Owning a website in 2025 is not as freeform a thing as it was a couple decades ago. Much like the owner of a store or an amusement park ride has to pay some attention to safety hazards, now site owners can't simply neglect caring for the privacy of their visitors.
Sustainable/Open Business Read MoreJoin us THURSDAY, January 16 at 1pm ET / 10am PT, for our regularly scheduled call to chat about all things Drupal and nonprofits. (Convert to your local time zone.)
We don't have anything specific on the agenda this month, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss anything that's on our minds at the intersection of Drupal and nonprofits. Got something specific you want to talk about? Feel free to share ahead of time in our collaborative Google doc: https://nten.org/drupal/notes!
All nonprofit Drupal devs and users, regardless of experience level, are always welcome on this call.
This free call is sponsored by NTEN.org and open to everyone.
Join the call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81817469653
Meeting ID: 818 1746 9653
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Fighting spam is an ongoing arms race. There will always be nefarious attempts to post unwanted content onto websites, that's just the nature of the global internet nowadays, but can we keep ahead of it? Some techniques are complex, maybe using AI / natural language processing, but there are also quite simple opportunities to reject spam.
We had a lot of contact requests come into our site that used the Cyrillic script - which is used for the Russian language. (привет!) Realistically we're very unlikely to treat any request that comes to us in Cyrillic as something worth responding to. We're a UK web agency with most of our clients based in the UK, and whilst we do work with clients outside the UK, and for projects using languages other than English, we can afford to ignore any requests made to us in a language we don't usually read. Given that, we can immediately block a large proportion of the spam requests by simply detecting what alphabet they look to have been written in. Most of this will be Russian, because so much spam comes through Russia.
Drupal makes it easy for us to add an extra validation handler to our contact form with a form alter hook. We could then get on with creating custom logic to check whether submissions contained too much Cyrillic text. We needed to account for a few things:
How much Cyrillic content is there, in comparison to content from the Latin alphabet (a-z)?
Although much of the unwanted content was using Cyrillic, we realised content in anything other than the Latin alphabet could probably be rejected in the same way. We're just not likely to do much business with people who can't contact us in English, let alone in an alphabet we can't read.
How much is too much?
We will happily accept some amount of Cyrillic text in a contact request - for example, if someone is explaining about spam they are receiving, or asking to add some translations to a site.
Ignore links and HTML tags, since those are written using a-z characters from the Latin alphabet.
We've also seen a lot of spam containing links formatted in an unusual format which we could strip: [url=http...]...[/url]
Ignore whitespace and punctuation, to some extent.
We're going to end up using some regular expressions from PHP, so we can make use of its support for matching character scripts. For example, /[^\p{Common}\p{Latin}]/u will match any character that is NOT in either of the 'common' (punctuation etc) or Latin sets of characters.
How can we best guide genuine leads to contact us more appropriately?
Drupal allows us to set the error message when failing form validation. We would quite like to advise real human beings who want to pay us money for our services, how best to do that!
All these things boiled down to a relatively simple form validation callback, that is just stuffed with a few bits of code that are relatively unusual, such as those regex script classes:
So now users see this error message if they attempt to contact us using too much Cyrillic:
This stops the unwanted messages coming through, whilst helping real users understand how to contact us more appropriately, should they really need to. Thankfully we now get very little spam coming through our contact page!
Dear Readers,
On January 15, the Drupal community will mark a historic milestone with the launch of Drupal CMS 1.0, coinciding with Drupal’s 24th anniversary. Over 40 community-hosted parties are planned globally, along with a virtual celebration for those unable to attend in person. This event highlights over two decades of innovation and collaboration within the Drupal ecosystem.
Drupal CMS represents a significant advancement in open-source content management, offering a fully composable platform designed for developers, marketers, and site builders. With a user-centric design, enterprise-grade tools, and unparalleled flexibility, it enables the creation of dynamic and powerful digital experiences. Its low-code/no-code features and seamless integration with marketing tools make it an accessible and versatile solution for organizations of all sizes.
The launch celebrates the creativity and dedication of the global Drupal community. Participants are encouraged to share innovative contributions, such as artwork, videos, or performances, on Slack (#drupal-cms-launch), with the most creative entries rewarded during a livestream event. This milestone is both a testament to Drupal’s legacy and a showcase of the vibrant community driving its future.
Amongst all the anticipation for Drupal CMS v1 release, stay tuned for The DropTimes special edition newsletter featuring Drupal CMS release and launch parties.
We acknowledge that there are more stories to share. However, due to selection constraints, we must pause further exploration for now.
To get timely updates, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. You can also join us on Drupal Slack at #thedroptimes.
Thank you,
Sincerely
Alka Elizabeth
Sub-editor, The DropTimes.
As we start developing mini-products to offer to our clients, we've found we actually need to group multiple products under one purchase.
Dev Corner Read More
As the long-standing powerhouse supporting numerous websites, Drupal 7 faces fresh challenges with its end-of-life (EOL). For developers and site owners committed to maintaining their investment, a strategic approach involving collaboration and proactive updates is crucial. Here’s an expanded guide on sustaining your Drupal 7 site effectively post-EOL.
Why Continue with Drupal 7?There are several reasons why maintaining Drupal 7 might still be beneficial:
Sustaining Drupal 7 post-EOL requires a strategic blend of collaboration, innovation, and vigilance. By actively engaging with the community, committing to module maintenance, and adapting to ecosystem changes, you can extend the life of your Drupal 7 site while planning for the future. This commitment to proactive management ensures your site remains secure, efficient, and ready to meet current demands.
Starting January 2025, the Drupal Security team will no longer review reported issues or release security updates for Drupal 7 core or contrib modules. To address this, the Drupal Association has authorized Tag1 to be a D7 Extended Support Partner, ensuring your D7 sites stay protected with Tag1's Drupal 7 Extended Support (D7ES). We will continue to monitor for security vulnerabilities and provide updates and support to ensure your site remains safe and secure beyond January 2025.
Hank Fri, 01/10/2025 - 12:29Yesterday a client asked us to install Rules module (again, repeating an earlier request, when he had missed my answer that we had installed ECA instead).
Ask Freelock Read MoreThe countdown is on: there are only two days left to submit your session proposal for MidCamp 2025! This premier event for the Drupal community will take place in Chicago from March 20-23, 2025, bringing together enthusiasts, developers, and innovators for a celebration of knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
Since its inception in 2014, MidCamp has hosted over 300 incredible sessions, and this year promises to continue the tradition of excellence. With a lineup that includes Drupal Founder Dries Buytaert as a guest speaker, organizers are eager to round out the schedule with diverse and engaging presentations from the community.
The deadline to submit session proposals is Sunday, January 12, 2025. Whether you're a seasoned expert or a newcomer with fresh ideas, there's a place for your voice at MidCamp. Tracks include topics for all skill levels, ranging from beginner-friendly workshops to advanced technical deep dives.
For inspiration, potential speakers can explore past sessions or visit the session tracks page to align their ideas with event themes.
The workshop will focus on preparing speakers for their presentations and will also welcome individuals preparing for DrupalCon.
MidCamp wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors. Sponsoring MidCamp 2025 is a great way to showcase your organization to a highly engaged and technical audience. Sponsorship packages are designed to fit a variety of budgets and goals, with opportunities starting at just $600. Whether you’re looking to recruit new talent, promote your brand, or simply support the community, there’s a package for you. The earlier you sign up, the greater the exposure your organization will receive.
Learn more about sponsorship opportunities
Stay in the loop with all things MidCamp by joining the community on Slack, following us on social media, and subscribing to our newsletter:
With only days remaining, don’t miss the chance to share your expertise and join an exceptional lineup of speakers at MidCamp 2025. Submit your session today at midcamp.org/2025/submit-session.