In an environment where  25 percent of the population is dealing with at least one disability, and web experiences are the means by which an increasing number of people navigate all aspects of their lives, digital accessibility needs to be a top-of-mind topic.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks on this end and despite my best efforts I have not had a lot of time to write posts. We've been busy authoring a lot of code.  As a result, three Drupal modules have new releases that contain all kinds of new features:

Cleaning Up Database to Speed Up Development Cycles Editor Tue, 04/18/2023 - 17:37

If you are developing websites, you would like to make this process as pleasant as possible. You probably agree that the time spent on the work you do is also an important factor. Therefore, all of us developers want to develop websites as quickly as possible while spending as little effort and energy as possible.
In this article, we will look at Drupal performance optimization and how you can clear the database tables of Drupal modules and MySQL tables. The following information will help you speed up development cycles. And also, among other things, it will help you feel a little happier after a hard day's work! But first of all, you need to understand what a database table is.

In our previous post, we looked at the Tasks and Operations which form the building blocks for the user interface in Aegir5. Here we’ll look at the additional entities required to support the Kubernetes-based backend framework. It is worth noting that Aegir has always had a tension between Developer and SysAdmin use-cases. We’ll cover this in more depth in a later post. For the moment, we’re focused on the Developer use-case.

Many people believe that creating a winning digital commerce strategy is a daunting task. With the right approach and tools, the process can be made seamless and effective. Drupal is an excellent platform for building a robust online store, but simply having an E-commerce site isn’t enough. You need a well-planned and executed digital commerce strategy to improve the user experience and drive sales. In terms of user experience, Qualtrics recently performed a study in which they discovered that over 65% of customers claimed that their experience on the website or app would be at least a very important component in their willingness to recommend a brand. In the article, you will discover the 6 steps to create a winning digital commerce strategy for your business website.

Data Security Matters: Marketers' Guide to Securing Your CMS Priyanka Phukan 18 Apr, 2023 Subscribe to our Newsletter Now Subscribe Leave this field blank

Hey, are you doing everything you should to protect your customers’ data?

Picture this: you’ve gathered the information from your audience via your latest webinar registration page. And now, your audience keeps receiving emails they never asked for. Would they trust you, your marketing process, and your services anymore?

Absolutely not.

As the world becomes more digital and interconnected, security is becoming more and more important for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're a marketer, technologist, or just a small business owner, you can't afford to overlook the importance of strong security measures.

In fact, a recent survey found that 80% of content marketers and managers believe that security is absolutely crucial to their success. With so much sensitive data and personal information at risk, it's no wonder that businesses across industries are prioritizing security like never before.

To stay ahead of the game, companies are turning to flexible content management systems that meet their customers' needs without compromising on privacy and security. Whether you're managing customer data, creating marketing materials, or just trying to run your business smoothly, a strong security strategy is key to success in today's fast-paced digital landscape.

True, it’s not realistic to anticipate every cybersecurity issue. However, the best strategy is to take proactive measures to protect your organization's and customers’ data. In other words, secure systems should be enacted to prevent potential threats before they arise.

 

In this blog, you'll learn the importance of data security as seen through a marketer's lens. Not only will we break down why it matters, but also provide tips and tactics for protecting your information with a CMS.

Why do marketers need to consider data security

Marketers should be aware of data breaches, as protecting customer information is essential for their success. Here's why:

Inbound marketers need to build trust

Building trust with customers is a key ingredient to any successful marketing strategy. Creating strong relationships through exceptional service can transform leads into loyal customers who feel secure in doing business with you. It's not just about the sale, it's about building a rapport that goes beyond transactions.

Happy customers will not only continue to support your business, but they'll also recommend it to others. However, lose their trust and it'll be downhill from there. So, make sure you're always focused on fostering trust with your customers - it's worth it in the long run.

Clients and customers trust marketers for data security

As a marketer, you hold a special responsibility to protect the trust that your customers bestow upon you. They willingly give you their information through registration forms, webinar sign-ups, and newsletter subscriptions, believing that you and your business will keep it safe and sound. It's a sign of faith, and it's important that you honor it by safeguarding their data at all costs. After all, the trust they put in you is like a delicate flower - it only takes one wrong move to crush it irreparably.

Travel the extra mile to keep your customer’s information safe

Protecting and respecting your customers' privacy is crucial, and it's up to you to be their guardian. You can't just go around using their personal information willy-nilly - that's a big no-no. To avoid any potential kerfuffles, make sure you get their consent before reaching out to them. Being responsible with their data will not only earn their trust, but it will also make you a stand-up business. So, protect and serve - your customers will thank you for it.

5 Security Features You Must Look for in a CMS

Now that we’ve laid the background for the need for data security for marketers, here are five must-have security features you should look for in a CMS before using it.

Encryption

Ensure that your CMS has data encryption capabilities to secure stored data and content assets exchanged between systems.

Firewall

Whether software or hardware devices, your CMS’s firewall is configured to deny, permit, or proxy data via your network. It allows the data to seep through different trust levels while also reducing the intensity of security threats in your network simultaneously.

Authentication

With the authentication feature, a CMS becomes a high-security fortress, allowing you to control who has access to your content. This feature verifies the user's credentials by cross-referencing them with details stored in the system and offers cool access control options like single sign-on, SAML, and OAuth. 

Take it up a notch with extra security measures, provided by OpenID and Default authentication protocols. Implementing authentication in your CMS workflows is like hiring your own personal bouncer for your website.

Managed Cloud Hosting

With managed cloud hosting, your organization’s IT department can remain carefree about its infrastructure management. Moreover, with automatic updates and regular security patches, your cloud host ensures that your security stays in place.

CDN Support

Ensure that your CMS relies on a network of servers that equip it with advanced security and better performance. CDN caches all the data with the servers distributed geographically. This way, the primary location of your data stays secure and anyone trying to access your network can only access the nearest server.

How can you secure your CMS?

When it comes to security concerns, it is highly recommended to use hack-tight security measures to secure your CMS. CMS-powered open-source websites are the most popular ones today, with WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla covering 75% of the CMS-powered website market.

Although popular, open-source websites can be vulnerable to cyber threats easily. So, here are a few ways to avoid such vulnerabilities and secure your CMS from hackers.

• Implement strong passwords at the Admin backend: Almost anybody can access your open-source website backend using /administrator. Make sure to secure your website by having strong passwords and by changing the password regularly.
• Install a firewall: Firewalls help you secure your website as well as track threatening activities and witness IP addresses of hackers.
• Back up your systems: The importance of data backup is underrated. Ensure to update your backups regularly to avoid unforeseen loss of important data.
• Build a strong security framework: Using a strong security framework allows you to comply with industry best practices, rules and regulations, and certifications, such as Safe Harbor, SOX 404, etc. Security is much more than patches to servers. It’s also about how you can control the changes made to your system, like personnel training, change in the hiring process, and media protection.
• Update your CMS: Ensure to keep your CMS updated with the latest features, bug fixes, and enhancements so that it is stable and secure. Drupal users should upgrade to the latest Drupal version (9 or 10) to stay updated on the latest features, security updates, and better integrations.
• Analyze your systems regularly: To keep your business secure, ensure that there are no risky programs installed. Utilize robust systems for software management, versioning, application, and network scanning as well as a security architecture review. Implement Intrusion Detection System sensors to remain informed about any unauthorized access attempts.

Final Thoughts

Be an Empathetic Marketer

Building a bond of trust with your audience is the backbone of marketing triumph. By providing top-notch services and earning a well-respected reputation, you can cultivate an authentic connection with potential customers.

Encourage them to express their thoughts freely so they can confidently decide whether or not to do business with you. Trust isn't built in a day, but by consistently demonstrating your expertise and professionalism, you will inevitably win their hearts and their wallets.

A CMS to help you achieve your marketing goals in accordance with your business goals is Drupal. Drupal’s security team always keeps a close watch over potential security threats and keeps your organization’s data safe from exploitable vulnerabilities. They release security patches and fixes from time to time for advanced security.

Offering transparency and assuring that your customer’s data is safe with you will encourage trust; ensure this by taking advantage of a CMS and utilizing effective marketing strategies.

Author: Priyanka Phukan

Meet Priyanka, a Junior Content Writer and Marketer at Specbee. Priyanka’s a Grammar-Freak with a knack for creating impactful content with ‘words’ being her weapon of choice. A foodie who likes all things chicken. When not writing, she likes to play the Uke and sing. On blue days, you’ll find her binge-watching Asian dramas.

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I am a big fan of Zen stories. Those are little labyrinths of concealed wisdom. Once you enter the maze, you should find the way out. There is a way, and there is no way. You are trapped and free as well. It all depends on how you perceive things.

Let me quote a Zen story. Kindly excuse me if you have already heard this one. A young man visited a Zen master who lived in the middle of a chaotic city. The man wanted to know whether he would be happy if he relocated there as already, the master lived there.

The master asked: "How is your current place like?"

"It is terrible. Everyone is mean. I hate being there, and I need change,"

answered the seeker.

"It will be terrible here. Everyone would be mean. You would hate being here, and you won't experience any change,"

said the master.

A few hours went by. Another young man came to the master with the same question, and the master raised the same query.

"It is good. Wonderful. I have nothing to complain about. Everybody is so friendly and supportive. I just need a change,"

the man answered.

"It will be good here. Wonderful. You will have nothing to complain about. Everybody would be friendly and supportive. But you won't experience any change,"

the master cautioned.

You will find what you seek. But if you desire something that you already have, you won't even realize you have reaped it anew. If you are privileged, you won't appreciate how far the privilege has taken you. It might blind you from the paths tread by the underprivileged too. To develop a balanced view is the Zen. 

I am very much elated as the community is with the news that Drupal is now a Digital Public Good. But in hindsight, wasn't Drupal a digital public good from its initiation? Wasn't Drupal inherently a public good? What is there in some agency specifically designating Drupal as a digital public good?

The answers might be in the specifics. Yes, governments were using Drupal to serve their people better. Yes, Drupal was helping achieve the 17 SDGs put forward by the United Nations. Yes, Drupal is non-excludable and non-rivalrous.

But with all that, Drupal grows because of commercial interest, and it serves the hunger for profits of the businesses and agencies that use it. It is no crime, as with every other public good, like rail, roads, waterways, playgrounds, public education system, etc. Those will not have been this good this far without enough commercial interest.

Let me quote from a press release cum article put out by Zyxware Technologies.

"This recognition is a significant milestone for Drupal and the Drupal Community. Being listed as a DPG will make it easier for companies to justify using Drupal and potentially direct funding for specific feature sets. It is a testament to the community's hard work and dedication to creating software that adheres to the highest standards and helps achieve the UN's SDGs."

Let me move toward other news and events.

John Doyle, founder and president of Digital Polygon, speaks to Alethia Braganza about Owning It, Giving Back, and Building It Better. In this interview, he says that he genuinely believes that Drupal has become this successful because of the community members that drive it forward and advocate for its use.

Our second blog post on the 'build in public' initiative discusses How We Built a Newsletter System on Drupal with Mailchimp Integration. Emily Mathew, the lead developer of TDT, writes about the workflow.

Drupal Decoupled Days, scheduled for August 16-17 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has released a call for papers. The last date to submit a session proposal is May 05, 2023. DrupalJam 2023, set to take place on June 01 at DeFabrique in Utrecht, Netherlands, has announced its sponsor packages. DrupalSouth released the schedule and agenda for the 2023 conference set for May 17 to 19 in Wellington, New Zealand. MidCamp, scheduled for April 26 to 29 in Chicago, Illinois, is still seeking more sponsors, according to their newsletter. MidCamp attendees can also attend an evening match of Baseball at Wrigley Stadium. You could also purchase regular tickets to the camp until April 21. Drupal Developer Days happening in Vienna, Austria, from July 19 to 22, have sold out early bird tickets quickly; but regular tickets are still available. TDT is a media partner for DrupalCamp Finland, scheduled for April 28.

Drupal Association has announced the onboarding of Fran Garcia-Linares. Stichting Drupal Nederland, or the Dutch Drupal Foundation, has onboarded three new members to its director board.

Those joining this year's DrupalCon Pittsburgh can avail of accommodation facilities at a discounted rate if they choose from hotels within the official hotel block. Also, check out 7 best places to visit while you are at Pittsburgh for DrupalCon North America. Meanwhile, the deadline to submit sessions for DrupalCon Lille is April 24.

NERD Summit has published session videos of the 2023 camp on its official YouTube channel.

Two international PHP conferences are coming. The first is from May 22 to 26 in Berlin, and the second is from October 23 to 27 in Munich. You may submit session proposals for the October event.

Third and Grove has published a blog post explaining the new features and improvements coming to Drupal 10.1 and beyond. Franz Glauber Vanderlinde has written a blog post in Evolving Web's portal explaining Claro, Drupal's default admin user interface. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced an upgrade of its web platform to Drupal 10 in 18 months. Tomato Elephant Studio (TES) will conduct a Drupal training session on April 24, 2023. The 3-hour event will focus on Building Data Reports in Drupal. Srijan, recently acquired by Material+, has published a blog post about the key factors to improve SEO and performance for a Drupal Website. TDT published a listicle on why Drupal is the best for travel agency websites. Neeraj Kumar, founder and CEO of Valuebound published a blog post on opensource.com about Drupal Modules to Improve Accessibility.

Acquia has opened a new partnership with KPMG to advance DXP roll-out across industries. Acquia certifications in Japan have crossed the 200 mark. Acquia employees can apply to the headless developer advisory board.

There was a critical security alert on the protected pages module.

The number of stories selected from the past week is more extensive than we used to pack. Some of the stories linked in the written part might not repeat in the list beneath. Before winding up this newsletter issue, let me apologize for postponing the publication for almost a day. We are bound to rectify this procedural lapse linked to human error. We will return the following Monday with a new issue of Editor's Pick.

Sincerely,
Sebin A. Jacob
Editor-in-chief, TheDropTimes

Use autoloading and namespaces in PHP daggerhart Tue, 04/18/2023 - 03:00

PHP autoloading and namespaces provide handy conveniences with huge benefits.

In the PHP language, autoloading is a way to automatically include class files of a project in your code. Say you had a complex object-oriented PHP project with more than a…

Today we are talking about Accessibility from the sales process to delivery with Kat Shaw.

For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/395

Topics

• Where does Accessibility (A11y) begin
• What are the A11y levels
• Who should be thinking about A11y
• How do you research a solution for A11y
• What tools do you use
• What are the biggest struggles with selling A11y
• A11y and regulations
• Selling A11y only projects
• Ensuring delivery
• Ensuring support after launch
• Future of A11y 2.2 and 3.0

Resources

• GAAD
• Tools
  • Axe Devtools
  • ARC toolkit
  • Colorblindly
  • Webaim color checker
  • Webaim link contrast checker
  • Paciello group color checker
• Dominoes
• Screen readers
  • Narrator
  • Orca
  • NVDA
  • Voiceover
• How cool accessibility tools can make your life easier

Hosts

Nic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan John Picozzi - www.epam.com @johnpicozzi Kat Shaw - drupal.org/u/katannshaw @katannshaw

MOTW Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu Gesso A Sass-based, Webpack-based, and Storybook integrated accessible starter theme.

Now is the right time to update Drupal 7 to 10 thanks to ECA Jürgen Haas Mon, 17.04.2023 - 16:00

There are plenty of reasons why an update of Drupal sites based on version 7 to the modern platform of Drupal 9 or 10 can be a challenge. Limited resources come to mind, but more often missing features due to not yet working modules are blocking the otherwise useful update plan. The good news explored in this blog post, thanks to the ECA module those missing features may no longer be holding you back and that's why now is the best time to get started with the Drupal 7 update.

We're excited to announce the latest release of DXPR Builder, version 2.2.3! In this update, we've added several new features and enhancements that will improve your experience as an editor while building web content with DXPR Builder. Let's take a closer look at what's new in DXPR Builder 2.2.3.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Undo and Redo

We've introduced two new keyboard shortcuts to make it easier for you to undo and redo actions. You can now use Ctrl/Cmd+Z to undo an action and Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+Z to redo an action. This will help you save time and work more efficiently.

Upgraded History State Management

We've upgraded our history state management system to allow you to undo and redo actions even after saving your work. This means that you'll have access to all previous states, even if you've already saved your work. This is a great feature that will help you work with greater confidence.

Expanded User-Profile Feature

We've expanded our user-profile feature to include page templates and global user template selection. This means that you can now save user templates globally and apply them to specific user roles, as well as select specific page templates for user roles. This is a powerful feature that will help you streamline the content creation process when you have users in different roles editing different sections of the website.

Enabled Cloning Functionality for Tabs and Collapsible Panels

We've enabled cloning functionality for tabs and collapsible panels (toggles). This means that you'll be able to clone these elements without any issues. This is a small improvement that will save you time and effort.

Enhanced Local Video Element

We've enhanced our local video element with improved file validation and clearer upload error messages. This means that you'll have a better experience when uploading videos to your site. You'll be able to quickly identify and fix any issues that arise during the upload process.

That's it for this release of DXPR Builder! We hope you find these updates helpful and that they make your experience with our web content editing platform even better. As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions for future updates. Thanks for using DXPR Builder!

The Drop Times is excited to announce our new partnership with DrupalCamp Asheville, as an official media partner for their upcoming event.

Have you ever checked out a website and then bounced because it was just meh? You may say “quite a few.” With everyone fighting for attention online, it's essential to make your customer experience stand out. Personalizing a website is an excellent way to achieve this feat. The best part?  It’s easier than ever to personalize a website using Drupal’s powerful tools and features. Personalization is the secret sauce for a killer user experience, as well as higher conversions, customer loyalty, and more cash in your pocket. To back this claim, The Relevancy Group and Liveclicker released a report where they revealed that marketers who prioritize advanced personalization efforts could expect to see significant returns on their investment, with a potential return of $20 for every dollar spent. In the article, you will learn the 6-steps to personalize your Drupal website effectively. 

Here are a few videos to assist you, in narrowing down your Drupal search and getting just enough information to help you learn more about Drupal.

Preserving the open web through Drupal Dries Mon, 04/17/2023 - 03:00

Drupal updates create opportunities for everyone to participate in the open web.

Just because I share content online doesn't mean I want to share control over it. My website is a perfect example of what I mean. I take photos nearly everywhere I go: To date…

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Oxford, Stanford and every Ivy League School use Drupal. There are several reasons why Drupal is considered the best CMS for higher education websites.

Learn more about how Princeton University became interested in Drupal in 2010. Jill Moraca also shares her thoughts on the success of DrupalCamp NJ 2023 and hopes for a stronger turnout for the 2024 event.

Drupal Earns Digital Public Good Status: Recognized by the UN for Helping Achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Drupal's recognition as a Digital Public Good by the DPGA is a significant achievement that invites more governments and non-profit organisations to explore the benefits of using Drupal.

Deploying blocks and content to other site environments John Locke Sun, 04/16/2023 - 14:06

If you have a current Drupal site (built in Drupal 8 or later) you no longer need to entirely rebuild your site -- ever again. That doesn't mean it couldn't use a freshening up now and then.

We have several clients revamping their home pages, along with key landing pages. As part of this refresh, they are getting new designs in place, new messaging, new content. And they would like to launch the new design, and content, all at once.

• Read more about Deploying blocks and content to other site environments
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Drupal's path system gives authors the ability to override the path of an item of content. Whilst the internal path of a page might be "/node/1" the external path can be anything you want, and can be set when editing the item of content.

The addition of the Path Auto module makes this change of path easy for your users by using patterns and automatically generating paths based on the data contained within the content item. You might want to use a path that contains the type of entity being presented, what category it was added to, and even the title of the item of content.

This system creates powerful search engine friendly URLs that can add keywords to the paths that Drupal uses to find content.

When building custom entities there are a few things you need to do in order to add Path Auto functionality. It must contain a 'canonical' link that points to the entity and be a fieldable entity with a field called 'path'. A canonical link always points to the basic path of the content entity, which would be "/node/1" for all content type entities.

Outside of the Path Auto module there are a number of internal classes called parameter converters that implement the core \Drupal\Core\ParamConverter\ParamConverterInterface interface and are used to convert an argument within a path into an entity object. This object is then passed upstream to the form or controller that will be using the entity.

Without the parameter converter in place you would have to accept a value to the form or controller that you would then have to convert into an entity of some kind. This can add a lot more code to the those classes that wouldn't be needed as they need to know how to load the entity and also what to do if the entity doesn't exist.

In this article I will create a content entity and then show how to generate custom paths to that entity in via a custom parameter converter class.

Read more