LN Webworks: Drupal 8, 9, 10 Functional and Unit Testing (Automation Testing)

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Automated testing is the process of creating and implementing code to decrease the manual human effort needed during software testing. This vital approach plays a crucial role in modern software development, where specialized tools and scripts are used to execute test cases, validate functionality, and identify potential issues. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, significantly reduces the manual effort required, enabling testers to concentrate on more critical aspects of the testing process. Embracing automated testing enhances efficiency, accelerates the development lifecycle, and ensures consistent and reliable results across various environments and platforms.                                                                                             

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ImageX: Single Directory Components in Drupal 10.1: a Paradigm-Shifting Innovation for Theming

What if a single solution could make website UI components perfectly organized, easily reusable across projects, consistent throughout web pages, and more? With Single Directory Components (SDC), the shining star in the newly released Drupal 10.1, all of this is possible. Since launching six months after the release of Drupal 10, it’s been in the spotlight and has had many talking about how it should transform front-end development from the ground up.  

Specbee: Working with the Devel module in Drupal 9 to Generate Dummy Content

The Drupal Devel module is an extremely useful module for developers. The Devel module in Drupal 9 includes submodules – the Devel Generate, Display Suite Devel, Search API Solr Devel, Webform Devel and mDevel modules. In this article, we will delve into the Devel Generate module and how to work with it. When building a Drupal website, you want to have a lot of content to check the overall display such as layouts, views, design. Content comes in different forms and so it becomes important to test the website out with dummy content before adding live content. Instead of creating dummy content for Drupal sites manually, wouldn’t it be nice to add them automatically? That’s where the Devel Generate module for Drupal 9 will come in handy. What does the Drupal Devel module do? Drupal 9 offers tons of helpful modules that can ease the job of a developer. The Devel Drupal 9 module has several useful features. As discussed previously, there are several modules that are part of Devel; One such is the Devel Generate module. Devel Generate is used for automatically generating sample or Drupal dummy content for sites like menu items, taxonomy terms, and nodes. This is helpful if you need to test or showcase your Drupal website with data like dummy users, content, images, and so on. Drupal Devel module can create it all for you in a moment. Devel and its associated submodules are meant to be used on local development environments and should not be enabled on live production sites. Getting started with the Drupal Devel Generate module Working with the Drupal Devel module is as simple as installing it. Let’s get started with the installation and how to use Devel module in Drupal 9.  Installing Installing the Devel Drupal 9 Generate module is like installing any other contributed module. I’m using the Composer to install it since it automatically installs all of the necessary dependencies. Open the terminal, within the project enter the following command. $ composer require drupal/devel Next, enable the Devel and Devel Generate module. How to use Devel module in Drupal 9 Now, let's generate Drupal dummy content using the Devel Drupal 9 UI  1. Go to Configuration. Here you will see a long list of options under Development. Choose Generate Content. Here we can generate dummy content for webform submissions, content, media, menus, terms, users, vocabularies. Let’s choose Generate content.  2. The Generate content interface offers a number of options to set before you hit GENERATE: Generate content for all content types or select for specific content type Check the checkbox if want to delete all content of a certain content type before generating new content Specify how many nodes to generate and how far back the node creation dates should go Specify the maximum number of dummy comments for each node that support comments Set the maximum number of words for the title of each node Hit Generate 3. You can see the list of dummy nodes generated by going to admin -> content 4.This is what an article looks like with a dummy title, image, and body content Helpful hint: If taxonomy and tags are defined, the generate content module will assign tags at random. If you create vocabularies and terms first and then generate the content, you will end up with more useful test data. Devel Drupal 9 module can generate vocabularies and terms automatically, but they will be in fake Latin. It’s better to create your own vocabularies and terms because it makes testing easier when you have a meaningful taxonomy to work with.

DrupalEasy: Come to the Lite 💡… of Professional Module Development!

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If you’ve been on vacation or heads-down on summer projects and have been meaning to ramp up your module development skills, there is still time to register for the Lite version of the Summer 2023 session of Professional Module Development, DrupalEasy's newest long-form, best-practice focused, professional Drupal development course. 

James Shields, who completed the Winter session earlier this year describes the PMD as “A fantastic course covering some really advanced stuff. If you understand the principles of Drupal, but want to move forward to deal with advanced development topics, this is a good place to start.”  The deadline to register for the Lite version of the upcoming session is August 18th. 

The Lite version of the Professional Module Development course, which begins on August 22, runs as a subset of three of the five sections of the Full version of the program. The Lite version includes approximately 60 hours of curriculum and live instruction, along with all the super-rich DrupalEasy learning resources and access to the lively DrupalEasy Learning Community. 

The select curriculum for the Lite version is designed for those who don't require the full menu of topics, focusing on the core module development aspects of the class, including custom modules, creating plugin types and tests, and using several APIs. Lite Professional Module Development is $2,500. 

Reviews of the course are in, and are gratifying, especially those that recognize the advantages of our training style, like Mark Colebank’s comments: “DrupalEasy provides excellent training courses for learning Drupal development. Mike is a patient teacher who is very concerned that his students master the subject. He goes the extra mile to answer questions, spend extra time with students to help them work through problems and provides quality reference materials. I would highly recommend DrupalEasy for anyone wanting to learn how to do Drupal development.”

You can register for the Lite version anytime before and up to August 18th.  If you have any questions about the course, or would like to discuss whether it might be right for you, contact us. 

DrupalEasy: DrupalEasy Podcast S15E6 - Cameron Eagans - Composer Patches

We talk with Cameron Eagans about Composer Patches, an open-source, Composer plugin to assist with applying patches to code files.

URLs mentioned

DrupalEasy News 

Audio transcript

We're using the machine-driven Amazon Transcribe service to provide an audio transcript of this episode.

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Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart, or Spotify. If you'd like to leave us a voicemail, call 321-396-2340. Please keep in mind that we might play your voicemail during one of our future podcasts. Feel free to call in with suggestions, rants, questions, or corrections. If you'd rather just send us an email, please use our contact page. 
 

Specbee: To Booth or Not to Booth: Our Candid DrupalCon’23 Experience

If you’ve ever worked a trade show, you already know the dirty little secret… ROI is hard to come by. For those who haven’t, you can do the math in your head - travel, hotels, the cost of the booth, swag and the tickets themselves. It’s such a large expense that to get that return on investment, you need to start putting value on non-monetary returns for any of it to make sense. That leads to something like “exposure” being worth $10,000 in your report to the VP of Marketing. “Surely the leads make up for it!,” you say to yourself in the mirror over and over while the panic sweats begin to make your hair itch.   But deep down in your soul, you know those leads aren’t going to get back to you. And that’s because they rarely do. Not to throw Glengary Glen Ross references at you, but the leads aren’t bad. The circumstances are. From an attendees perspective, they are meeting dozens of organizations just like you at these shows. When they get back to the office, they’re going to get dozens of emails and calls from people following up on the show. It’s too much. And in most cases, all you are is noise. Yes, you can be the one they follow up with, but to put yourself in that position is a whole other topic. I’m just laying out the common narrative after a trade show - you’re coming home with not much to show for it from a KPI perspective. Many companies have a booth at trade shows just to keep their name out there: What would people think if they didn’t show? Booth at DrupalCon Pittsburgh 2023 Reflecting on DrupalCon 2022 All that to say, Specbee has never had a booth at anything, but we’d always considered it. It wouldn’t be fair to our budget to try it without getting at least a little experience, so we decided to attend a DrupalCon in some capacity. The ROI plan was half an experiment in branding and the other half a bit of a “lay of the land” exercise. The big question being, what outcome is possible at this event? We knew education-wise, there’s a ton of value - the courses and topics are well planned and executed. This event is focused on users and growth of Drupal, so that’s the expectation. But is a booth worth it? Is the sponsorship worth it? We booked our hotels and flights to dip our toe in the water at DrupalCon 2022 in Portland to find out. But we couldn’t just show up. We had to do something to make some sort of mark. That’s where the DrupalCon Happy Meal was born. Snack break sponsors at DrupalCon Portland 2022 The sponsorship we landed on was for the snack table. Every few hours the trade show floor gets busy with folks between sessions and almost everyone stops to see what’s available food-wise. Now the key was to make this sponsorship more meaningful than a “Sponsored By Specbee” sign. As we thought about how people might approach the table we landed on the usability of a box they could put their snack in - what if it was an adult happy meal box? And the idea was born. We found a printer, designed a box that included games, jokes and trivia… Here’s the design itself (designed by: Gagana Girish)! The Happy Meal Box Not only was it fun and different, but it helped us create a memory for people. The feedback was fantastic. So mission #1 accomplished. We can make a mark at this conference. The only thing we found lacking in this premise was that we couldn’t spend much time with folks. I did see, however, that the booths were very often busy. So much so that it was clear that we should give a booth a chance for 2023. Unboxing Happy Meals and Fun SWAGging Our Way to Success at DrupalCon 2023 Cut to just before DrupalCon 2023. We are signed up for a booth. We have tickets for three staff members. The only thing we need is the guiding light of all booths: SWAG. Now, I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere these days, but at least 60% of the booths at DrupalCon 2022 were giving away T-shirts. So, yeah, we could have done that, but it didn’t feel like we’d be able to distinguish ourselves in our first DrupalCon. Instead, we had gym bags made with DrupalCon 2023 Free T-Shirt Holder printed on them. Stylish, stupid and practical - my favorite combo. Flaunting our Free T-shirt Holder But the bags weren’t the star of the show. Sure, you get folks coming up just to get their SWAG. I have no problem with that. That’s what it’s for. What we ended up with, however, was a connection with SO MANY new people. Fellow booth folks, Drupal users from all over the world, and, yes, leads. Good leads. The kind that we’re still in conversations with. Time will tell if we’ll get our official financial ROI, but I can tell you this: it was the best “trade show” I’ve ever attended. We’ll be back next year with a booth for sure. I really should get thinking about SWAG…

Talking Drupal: Talking Drupal #410 - Off the Cuff 7

Today we are talking about This and That with our Talking Drupal hosts.

For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/410

Topics
  • Module Builder
  • Drupal 10.2
    • Field UI / Admin UX
  • Augmentor
  • State API
  • main / 11.x
  • Changes to layout builder
Resources Hosts

Nic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan John Picozzi - www.epam.com @johnpicozzi Tim Plunkett - @timplunkett Martin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu

MOTW Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu Responsive Theme Preview

  • Brief description:
    • Have you ever wanted to give content creators the power to preview how their posts will look on mobile devices, even before publishing them? There’s a module for that!
  • Brief history
    • How old: created in Feb 2013
    • Versions available: 2.1.1 for D9 & D10, 8.x-1.1 for D8 & D9
  • Maintainership
    • Officially maintenance fixes only, but the last release was in the past week
    • Number of open issues: 21, only 2 of which are bugs on the 2.x branch
    • Test coverage? Y
  • Usage stats:
    • 8,258 sites
  • Maintainer(s):
    • Last couple of releases by Rajeshreeputra, but has a team of maintainers
  • Module features and usage
    • Adds a dropdown to the secondary toolbar to select a device whose display resolution you want to preview for the current page
    • Preview launches in a modal overlay, and can be rotated, to see the landscape view
    • The list of devices can be configured to keep up with the most popular devices as they change over time, including phones and tablets
    • If you’re not using the admin toolbar, also offers a block to access the preview links
    • Not a perfect representation of how the page will look on a mobile device, but a useful way to see a quick approximation of how a page will look on different screen sizes

The Drop Times: The Knowledge Chronicle: Embracing the Power of Sharing

Dear Readers,

Knowledge is the cornerstone of evolution, empowering us to innovate and grow throughout history. In the digital age, knowledge management systems, and AI-driven knowledge bases are revolutionizing how we handle information and make data-driven decisions.

But the true value of knowledge lies in sharing it. Our newsletter celebrates the spirit of knowledge-sharing initiatives, spotlighting inspiring stories of communities and individuals and fostering collaboration and positive change.

In the heart of this knowledge-driven landscape lies Drupal, an open-source content management system. We delve into how Drupal empowers communities to share their expertise, creativity, and passion for technology. The Drupal community's inclusivity and support for contributors exemplify the importance of collective learning.

And now, we take you on a journey into the latest happenings in Drupal, as covered by TheDropTimes (TDT) last week.

Oliver Davies, a seasoned PHP Developer and Linux Systems Administrator, shares his experiences in maintaining a widely used Drupal module active on an impressive 34,981 websites. It is only just to lead this newsletter with such a remarkable story. 

Amy Hinckley's article on BollyInside provides an in-depth comparison between Drupal and Sitecore. This piece offers valuable information for those considering content management system options to make an informed decision. 

Ryan Loos, a Senior Drupal Developer, shares his insights on scrappy tricks in web development in an illuminating blog post. Ryan's blog is a must-read for developers seeking innovative and resourceful solutions. Debug Academy published a comprehensive blog post titled "How to Learn Drupal," providing beginners with a step-by-step guide to mastering this powerful content management system. If you're new to Drupal, this guide is your gateway to unlocking its full potential.

JoomTech Solutions has unveiled a comprehensive blog shedding light on Drupal Developer Salaries in India in 2023. For aspiring developers and seasoned professionals, understanding the factors influencing salaries is crucial for making informed career decisions. Fellow Drupal enthusiasts in South Minneapolis gathered at Venn Brewing for the Twin Cities Drupal Happy Hour. Click here to learn more about the event.

Mark your calendars for the 10th-anniversary celebration of NEDCamp, the renowned New England Drupal Camp. Click here to get information about the event. There is marketing, and there is phantom marketing. We had a funny piece on phantom marketing last week. Discover the covert ideas on how to become an industry leader by association. 

The Drupal community is gearing up to celebrate the Women in Drupal Award 2023 at DrupalCon Lille. This prestigious award aims to recognize and honor the exceptional contributions of Definers, Builders, and Scale winners who are shaping the future of Drupal. To get an insight, click here. 

In response to the European Union's Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), WordPress, along with Drupal, Joomla!, and TYPO3, has expressed its endorsement of the initiative while raising concerns about its implications on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The community remains committed to ensuring the security and integrity of digital products. Click here to read the story. Drupal Association and WordPress, Joomla, and Typo3 united to present a comprehensive webinar last week, offering insights and analysis on how the Cyber Resilience Act may impact the open-source CMS ecosystem. 

OSTraining's Rod Martin shares a video tutorial on a feature that significantly speeds up Drupal development and module creation. This resource offers developers practical tips and tricks for enhancing their productivity. Read about the exciting "Drupal Day 2023" event that unites Portugal's community. Stay tuned for more details on this event that promises knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and community-building.

That wraps up the highlights from TheDropTimes. We hope you find these stories insightful and that they ignite your passion for knowledge and Drupal. Until the next edition, keep exploring, sharing, and embracing the power of knowledge!

Sincerely,
Kazima Abbas
Sub Editor, TheDropTimes

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