Drupal Release: 6.6

TL;DR

Drupal 6.6: Maintenance Release with Path Handling Fixes and Usability Improvements

This maintenance release for Drupal 6 addresses several bugs related to path handling, language support, and user authentication. Key improvements include fixes for wildcard loader functionality, XML-RPC library exceptions, and translation management. While primarily focused on bug fixes, this release also includes minor usability enhancements and documentation improvements that benefit site administrators and developers working with Drupal 6.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed wildcard loader functionality for paths containing numbers
• Improved handling of translations when deleting nodes
• Enhanced user authentication to support web service modules
• Fixed PostgreSQL compatibility issue with block deletion
• Improved usability with better navigation highlighting and admin links

Migration Guide

No migration guide is necessary for this release as it contains only bug fixes and minor enhancements. Users can upgrade directly from Drupal 6.5 to 6.6 without any special migration steps.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a maintenance release containing important bug fixes for Drupal 6. All users of Drupal 6.5 are recommended to upgrade to this version, especially if you:

• Run a multilingual site
• Use PostgreSQL as your database
• Rely on XML-RPC functionality
• Use wildcard paths in your URL structure
• Experience issues with path handling or navigation

The upgrade from 6.5 to 6.6 should be straightforward with minimal risk, as this release focuses on bug fixes rather than introducing new features or changing existing APIs.

Bug Fixes

Path and URL Handling

• Fixed bug in drupal_lookup_path('wipe') functionality
• Fixed wildcard loader names with numbers
• Fixed incorrect path generation for frontpage links in locale blocks
• Fixed path to remove orphaned actions

Translation and Localization

• Fixed issue where all translations were removed from translation set when deleting a node
• Fixed translation issues in the installer
• Ensured proper language initialization on database error pages

Core Functionality

• Fixed exceptions in XML-RPC library
• Fixed hook_exit() not being invoked for some cached requests
• Enhanced file_transfer() to only call ob_end_clean() when an output buffer was opened
• Fixed issue with PostgreSQL users not being able to delete blocks
• Improved user authentication to work without cookies previously set

User Interface

• Disabled autocomplete fields when users don't have access to the autocomplete path
• Added proper 'active-trail' class on primary/secondary links list items
• Fixed missing HTML tag in template
• Added link to maintenance settings page in the site offline admin message

New Features

No significant new features were added in this maintenance release. Drupal 6.6 focuses primarily on bug fixes and minor enhancements to existing functionality.

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were mentioned in the release notes. This appears to be a maintenance release focused on bug fixes and minor enhancements rather than security issues.

Performance Improvements

This release does not contain any significant performance improvements. The changes are primarily focused on bug fixes and minor enhancements rather than performance optimization.

Impact Summary

Drupal 6.6 is a maintenance release that addresses several bugs and makes minor enhancements to improve stability and usability. The most significant fixes relate to path handling, translation management, and database compatibility.

For site administrators, the release fixes issues with PostgreSQL block management and improves the site offline experience. Developers will benefit from fixes to wildcard loaders, XML-RPC functionality, and hook_exit() behavior. Multilingual site managers will see improvements in translation handling, particularly when deleting content.

While this release doesn't introduce new features, it resolves several pain points that could affect site functionality and user experience. The fixes for path handling and navigation are particularly important for ensuring consistent site behavior.

Overall, this is a recommended upgrade for all Drupal 6 sites to ensure continued stability and proper functionality across various features.