Talking Drupal #516 - Drupal CMS & Recipes

Join John and Steve as they delve into the intricacies and challenges of maintaining Drupal modules, comparing experiences with WordPress, and sharing their journey in making web development more accessible. They discuss their personal stories, the learning curve in module development, balancing user experience, and the importance of contributing back to the community. Learn about their current projects, thoughts on AI's role in accessibility, and get inspired by their dedication to improving the web for all users. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe010 Topics Drupal Beginnings: Personal Stories Journey into Module Development Accessibility in Web Development Navigating the Learning Curve in Development The Importance of Community and Collaboration Challenges in Module Maintenance Comparing Drupal and WordPress Innovative Approaches to Development Pet Peeves and Frustrations Future Directions and AI Integration The Story Behind the Shovel Avatar Steve Wirt Being a Developer and Tech Lead at CivicActions has exposed him to the experience of working on some of the largest government websites in the United States. A passion for opensourcing as much as possible has lead him to develop a growing number of modules, with two addressing accessibility Alt Text Validation & Node Link Report) John Jameson As the Digital Accessibility Developer at Princeton University, John has come to believe that the biggest barrier to accessible content is the idea that training can compensate for unintuitive authoring interfaces. So far his work to fix the authoring interfaces, to make workflows intuitive and accessible by default, has resulted in the Editoria11y Accessibility Checker and Link Purpose Icons JS libraries and Drupal modules. Guests Steve Wirt - swirt John Jameson - itmaybejj Resources Modules Editoria11y Accessibility Checker https://www.drupal.org/project/editoria11y Link Purpose Icons https://www.drupal.org/project/linkpurpose Alt Text Validation https://www.drupal.org/project/alt_text_validation Node Link Report https://www.drupal.org/project/node_link_report Talking Drupal #490 Contrib First https://talkingdrupal.com/490 Contrib First https://guidebook.civicactions.com/en/latest/common-practices-tools/contribution/contrib-first/

Today we are talking about DrupalCon Vienna, what we can expect, and any surprise updates with guests Cristina Chumillas, Antonella Severo, and Catherine Tsiboukas. We’ll also cover Recipe Tracker as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/519 Topics When is DrupalCon Vienna What types of sessions will be there Are there any unique formats or events we don't see at other DrupalCons Splash Awards Surprises from the Driesnote Drupal Canvas Additional Keynotes Training Social events Tickets Resources Tickets Guests Catherine Tsiboukas - mindcraftgroup.com bletch Antonella Severo - nestle.com antonellasevero Cristina Chumillas - ckrina Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi James Sansbury - tugboatqa.com q0rban MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to track what recipes, and their versions, have been applied to your Drupal site? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Recipe Tracker Brief history How old: created in Mar 2025 by centarro, as part of the Commerce Recipe: Core, notionally the very first Drupal site recipe Versions available: 1.0.0 Maintainership Actively maintained: only one commit to the project repo Number of open issues: none (ever) Usage stats: 207 sites Module features and usage After installing the Recipe Tracker module, every time a recipe is applied, the name and version of the recipe will be added to a new recipe log, along with the full package name of the recipe, and the user who applied it as well as the date and time it was applied The module uses an event subscriber to generate a recipe log entity, so there should also be lots of API options if you want to extend how the logging works, for example using Drupal’s Entity API This module was nominated by our own John Picozzi, so John, why don’t you kick off the discussion by telling us what inspired you to nominate Recipe Tracker?

Today we are talking about Drupal Canvas, What it is, and when we can use it with guest Lauri Timmanee. We’ll also cover Starshot Demo Design System as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/518 Topics What is Drupal Canvas The Evolution and Future of Drupal Canvas Building with Drupal Canvas: Components and Templates User Experience and Flexibility in Drupal Canvas Collaboration and Extensibility in Drupal Canvas Default Components in Drupal Canvas Introduction to Modular Components Drupal CMS and Site Templates Acquia Source and Drupal Canvas Integration Pricing and Use Cases for Acquia Source Canvas Beta and Stability Migration and Upgrade Paths AI Integration in Drupal Canvas Future of Drupal Canvas Resources Civictheme storybook Acquia Source Guests Lauri Timmanee - lauriii Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to try out Canvas (previously known as Experience Builder) with a fully built-out design system? There’s a Drupal theme for that. Module name/project name: Starshot Demo Design System Brief history How old: created in July 2024 by longtime Drupalist Kristen Pol of Salsa Digital Versions available: 1.0.6, which supports Drupal 10 and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Documentation - Multipage writeup of SDDS, including contribution and development guides Number of open issues: 34 open issues, 3 of which are active bugs Usage stats: 79 sites Module features and usage Some of our users may have already tried out the pre-release demo of Canvas that phenaproxima posted on Github. That actually has the Starshot Demo Design System, or SDDS, baked in. So, even if you watched a demo video of Canvas, you’ve probably seen SDDS in action SDDS is itself built on CivicTheme, a Drupal theme built to act as a component-based atomic design system. As such, CivicTheme includes a rich component library, built from published Figma and Storybook UI Kits. And because some of the early builds for SDDS were for GovCMS, the Australian whole-of-government CMS project, it is accessible, with WCAG 2.2 compliance out-of-the-box While the official purpose of SDDS is providing a platform to use for demos in Driesnotes and other presentations to illustrate the progress being made on Canvas, I think it’s also safe to say that testing the latest features of Canvas with a fully-realized design system has also helped to identify issues in Canvas itself. That means the products of all the work that has gone into SDDS will include a more production-ready stable release when that gets tagged (hopefully in time for Vienna)

Join John and Chris for an engaging conversation as they dive into the latest developments in Drupal CMS, including the analytics recipe installation and upcoming features for Project Browser. They also discuss the challenges and strategies of thriving with ADHD, the impact of AI in web development, and personal stories from summer activities to travel plans. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe009 Topics Introduction and Personal Reflections Living in Maine and Childhood Memories Travel Plans and European DrupalCon Project Browser and Technical Discussions AI and Coding Experiences The Future of Drupal and AI Integration Navigating ADHD Diagnosis and Management Conclusion and Final Thoughts John Picozzi John Picozzi is the Solutions Architect at EPAM Systems, where he helps organizations implement scalable and sustainable digital solutions—most often using Drupal. With over a decade of experience in web development, John has become a trusted voice in the Drupal community for his commitment to open source, user-centered design, and thoughtful architecture. John is a contributor to Drupal and an active member of the community as the organizer of the Drupal Providence Meetup and New England Drupal Camp. He’s also well known as a co-host of the Talking Drupal podcast, a weekly show focused on all things Drupal, where he interviews community members and shares insights on development, strategy, and community engagement. Outside of podcasting and coding, John frequently speaks at DrupalCamps and conferences across the U.S., offering sessions that span technical deep dives to community and career development topics. You can find more about his work and speaking engagements at picozzi.com, or follow him on Drupal.org Chris Wells Chris Wells is a co-founder and CTO of Redfin Solutions, a web development agency specializing in Drupal-based digital experiences. With over two decades of experience in software engineering and web technologies, Chris has led complex projects for higher education, nonprofits, and enterprise clients—bringing strategic vision and technical excellence to every engagement. A passionate advocate for open source, Chris is an active contributor to the Drupal project and a frequent speaker at Drupal camps and conferences. He is known for his leadership in fostering strong client relationships, building sustainable development teams, and promoting best practices in accessibility, performance, and long-term site maintenance. Guests John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Chris Wells - chrisfromredfin www.redfinsolutions.com

Today we are talking about Drupal’s Event Platform, What’s new, and what’s to come with guest Martin Anderson-Clutz. We’ll also cover ECA Tamper as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/517 Topics What is Event Platform New Features and Multi-Event Architecture Event Platform Theme: Event Horizon Managing Contribution Time Event Platform Workflow Features Transitioning to Recipes Module Installation Challenges in Drupal Event Platform Installation and Configuration Performance Improvements and Core Installer Issues Modular Design and Recipe Mapping Content Migration and Recipe Utilization Event Platform Adoption and Community Feedback Future Features and Enhancements for Event Platform Getting Started with Event Platform How to Get Involved with Event Platform Resources Event Platform Starter on Drupal Forge Blog post: Smart Menu Links: Drupal navigation with the power of Views Recap: My Return to Drupal GovCon 2025!! Cussing in Commits: Which Programming Language Inspires the Most Swearing? Recipe installer issue for modules in bulk Upgrade path Guests Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi James Sansbury - tugboatqa.com q0rban MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted a flexible way to manipulate the data being used in your ECA models? There’s a module for that Module name/project name: ECA Tamper Brief history How old: created in Apr 2022 by Jürgen Haas of Lake Drops Versions available: 1.0.6 and 2.0.4, the latter of which supports Drupal 10.4 and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Number of open issues: 6 open issues, none of which are bugs Usage stats: 1,087 sites Module features and usage For anyone who hasn’t used it before, Tamper is a generic plugin system for transforming data. It’s often used with migrations and Feeds, where you need to make sure incoming data matches the data type of the field where it will be stored. We actually covered Feeds Tamper as MOTW all the way back in episode #056 For ECA you can use tamper plugins with conditions, so a model can compare against a modified result. Or, you can use the tamper plugins with actions, storing the result as a token that can be for subsequent actions. I ended up using ECA Tamper in the Event Platform for a model that sends out emails if an accepted session has not yet been confirmed by the author, and the session confirmation is a specific number of days out, for example 3 days away and one day away

Today we are talking about Drupal CMS Analytics, Recipes, and how to use both with guest Dharizza Espinach. We’ll also cover Field Data as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/516 Topics Drupal CMS Analytics Track Balancing Personal and Work Contributions Planning and Estimating Contributions Team Effort and Collaboration Challenges and Solutions in UI and Integration Future Enhancements and Roadmap Conclusion and Contact Information Resources Noise Cancellation Tool Recipe installer kit Saplings Creating a Simple Donation form with Drupal, Stripe, and Webforms Guests Dharizza Espinach - dharizza Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Jacob Rockowitz - jrockowitz.com jrockowitz Brief description: Did you ever need to review all the data in a field on a content entity type or a specific bundle? Module name/project name: Field Data Brief history How old: February 28, 2025 Versions available: 1.0.0-alpha12 Maintainership Actively maintained Test coverage Documentation Default settings include Display only published field data Display only field data in the default language Usage stats: 34 sites report using this module Maintainer(s): Jacob Rockowitz Module features and usage Adds a 'Data' tab to Drupal core's 'Field list' report (/admin/reports/fields), which allows administrators to view and download field data. This module can be used while developing a migration to review field data before and after a migration. This module also allows site builders and developers to identify unused fields. Similar Modules Schema Viewer Provides a backend developer tool to view table schema by table name. Entity Export CSV Export Content Entity to CSV.  

In this episode, Martin and Jürgen dive deep into the concept of modular API, ECA and more. Jürgen shares insights from Dev Days in Lubin, key improvements in ECA 3.0, and the exciting potential of leveraging the BPMN interface for AI. The conversation also addresses future aspirations for ECA. Additionally, Jürgen and Martin share their personal travel hacks and discuss the intersection of Drupal travel and photography. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe008 Topics Introduction to Modular API Conversations at Dev Days Exploring Modeler API AI Integration and Future Prospects Challenges and Comparisons with Other Tools Community Collaboration and AI Initiatives Future Roadmap for ECA Travel Hacks and Personal Insights Conclusion and Final Thoughts Martin Anderson-Clutz Martin Anderson-Clutz is a highly respected figure in the Drupal community, known for his extensive contributions as a developer, speaker, and advocate for open-source innovation. Based in London, Ontario, Canada, Martin began his career as a graphic designer before transitioning into web development. His journey with Drupal started in late 2005 when he was seeking a robust multilingual CMS solution, leading him to embrace Drupal's capabilities. Martin holds the distinction of being the world's first Triple Drupal Grand Master, certified across Drupal 7, 8, and 9 as a Developer, Front-End Specialist, and Back-End Specialist. He also possesses certifications in various Acquia products and is UX certified by the Nielsen Norman Group. Currently serving as a Senior Solutions Engineer at Acquia, Martin has been instrumental in advancing Drupal's ecosystem. He has developed and maintains several contributed modules, including Smart Date and Search Overrides, and has been actively involved in the Drupal Recipes initiative, particularly focusing on event management solutions. His current work on the Event Platform aims to streamline the creation and management of event-based websites within Drupal. Beyond development, Martin is a prominent speaker and educator, having presented at numerous Drupal events such as DrupalCon Barcelona and EvolveDrupal. He is also a co-host of the "Talking Drupal" podcast, where he leads the "Module of the Week" segment, sharing insights on various Drupal modules. Martin's dedication to the Drupal community is evident through his continuous efforts to mentor, innovate, and promote best practices within the open-source landscape. Jürgen Haas Jürgen Haas is a seasoned software architect, open source advocate, and long-time contributor to the Drupal community. Based in Germany, Jürgen brings decades of experience in enterprise IT solutions, specializing in system architecture, security, and digital transformation. He is known for his leadership within the ECA project and for being the track lead for privacy and data protection in Drupal CMS. Jürgen is an active participant in community initiatives, a frequent speaker at Drupal events, and a mentor to developers looking to deepen their expertise in scalable and secure web applications. His work reflects a passion for innovation, collaboration, and the power of open-source technology to solve real-world business challenges Guests Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Jürgen Haas - jurgenhaas

Today we are talking about AI, How it can be privacy focused, and What amazee.ai is doing to help with guest Michael Schmid. We’ll also cover LiteLLM AI Provider as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/515 Topics Privacy Concerns with AI Amazee's Privacy-Focused AI Solutions Foundation Models and Their Importance AI-Powered Search in Drupal Customizing AI Responses and Search Proprietary vs. Open Source Models Understanding Neural Networks Training and Weights in Models Integrating AI with Drupal Practical Steps to Implement AI in Drupal AI and MCP for Automation Open Source Models in AI Future Directions for MAI AI Conclusion and Contact Information Resources amazee.ai Foundation models amazee ai provider & amazee ai vector db module Drupal AI module AI Chatbot MCP DrupalGovCon Guests Michael Schmid - amazee.ai schnitzel Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Matt Glaman - mglaman.dev mglaman Brief description: AI provider for using LiteLLM. LiteLLM is a gateway that allows connecting to LLMs without accessing the providers directly using the same API as OpenAI along with other governance goodies. Module name/project name: LiteLLM AI Provider Brief history How old: created on 24 February 2025 Versions available: beta, 1.1.0 and 1.0.0 to track main AI module Maintainership Actively maintained Usage stats: 439 Maintainer(s): marcus_johansson, andrewbelcher, justanothermark of FreelyGive Module features and usage Basically like OpenAI provider but allows it to work with non-OpenAI models and other logic that’s in the OpenAI provider module.

Today we are talking about HTMX, What it is, and why it could be a game changer for Drupal with our guests Shawn Duncan & Carson Gross. We’ll also cover RefreshLess as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/514 Topics What is HTMX HTMX and Drupal Integration Community and Contribution Discussing HTMX and Its Integration HTMX's Stability and Composition Programming with HTMX: A Lego-like Experience Drupal's HTMX Initiative Proof of Concept and Community Involvement HTMX's Flexibility and Developer Experience Big Pipe and HTMX Integration Comparing HTMX with Hotwire Turbo Getting Involved with the HTMX Initiative Resources [Plan] Gradually replace Drupal's AJAX system with HTMX HTMX in core Proof of Concept HTMX contrib module HTMX Documentation Hypermedia Systems - Carson’s book A comparison of Hypermedia Application architecture with Single Page Application. Available for purchase and free online. Academic Paper on HTMX FACET Essays HTMX Sucks Locality of behavior Future of HTMX Drupal community initiatives Contrast of htmx vs hotwire grugbrain Primeagen Fireship dev Guests Shawn Duncan - HTMX intiative fathershawn Carson Gross - bigsky.software 1cg Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to give your Drupal site a more application-like feel, by only reloading parts of the page that need to change? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: RefreshLess Brief history How old: created in Mar 2016 by Wim Leers, but recent releases are by ambient.impact, a fellow Canadian Versions available: 2.0.0-alpha9 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Documentation Number of open issues: 40 open issues, only 2 of which are active bugs against the current branch Usage stats: 2 sites Module features and usage The RefreshLess module aims to give Drupal sites a smooth, fast, and responsive experience by using Javascript to selectively update the parts of the existing page that need to change, instead of a full page refresh. It uses the HTML5 History API to ensure the browsing behaviour is equivalent, and unsupported browsers will see a standard page refresh instead Using RefreshLess also makes it possible to use transitions (with or without the View Transition API in modern browsers), morphing, and persistent elements to enhance the application-like feel There is some indication that sites may encounter issues if they use RefreshLess with JS aggregation enabled, so it’s probably better to use it if your site has HTTP/2 enabled RefreshLess is currently built on the Turbo library originally built for Ruby on Rails, but there is already an issue open to move the implementation to use HTMX instead

Today we are talking about Working from home, heading back to the office, and the current state of remote work with guest Kaleem Clarkson. We’ll also cover Microsoft 365 Connector as our module of the week. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/513 Topics Exploring Remote Work with Kaleem Clarkson Trust Issues in Management Employee Red Flags and Data-Driven Decisions Managerial Concerns with Return to Office Policies Respectful Implementation of Return to Office Challenges of Enforcing Office Mandates Benefits of In-Person Work Hybrid Work Models and Their Challenges Variations in Hybrid Work Policies Impact of Seniority on Office Policies Cutting DEI Initiatives: Fear and Legal Risks Employer Brand and Social Contracts Resources Blend Me Inc Guests Kaleem Clarkson - kclarkson Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rich Lawson - richlawson.co rklawson MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted your Drupal site to integrate with Microsoft 365, so users can log in with their Azure AD credentials, and then have direct access to shared files, see recent emails, and more? There’s a module for that. Module name/project name: Microsoft 365 Connector Brief history How old: created in July 2019 by immoreel, though the most recent release is by Boris Doesborg (batigolix), both of Finalist, a Dutch Drupal shop Versions available: 5.0.22 and 5.1.0-beta1, the latter of which supports Drupal 9.4, 10, and 11 Maintainership Actively maintained Security coverage Test coverage Two documentation guide available Number of open issues: 18 open issues, 1 of which is a bug, though it is postponed waiting for more info Usage stats: 365 sites Module features and usage This module integrates your Drupal site with the Microsoft Graph API, a unified API that provides a single endpoint for accessing data and intelligence from Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more Microsoft 365 Connector includes more than a dozen submodules, each of which provide specific capabilities like Single Sign-On, syncing data to Drupal user accounts, sending Teams messages from within Drupal, and more You can also use this module to do things like automatically add an event node to your Outlook calendar, and invite other people at the same time It’s worth noting that in the documentation guide the submodules are named “Office 365”, which is probably what the module was named until around 5 years ago when Microsoft retired the Office 365 name Finally, setting up this module requires registering an app in Azure AD, so it’s not for the casual user. But if you're working on an intranet or similar collaboration platform for an organization that is heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 suite, this could make for a compelling integration