Drupal

When working with Git, the .gitignore file plays a critical role in controlling which files and folders are tracked by version control. Yet, many developers are unsure when changes to .gitignore take effect and how to manage files that are already being tracked. This uncertainty can lead to problems, particularly in large codebases.

Upgrading to Drupal 10.4+ you might have noticed a warning in their code editor stating “Undefined function ‘t’”. While Drupal’s `t()` function remains valid in procedural code, some language analysis tools — such as Intelephense — do not automatically recognise Drupal’s global functions. This article outlines the root cause of this issue and provides three practical solutions for resolving it.  

The upgrade from PHP 8.3.14 to PHP 8.4.4 presents challenges for Drupal 10.4 websites, particularly when dealing with contributed modules. While Drupal core operates seamlessly, various contrib modules have not yet been updated to accommodate changes introduced in PHP 8.4.x. This has resulted in multiple deprecation warnings and potential compatibility issues.

Duplicate records in Drupal can cause significant issues, particularly when they lead to integrity constraint violations in the database. These errors often occur due to duplicate UUIDs in the `node` table, which can result from programmatic imports, migrations, or unintended database inconsistencies. This guide provides a structured approach to identifying and resolving duplicate records in Drupal.

When working on Drupal migrations, developers often assume that adding a new field to the process section will seamlessly update existing content. However, unless explicitly handled, Drupal’s migration system does not automatically apply changes to previously migrated records. This oversight can lead to data inconsistencies, incomplete content structures, and potential frustrations for both developers and stakeholders.

The Drupal theme configuration has undergone recent changes made to the Webpack configuration, SCSS and JavaScript handling, and automation of updates to the orw.libraries.yml file in the custom Drupal theme. These changes are designed to improve the build process, enhance maintainability, and streamline development for other developers working on this theme.

Overview of changes

1. Webpack improvements

Accessibility is a fundamental aspect that ensures experiences are inclusive for all users, including those relying on assistive technologies. One crucial accessibility feature is the use of `aria-label` attributes to provide contextual information for form inputs. In Drupal, we can dynamically set `aria-label` attributes using Twig within the `input.html.twig` template.

Occasionally, a Drupal site may display a warning about a module being "Missing or invalid." This issue occurs when a module is marked as installed in the configuration but is no longer present in the file system. A common example is the `fakeobjects` module, which is associated with CKEditor 4 and may remain in the configuration after CKEditor 4 is uninstalled. 

The release of Drupal 10.4.0 sees stricter validation rules being applied to Twig templates, which can result in unexpected errors after an upgrade. One such issue involves the use of regular expressions within Twig's matches operator, leading to syntax errors that can break template rendering.

This is a situation I had recently after upgrading to Drupal 10.4.0 and provides a clear resolution for the problem.

Observing colleagues work with Drush, it’s clear they have the basics down pat. Recently, I conducted a crash course in upskilling like a pro. Moving beyond the frequent commands many have already mastered, such as: