webjoke.de

Wanting to follow up on our work at MidCamp 2023 with the Development Settings form, Mike Herchel wanted to jam on another issue to improve the life of frontend developers. Drupal provides a way to generate themes from starterkit themes. Drupal core provides the Starterkit theme, and contributed themes can also mark themselves as a starterkit theme. All a theme has to do is have starterkit: true in their info.yml file. And that's it! Optionally, a specifically named PHP file can be provided in the theme for specific processing to finish generating the new theme. Unfortunately, the experience of creating starterkit themes currently involves writing a lot of PHP code to make the required file alterations.

Delve into Alex Moreno's initiative to revolutionize Drupal.org by capturing user roles to tailor the onboarding experience. This in-depth look discusses community collaboration, sustainability, and innovation, aiming to enhance contributions and user engagement within the Drupal ecosystem. Join the discussion on future strategies for a sustainable Drupal and the community's role in driving change.

In this demonstration we look at what happens when we embed a YouTube video on a web page and then how to fix the performance problems that it brings. You'll be surprised by how much embedded YouTube videos hurt performance and how easy it is to solve it.

To give users a true power tool in their daily work, the most important thing is, that editors must be able to see at all times, what their content will look like in real life. At the same time, the interface must be intuitive and easy to understand.

blökkli offers exactly that. The content looks exactly as it will ultimately appear on the website. With a click on the respective sections, they can be edited and improved immediately.

Liip developed the blökkli editor for the relaunch of bs.ch, the website of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, and published it as an open-source project.

Live editing of the site

In the blökkli editor, editors can place the page sections directly on the page using drag & drop and insert the content. You can immediately see what the content looks like.
To change a title, simply click on it and change the text.

In addition, the editor offers many functions that support the content creation and editing process. Images can be inserted directly from the computer, a mobile preview can be displayed or accessed directly via a QR code on the smartphone.
In addition, a search function can be used to link directly to other pages or insert images and documents.

There is also a function for viewing a live preview on the smartphone. This can be opened via a QR code and dynamically displays the current status of the page.

Flexible and clear design options

The appearance of the page sections can be changed directly in the page. This makes it easy for editors to design versatile pages and see directly how they look. The display follows the defined design, but at the same time offers editors the flexibility to design their content in a visually appealing way.

In many page builders or editors currently available on the market, users have too many options. They can change colors and font sizes, which unfortunately often leads to content becoming confusing or even illegible. blökkli solves this problem with pre-defined design options that are easy to find. This gives editors flexibility, but the content is still consistent and fits the brand.

blökkli also supports drag & drop of images. Images can therefore simply be dragged into the page and are placed directly in the content. In addition, links (for example to YouTube) can be inserted directly. blökkli recognizes these and embeds the corresponding content directly into the page.

Efficient team processes and easy onboarding of new users

With its comment function, the blökkli editor offers an optimal basis when content is edited by multiple people. blökkli also offers a visual timeline that allows the last changes to be undone.

For websites with many editors, it is always a challenge to introduce new people to a system. At blökkli, the most important functions are explained interactively with a 'tour'. This helps editors to quickly find their way around and reduce their anxiety.
Numerous keyboard shortcuts are available for editors who frequently edit content on the site. This makes work even faster and more intuitive.

Compatible with Drupal and any other CMS

blökkli already works excellently with the open-source CMS Drupal. The Paragraphs blökkli module is available for Drupal. Based on Nuxt.js, however, blökkli can be used with any CMS system if an appropriate adapter is available.

Try it yourself!

You can try blökkli yourself on the website:
https://blokk.li/

Today we are talking about the cost around Drupal, common misconceptions, and how you get what you pay for with guest Jeff Robbins. We’ll also cover Module Instructions as our module of the week.

For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/440

Topics

• What is new!
• How did you get started with Drupal
• Selling Drupal and the cost
• How much is the technology vs the complexity of projects that lend themselves to Drupal
• Value of Drupal
• What can the Drupal community do to make it more widely attractive
• Versionless Drupal marketing

Resources

• Drupal.org README.md Documentation
• Drupal versioning discussion
• Talking Drupal #390 - Employee Owned Companies
• Talking Drupal #429 - The Drupal Association Board
• Talking Drupal #439 - Drupal 7 Long-Term Support
• Visibox
• Jeff Robbins
• MySQL
• PHP

Guests

Jeff Robbins - jjeff.com jjeff

Hosts

Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Ivan Stegic - ten7.com ivanstegic

MOTW Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu

• Brief description:
  • Have you ever wanted to have easy access to the README, CHANGELOG, and INSTALL files for the contrib modules on your Drupal site? There’s a module for that.
• Module name/project name:
  • Module Instructions
• Brief history
  • How old: created in Apr 2012 by Ales Rebec of Slovenia
  • Versions available: 7.x-1.0 and 2.0.3 versions available, the latter of which works with Drupal 9 and 10
• Maintainership
  • Actively maintained?
  • Security coverage
  • Test coverage
  • Number of open issues: 4 open issues, none of which are bugs against the 2.0.x branch
• Usage stats:
  • 1,238 sites
• Maintainer(s):
  • Current maintainer of the 2.0.x branch is Viktor Holovachek a.k.a Aston Victor of the Ukraine Drupal Community
• Module features and usage
  • The usage of the module is pretty straightforward. Once the module is installed, anyone who has access to the Modules page on a Drupal site will see links on that page to any README, CHANGELOG, or INSTALL files that are available for the contrib modules in the codebase
  • It also provides a cron job and drush command to generate the links, stored in the site state, so the application isn’t doing all the work of parsing through all your contrib modules looking for the files every time someone wants to load the Modules page
  • It does override the template for the module page to add those links, so be aware that if you’re doing something very custom and have overridden that template in something like a custom admin theme, you may need to manually add some extra markup to see the links
  • The module does also define new permissions, to manage the settings for these links, or to view them
  • The settings really consist of specifying which of the links you want to appear, if the relevant files are available. By default it will show all three, but you could, for example, only have it show README links

Celebrate the strength and resilience of women everywhere this Women's Day! Join us as we honour the incredible contributions of women, whether in the workplace or at home. Stay tuned for inspiring stories and features celebrating women in Drupal.

As we approach International Women's Day, it's a moment for us to reflect on the incredible strength and contributions of women around the world. This day isn't just about recognizing the achievements of a few but about celebrating the resilience, determination, and diversity of all women, regardless of their roles or backgrounds.

I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me.

—Maya Angelou, 'And Still I Rise,' poetry collection (1978).

Whether she's in the workforce, leading teams in the corporate world, pursuing her passion in the arts and sciences, or staying at home nurturing families and communities, every woman contributes to the tapestry of our society in her unique way. This diversity of experiences and perspectives enriches our collective journey and propels us forward.

As we honour all women this International Women's Day, we also want to highlight the remarkable women within our Drupal community. Their dedication, expertise, and tireless efforts have played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing Drupal as a platform. From developers to designers, contributors to community leaders, women in Drupal have made invaluable contributions, often overcoming barriers and stereotypes.

Let's take this opportunity not only to celebrate but also to acknowledge the ongoing work needed to ensure equality, diversity, and inclusion within our community and beyond. Let's continue to support and uplift each other, amplifying women's voices in tech and beyond.

Now, let me share some featured interviews and news we covered last week.

Jon Stewart, an expert in Customer Experience Platforms (CXPs) and Marketing Technology (MarTech), shares his insights with Alka Elizabeth in the latest interview. Throughout the discussion, Stewart provides illuminating insights into his strategic decision to harness Drupal as the linchpin of ZenSource. He emphasizes its open-source, enterprise-scale capabilities and alignment with the evolving needs of clients seeking to avoid vendor lock-in and exorbitant maintenance costs.

In another Interview, Krishnan Narayanan, CEO of Gai Technologies, shares his unique journey with Elma John. From bustling city life to the serene hills of Himachal Pradesh, Krishnan reshaped the software development landscape. He delves into the 'Dharamshala Model', a philosophy intertwining quality of life with the craftsmanship of technology. Additionally, Krishnan discusses the transformative power of mentorship and continuous learning in building innovative teams.

Elma provided detailed information in her featured article about the Accessible Tableau Integration Module. This module serves as a pivotal bridge between Tableau's robust visual analytics capabilities and Drupal's versatile web framework, ushering in a new era of accessibility and inclusivity. Crafted by Emilie Young and Gautam Gottipati, with initial support from Kevin Reynen and the University of Colorado, the module's inception was driven by Emilie's idea. Kevin initiated the project on Drupal.org, while Gautam wrote the codes, contributing to its development and functionality.

Grzegorz Pietrzak presents a featured article on the trends of Content Management System (CMS) usage on official city websites. The comprehensive study spans 466 cities worldwide and delves into the prevalence of open-source solutions, highlighting the dominance of platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and others. The report categorizes findings based on city size, region, and EU membership, revealing intriguing patterns and insights. Through this research, essential questions about the adoption of open-source systems in the public sector are raised, shedding light on challenges and opportunities for promoting transparency and cost-efficiency in digital governance.

Binny Thomas, Senior Engineer at Axelerant, penned an article detailing his experience at DrupalCon Lille, where he volunteered as an onsite person for The DropTimes. His article provides insights into his overall journey at the event, offering valuable perspectives and firsthand accounts of his involvement.

Drupal enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to with several noteworthy updates and events: DrupalCamp Helsinki 2024 is set to take place on April 26, 2024, with a contribution day following on April 27. This event offers a platform for session proposals spanning various topics, catering to both beginners and advanced users, as well as technical and non-technical. Meanwhile, Drupal Iberia is accepting session submissions until March 31. This presents an opportunity for Drupal enthusiasts to share their expertise and insights with the community. 

Students have an excellent chance to participate in DrupalCamp Ghent 2024, as free tickets are being offered. Furthermore, it's worth noting that The Drop Times has become a media partner of DrupalCamp Ghent. DrupalCon Portland 2024 is looking for translation assistants who are interested in volunteering. It's a chance to contribute to the event's success and be part of a dynamic team. The detailed schedule for DrupalCon Portland has been released, allowing attendees to plan their itinerary and make the most of the event's offerings.

Additionally, Drupal Camp Asheville is making a return, calling for session proposals and training. It's an opportunity for individuals to share their knowledge and expertise with fellow Drupal enthusiasts. Session recordings from Florida Drupal Camp 2024 are now available online. This enables participants to catch up on missed sessions and benefit from the valuable insights shared during the event. The Drupal community has announced the opening of the Call for Papers for DrupalCon Barcelona.

The Drupal community is actively seeking applications for the Project Update Working Group, offering positions for both full and provisional members. Full members must possess the ability to opt-in for security coverage for Drupal.org projects, coupled with a proven track record in maintaining core or contributed projects. Further details can be found here.

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.

Lastly, Happy International Women's Day to all the incredible women! Your strength, resilience, and contributions inspire us every day.

Thank you,

Sincerely
Kazima Abbas
Sub-editor, The Drop Times

We have made a recent update on drupal.org that you haven’t probably noticed. In fact, although it's a meaningful and important section, I bet you have not seen it in months or even years. It's something you would have only seen when you registered on Drupal.org for the first time. I’m talking about the welcome email for new registered users.

One of the goals we have had recently is improving the way our users register and interact with drupal.org for the first time. Improvements to onboarding should improve what I call the long tail of the (Open Source) contribution pipeline (a concept, the long tail of contribution, that I will explain further in the next few days).

For now, let’s have a look at one of the first things new users in our community saw first:

This is what I called the huge wall of text. Do you remember seeing it for the first time? Did you read any of it at all? Do you remember anything important in that email? Or did you just mark it read and move on?

Fortunately, we've taken a first, incremental step to make improvements. As I said before, this isn't something our existing userbase will see, but the new welcome email to Drupal.org has changed and been simplified quite a bit. Here is the new welcome email:

We have replaced a lot of the wall of text with a simpler set of sections and links, and landing pages on drupal.org. This simplifies the welcome email, but is also going to allow us to track which links are most useful to new users, how many pages they visit on drupal.org, where do they get stuck, what interests them most, etc - and use that to make further refinements over time.

The other section I wanted to include is something that is very important for the Drupal Association, but also for the whole community. I wanted to highlight the contribution area, something that was not even mentioned in the old email. Our hope is this is an opportunity to foster and promote contribution from new users.

A few weeks ago I also launched a poll around contribution. This poll combined with the updates on these few changes in the user registration are aimed towards the same goal: improving contribution onboarding. You can still participate if you’d like to, just visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XRTNNM3

Now, if you are curious about what I am calling the long tail of the contribution pipeline, watch this space.

File attachments:  confirmed-user.png