last two weeks the dust settled after an energetic and productive Drupalcon. Now there is a new stable release for all of the three most popular contrib modules Nuvole maintains: Config Filter, Config Split and Config Ignore.

Config Filter

This is the most stable module, its new releases just switch over to Gitlab CI and fix a small inconsistency in how config storages are expected to behave. The first iteration introduced a bug which the second release fixed. Thank you to the early adopters who spotted the bug. Config Filter will remain supported but its relevance is probably going to decrease with the release of stable versions of the modules which used to depend on it but no longer do. For example Config Split 2.x and Config Ignore 3.x do not depend on Config FIlter and both now have a stable release. Modules are encouraged to switch to the Config Storage Transformation API added to Drupal 8.8. Both branches remain supported and recommended on drupal.org since most commits can be cherry picked between the branches. But for performance I would recommend the original 1.x branch. Both branches have exactly the same API, just the behaviour is different when importing or exporting. Other config modules can use either branch for the test traits which facilitate writing tests that pass before and after refactoring from Config Filters API to the core API.

If your site indirectly depends on Config Filter because you use a module which depends on it, you need to explicitly require Config Filter when you upgrade the modules. Drupal can not uninstall a module that is no longer in the codebase. So explicitly require Config Filter, uninstall it and then in a subsequent deployment remove Config Filter.

Config Split

Our oldest Drupal 8 config module has a new stable 2.0.0 release. In it, bugs and edge cases discovered in last year's release were fixed. It also contains a "new" feature which brings back the functionality of the 1.x branch. This should help sites holding back on upgrading because the functionality changed. With that out of the way the plan is to deprecate the 1.x branch and end support with the end of Drupal 10 support. There will not be any features added to 1.x.

Config Ignore

Previous releases of the 3.x branch have not been feature compatible with 2.x. But the stable 3.0 release has been re-written from previous 3.x beta versions. It is configurable so that most use cases can be catered for with enough creativity. One can configure the configuration to ignore for create, update and delete for both import and export. But one can also just keep it simple and then it will be as all the versions before. In particular, however, it can be configured easily to behave like: the last 2.x release, the last 2.x release with the popular patch to allow filtering on export and the previous 3.x release. Because of that the 2.x branch is deprecated as of now and it will be marked as unsupported by the end of the year on Drupal.org. There is a new hook replacing the one which existed in 2.x and which addresses the new capabilities (the old hook is still invoked and will be removed in 4.0.0). With the end of Drupal 9 being supported, PHP 8.1 is now the minimum required version, but 3.0 does not yet take advantage of the new PHP language features. So the plan for 4.0.0 is to switch the string constants to enums and switch to semantic versioning and remove the old hook.

How the pizza is made

Our Drupal 8 modules have always been maintained "like a php library". The development of UI Patterns was initially hosted on Github among other things for that reason. Config Split and Config Filter shipped with their docker compose files and scripts to symlink the module into the Drupal site. Later the custom scripts were replaced by drupal-spoons. Since the now generally available drupal-gitlab-ci is inspired by spoons and DDEV is likely becoming the recommended development environment for contributing to Drupal, I switched my local environment for maintaining the contrib modules to DDEV with the ddev-drupal-contrib plugin, the spiritual successor of drupal-spoons. For contributing to Drupal core I can only recommend the ddev-drupal-core-dev plugin created by justafish during Drupalcon. I helped beta test it and it works like a charm. That said my PhpStorm configuration had to be updated a bit even though I installed the ddev plugin for it. In particular I had to add a second server mapping for Xdebug to work as described in a comment on the issue. The release notes for the contrib modules were generated with drupal-mrn.dev.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed with feedback, code, ideas or even just listened to my ramblings as I discovered untested edge cases.

A roundup from our conference session at DrupalCon Lille

The Drupal Association has been working on a monumental effort to migrate away from our bespoke DrupalCI continuous integration system to GitLab CI as part of the GitLab Acceleration Initiative. Drupal core's test runs are five times faster using GitLab CI. I have loosely followed the progress as Drupal moves from our custom-built infrastructure onto GitLab. But someone shared with me a little feature I missed: adding a PHPStan job to the default GitLab CI templates!

This first episode of the Drupal Migration series of Tag1 Team Talks focuses on the intricate process of migrating large-scale applications, especially with the end of life of Drupal 7 and 9 approaching. The hosts, Michael Meyers and Janez Urevc, are joined by a panel of additional experts, Benji Fisher, Lucas Hedding, Mauricio Dinarte, and Mike Ryan, who delve deep into the world of Drupal migrations. This discussion explores the terminology used in migrations and some best practice approaches to the process, aiming to equip you with the knowledge to navigate the upcoming talks on this topic. Overview The panel discusses the nuances of migration, touching upon the differences between terms like upgrade, update, and migration and how they apply in different contexts. They emphasize the complexity of migrating from older systems to newer ones, highlighting the substantial changes in code organization and database structure. The conversation also covers the critical task of porting code and themes, focusing on the challenges and strategies of migrating Drupal themes. The panel shares personal experiences, underscoring the importance of considering the specific circumstances of each project when deciding whether to retain or redesign a theme during migration. The discussion extends to data migration...

Today we are talking about The Conflict Resolution Team, What they do, and Why they do it with guest Mark Casias. We’ll also cover Smart Trim as our module of the week.

For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/423

• What is the Conflict Resolution Team
• Why is the Conflict Resolution Team needed
• When / Why was the Conflict Resolution Team created
• What kinds of issues does the Conflict Resolution Team deal with
• Do you meet separately from discussing issues
• How do you handle burnout
• How does one become a member
• Why are you a member
• How do you submit an issue to the Conflict Resolution Team
• How many submissions do you get
• Do you have to include the Drupal Association
• Does the DA provide tools
• Does the Conflict Resolution Team need help
• Is there any specific training you look for
  • Code of conduct training
• Anything you would like to add

• Conflict Resolution Team

Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Mark Casias - kanopi.com - markie

Martin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu Smart Trim

• Brief description:
  • Have you ever wanted to truncate provided user text in a more intelligent way than the “summary or trimmed” formatter in Drupal core? There’s a module for that.
• Brief history
  • How old: Originally created in Apr 2012
  • Versions available: 7.x-1.6 and 2.1.0 versions available, the latter compatible with Drupal 8, 9, and 10
• Maintainership
  • Actively maintained
• Number of open issues
  • 74, 8 of which are active bugs against the 2.x branch
• Test coverage, using the new GitLab CI
• User guide for documentation
• Usage stats:
  • 66,919
• Maintainer(s):
  • Friends of the podcast, markie, ultimike, volkswagenchick
  • Module features and usage
  • Adds a variety of configuration options, in addition to the trim length:
  • Whether the length is characters or words
  • An optional suffix at the trim point e.g. ellipsis
  • Whether or not to add a more link after the trimmed text
  • Stripping HTML tags from the trimmed output
  • The ability to customize the output even more via twig template override
  • Because it works by providing a field formatter it works with entity display but also views, layout builder, and more
  • A module I’ve used many times myself and found extremely useful. I haven’t had a chance to try the latest release, but given the recent focus on UI improvements, documentation, and flexibility in the twig template it should be even better than I remember

Dear Readers,

"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness."

Literally? I doubt that. This quote by Alejandro Jodorowsky cannot be interpreted literally but metaphorically. It symbolizes the constraints and learned limitations prevalent in the human experience. The notion suggests that individuals accustomed to restrictive environments or societal norms may perceive natural behaviors as abnormal, not unlike the metaphorical birds in Alejandro Jodorowsky's insight.

Consider the story of a canary long confined within a cage. Upon release into the open, the canary might initially be intimidated by the freedom of the vast skies that other birds effortlessly navigate. Yet, in time, the canary adapts, spreads its wings, and takes flight. However, for us—humans like you and me—breaking free from our own mental and societal confines might not be as simple. This story illustrates how conditioning and familiarity with constraints can distort our perception of what's natural or possible. Some of us are like sharks; we only grow as big as our environment, and if it's a cage, we will forever remain caged. But once you break that shackle and find your niche, the growth can be monumental.

In a digital platform ecosystem, Drupal stands as a symbol of liberation from constraints, like the canary breaking free from its cage. In an ecosystem where popular software programs followed rigid and closed systems, Drupal was born to offer an open space for innovation and creativity. In website development, individuals constrained by traditional systems often face challenges when presented with the freedom and flexibility that Drupal offers.

Similar to the canary initially intimidated by the vast open sky, newcomers to Drupal may feel overwhelmed by its seemingly boundless possibilities. However, just as the canary adapts and embraces the open skies, individuals within the Drupal community, although initially daunted, flourish as they navigate and harness the platform's versatility.

Remember, the growth can be tremendous, but only if one breaks the shackles of constraints that hold them down.

On that note, we delve into last week's vibrant stories from The Drop Times (TDT):

DrupalCon Lille's echoes continue to resound within the Drupal Community, and TDT extends its gratitude for the overwhelming support received during our coverage. Despite numerous hurdles, particularly conducting our reporting remotely, The Drop Times embraced the challenge with ambition and soared high. Here's a recount of our successful execution of DrupalCon Lille coverage, "Way to Lille: How TDT Remotely Covered DrupalCon Lille 2023."

Throughout the week, attendees and organizations shared their invaluable feedback and experiences from DrupalCon Lille 2023. Tigin Öztürk, Irina Povjakel, SearchStax, SystemSeed, and ZenSource generously shared personal insights and event summaries. Furthermore, Scott Massey from Morpht discussed key strategies and challenges for Drupal migration in the light of Driesnote. Acquia conducted a webinar on DrupalCon Lille recap on November 02, 2023.

A new platform, "Innovation Ideas," emerged within the Drupal community, drawing inspiration from the successful Pitch-Burgh Innovation Contest. Our sub-editor, Elma John, conversed with Ricardo Marcelino to explore this initiative further.

TDT compiled a list of books aimed at decoding Drupal. Whether you're a developer or a marketer, these books have you covered.

The conclusion of Drupal GovCon Bethesda 2023 was marked with success. The Splash Awards and Drupal Business Day in Mannheim, Germany, set for November 10, will feature 28 selected Drupal projects competing across eight categories.

Notably, Drupal's debut appearance at Web Summit Lisbon and the forthcoming LocalGov Drupal Week 2023 are anticipated milestones for the Drupal community. TDT has also published a list of events within the Drupal Community for the week.

With the transition of Drupal 9 reaching its end of life on November 01, the focus has now shifted to Drupal 10 compatibility. Meanwhile, as Drupal 7 perseveres, Kristen Pol's recent blog post, shared by QuantCDN, navigates through the history of Drupal 7 and explores the available end-of-life (EOL) options. Tag1 Consultancy commenced a series on Scary Drupal migration stories featuring Janez Urevc in the past week.

On the security front, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) issued an advisory for Drupal on November 02, 2023, regarding a vulnerability affecting various operating systems and the Drupal content management system. Simultaneously, a security update for the Paragraphs admin module in Drupal addressed a moderate risk vulnerability. Vallic has shared a blog post on simplifying Drupal updates using GitHub Actions.

A growing momentum within the Drupal community highlights DDEV as the official local development environment for Drupal, as outlined by Kevin Quillen in a recent blog post. Furthermore, The Argyle Report spotlighted the thriving global Drupal Development Service industry, presenting insights from a new report by Global Market Vision titled 'Global Drupal Development Service Market: Size, Share, Price, Trends, Report, and Forecast 2023-2030'.

Several articles addressed the optimization of Drupal sites, focusing on fundamental SEO practices by Otatech and security checklists by Firas Gunhaim. Reuben Walker, in Dev, recently compared Symfony Flex's Recipes and Drupal's emerging Recipes Initiative, examining their respective functionalities and operational frameworks. The latest article by Golems gives an outlook into the future of Drupal themes.

This encapsulates the highlights from The Drop Times. We invite you to share any suggestions, contributions, or feedback, as we sincerely value your engagement within our community. Thank you for being part of this journey. Until our next edition, keep exploring, sharing, and embracing the power of knowledge!

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for regular updates.

Warm Regards,
Alka Elizabeth
Sub-editor, The Drop Times

Co-written by Pal Patel, Solutions Architect, WWPS - Amazon Web Services

In the intricate landscape of government technology, where innovation and security coalesce, the potent combination of Acquia and Amazon Web Services (AWS) delivers enterprise digital experience capabilities for public sector agencies. This empowers such agencies with the technical intricacies of Acquia's Drupal prowess fused with AWS's cloud infrastructure resulting in a new era of digital excellence for federal, state, and local government agencies.

Evolving with Drupal: A Technical Revolution

Shifting from conventional platforms to Drupal is a strategic leap that empowers organizations to harness the power of open-source technology, fostering rapid development, scalability, and customization.