In the previous article, we learned to apply Drupal recipes to add configuration to our Drupal 10 site. In this article, we will continue this process to bring in more configuration related to text formats and editors, user roles, and user fields.
mauricio Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:00DrupalCamp Scotland returned after a small hiatus of 5 years on the 25th October 2024, and saw nearly 50 people attend the university of Edinburgh Paterson's Land building for a day of talks and sessions. I had the honor of being invited to speak at the conference, which was the first physical speaking session I've had since 2019.
I arrived early to the conference on a sunny Friday morning after driving up the night before. After a cup of coffee and a lovely chat with the organisers and the first few attendees to arrive we started the conference.
The opening talk was from Billy Wardrop, who is Web Development Team Manager in University of Edinburgh. In his talk, A 7 year journey from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 and what we learned migrating over 600 websites, he went through the lessons he had learned in that migration. This was a fascinating run through of all of the challenges that a web master faces and the history of the migration to Drupal 10 for the University of Edinburgh. It also highlighted the challenges of migrating hundreds of websites from different university departments away from their random systems and into a decent managed Drupal environment. Of particular interest was the talk about deployments as I have faced similar challenges with just 20 sites in the same system.
Next on the agenda was me! I have been writing a lot about the Batch API recently so I decided that I should probably conclude this series of articles with a talk on An Introduction to the Drupal Batch API. Thankfully, I had the week before the conference off, which gave me some time to prepare both the talk and the accompanying code examples.
Let’s explore why it’s the CMS of choice for councils across the UK!
Watch the recording of 'An Introduction to Human-Centred Design', presented by Elise West at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024
Tamsin Fox-Davies Thu, 10/31/2024 - 22:23When it comes to digital content, accessibility isn't just a nice-to-have. It's essential. That's why we recently took on the challenge of transforming our eBook collection from PDFs into a fully accessible web format. We often help our clients clean up their PDFs, and absent very specific circumstances, we recommend avoiding them as web content. Based on our own advice, our own website was lacking.
As a member of the leadership team for Drupal CMS, the new product that makes Drupal more accessible to marketers and content teams, I’ve spent the last three months engaging with various teams about their CMS decisions. While I take notes on marketing tools, ease of use, benefits of open source, DXP capabilities, and SaaS options, the core of these conversations often revolves around people and culture.
The decision-maker for a CMS can vary: sometimes it’s a marketer or an IT professional, other times it’s the “head of digital,” or even an agency hired to handle the organization’s digital needs. Although many focus on features, decisions often hinge on feelings, prior experiences, and familiarity. Ultimately, the decisions reflect the experiences of those in the room.
This isn’t to say that the right technical fit isn’t important; rather, it often takes a backseat to personal experiences. it’s crucial to communicate why Drupal aligns with an organization’s digital strategy based on its goals.
Let’s categorize websites into three types and discuss why Drupal suits each.
Every organization needs a digital front door. For established brands, this digital presence serves as the foundation of their online strategy. A known brand must maintain consistent online expression, while an unknown brand needs to tell its story effectively, helping users recognize its voice and identity.
Users want to quickly understand if they’re in the right place and how to connect. They expect seamless integration with third-party tools and easy access to internal data.
Drupal excels here because it goes beyond basic content management, offering flexibility for both internal and external users. It supports:
Planned Parenthood Direct's mobile-first website serves as a cornerstone of its digital strategy, focusing on creating a distinct sub-brand that resonates with younger audiences while maintaining alignment with the larger Planned Parenthood identity. The site leverages bold colours, playful design elements, and clear messaging to connect with users, driving them to download the app and access reproductive healthcare services.
Many organizations manage a complex ecosystem of websites, often hindered by internal politics and multiple CMSs that lead to inconsistent branding.
A successful CMS platform balances flexibility with guidelines, making site creation easy while adhering to the organization’s branding and content strategy. It often requires standardization of third-party tools.
Drupal’s modularity simplifies standardization across websites. It supports:
Evolving Web partnered with the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) to redesign its website, building a platform where staff can curate content and users can search across multiple data sources.
Not every organization is large; some startups aim to create single-purpose websites quickly. These organizations need to build fast without sacrificing security or accessibility. Often, marketers seek easy drag-and-drop tools for rapid site creation.
While Drupal has traditionally been overlooked for quick projects, Drupal CMS provides a solution that fosters familiarity among a broader audience, because it lowers the barrier to entry and speeds up the timeline to launch a website. When marketers can create a website quickly, it enhances creativity and ownership, and frees up more time to focus on content and marketing strategy. Drupal CMS will be especially important for making the case for using Drupal for these types of projects.
Drupal allows for the rapid launch of marketing sites, which can later scale into a digital cornerstone for an established brand. In particular, Drupal CMS will support:
Increased usage of Drupal leads to a better experience for everyone involved—developers, site builders, marketers, and content teams. As an open-source platform, Drupal's growth benefits the broader community, including government and non-profit organizations. Improving Drupal enhances a public good rather than enriching proprietary solutions.
If you're looking to talk more about Drupal and Drupal CMS don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If Drupal wins, we all win.
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