Drupal Release: 7.0-beta3

TL;DR

Drupal 7.0-beta3: Documentation Improvements, Bug Fixes, and UI Enhancements

Drupal 7.0-beta3 brings significant improvements to the platform with a focus on documentation, bug fixes, and UI enhancements. This release includes over 6,600 changes across 191 files, with major updates to the Field API, Overlay functionality, and jQuery libraries. Key improvements include better accessibility features, enhanced documentation across multiple APIs, fixes for critical node access issues, and important UI refinements. This beta release continues to stabilize Drupal 7 as it moves toward a stable release.

Highlight of the Release

• Upgraded jQuery to 1.4.4 and jQuery UI to 1.8.6
• Fixed critical bug where node_access_view_all_nodes() was never invoked
• Added ability for screen reader users and keyboard-only users to disable the overlay
• Fixed iOS scrolling issues with the Overlay
• Added dynamic alter hook to Field API instance definitions
• Improved documentation across numerous APIs and hooks
• Fixed security issue with impersonation when an HTTPS session exists

Migration Guide

Upgrading to Drupal 7.0-beta3

1. Before upgrading:

   • Back up your database and files
   • Review the full list of changes in CHANGELOG.txt

2. API Changes to Note:

   • Field API now has a dynamic alter hook for instance definitions
   • jQuery has been updated to 1.4.4 and jQuery UI to 1.8.6
   • Foreign key support has been added to text and file modules
   • The way checkboxes/radios with customized sub-elements are defined has changed

3. Potential Issues:

   • If you've customized themes that use the overlay, test the 'Skip to main content' link
   • Check any custom code that uses theme_links() as ul.links now always appears as .inline
   • If using multiple node forms on a single page, test thoroughly as IDs have been fixed
   • If you've implemented custom Field API code, review the new documentation

4. Module Developers:

   • Review updated hook documentation, especially for hook_entity_view() and hook_entity_view_alter()
   • Check usage of EntityFieldQuery as documentation has been improved and bugs fixed
   • Review the new dynamic alter hook for Field API instance definitions

Upgrade Recommendations

Who should upgrade to Drupal 7.0-beta3?

This beta release is recommended for:

• Developers and testers working on Drupal 7 sites who need the latest bug fixes and improvements
• Module developers preparing their modules for Drupal 7 compatibility
• Theme developers testing themes against the latest Drupal 7 changes
• Site builders who are creating test sites and want to provide feedback on Drupal 7

This is still a beta release and not recommended for production sites. While it includes many important bug fixes and improvements over beta2, it's still in development and may contain undiscovered issues.

Upgrade Priority: Medium

• Critical bug fixes: Several critical bugs have been fixed, including node access issues and potential data loss during updates
• Accessibility improvements: Important accessibility enhancements make this a valuable update for sites focusing on accessibility
• Developer improvements: Significant documentation improvements and API enhancements make this a valuable update for developers

If you're already running Drupal 7.0-beta2 for testing purposes, upgrading to beta3 is recommended to benefit from the numerous bug fixes and improvements.

Bug Fixes

Critical Fixes

• Fixed critical bug where node_access_view_all_nodes() was never invoked (#963656)
• Fixed security issue with impersonation when an HTTPS session exists (#575280)
• Fixed issue where system_update_7061() stops migrating data if upload.fid is not found in files table, resulting in data loss (#966238)

Node & Content Issues

• Fixed issue where non-empty Summary and empty Body both became empty when saved (#617596)
• Fixed node teaser text color that was previously hardcoded (#932958)
• Fixed Poll module not respecting weight in Preview or More button (#445736)
• Fixed issue where all fields are hidden after administrator newly configures a view mode (#886152)
• Fixed issue with node title's weight being hardcoded when not otherwise specified (#433454)

UI & Overlay Issues

• Fixed 'Skip to main content' link not working correctly in the overlay (#841184)
• Fixed position:fixed preventing iOS devices from scrolling the Overlay (#878020)
• Fixed overflow:hidden on block content breaking contextual links (#875132)
• Fixed autocomplete popup positioning (#625170)
• Fixed regression where ul.links generated by theme_links() always appears as .inline (#960490)

Form & Field Issues

• Fixed Number module maxlength preventing saving negative decimal values (#950134)
• Fixed bugs with checkbox element (#654796)
• Fixed impossible to have multiple node forms on one page due to fixed IDs (#955610)
• Fixed #managed_file element not working when #extended not TRUE (#745590)

Module & System Issues

• Fixed disabling the dashboard module permanently removing all blocks (#950878)
• Fixed Field UI not being enabled on a D6 upgrade (#939914)
• Fixed modules with no files[] entries in .info files being deemed 'incompatible with 7.x' (#912700)
• Fixed colorable themes failing when CSS aggregation is enabled (#927406)

Language & Locale Issues

• Fixed nodes with one language not affecting the language switcher block (#518364)
• Fixed .po file being considered broken if last msgstr is empty (#611786)
• Fixed locale_update_7002() assuming multiple languages are enabled (#965130)
• Fixed language only being set if detected from the URL (#956256)

Other Fixes

• Fixed undefined offset: 0 in contextual_preprocess() (#939398)
• Fixed DOMDocument::loadHTML() being called statically (#951774)
• Fixed invalid placeholders in exception messages during update (#951486)
• Fixed [site:url-brief] token putting unnecessary slash at the end (#931520)
• Fixed logic for displaying 'X new comment(s)' link seeming inverted (#955454)
• Fixed user account fields appearing on all categories (#924154)

New Features

Field API Enhancements

• Added dynamic (non-cached) alter hook to instance definitions (#806830)
• Changed abstract Field API usage into a proper API function (#950138)

Dashboard Improvements

• Added ability to limit available blocks in the dashboard (#601932)
• Better handling of dashboard blocks when disabling the module (#950878)

Accessibility Enhancements

• Added clear way for screen reader users and keyboard-only users to disable the overlay (#896364)
• Fixed AJAX behaviors to be triggered with spacebar (#607240)

jQuery Updates

• Upgraded jQuery to version 1.4.4 (#944308)
• Upgraded jQuery UI to version 1.8.6 (#916968)

Other Enhancements

• Improved XML output option for use with Hudson/JUnit (#602332)
• Better handling of nojs/ajax replacement (#565808)
• Made it easier to define checkboxes/radios with customized sub-elements (#915936)

Security Updates

• Fixed security issue with impersonation when an HTTPS session exists (#575280)
• Fixed regression where users without "administer users" permission could not access profiles of users that never logged in (#171117)

Performance Improvements

• Made drupal_attributes() function faster (#961908)
• Added small optimization for menu_get_item() (#964822)
• Removed unnecessary usage of array_key_exists() (#839556)
• Removed unnecessary filter_cron() function (#951726)
• Moved system_sort_by_title() into common.inc for better code organization and performance (#961136)
• Made phptemplate the default engine to simplify .info file and improve performance (#801632)

Impact Summary

Drupal 7.0-beta3 represents a significant step forward in the Drupal 7 development cycle, with over 6,600 changes across 191 files. This release focuses heavily on documentation improvements, bug fixes, and UI enhancements that collectively improve the stability and usability of Drupal 7.

The most impactful changes include:

1. Critical bug fixes - Several critical issues have been addressed, including a node access bug that could affect content visibility and security fixes for session handling.

2. Accessibility enhancements - Major improvements for screen reader users and keyboard-only users, including the ability to disable the overlay and better keyboard navigation.

3. Developer experience - Extensive documentation improvements across numerous APIs and hooks make development with Drupal 7 more straightforward and less error-prone.

4. UI improvements - Various fixes to the overlay, dashboard, and form elements create a more consistent and reliable user interface.

5. Library updates - Upgrades to jQuery (1.4.4) and jQuery UI (1.8.6) bring the latest improvements from these libraries to Drupal.

6. Field API enhancements - New hooks and better documentation improve the flexibility and usability of the Field API.

While this is still a beta release and not recommended for production sites, it represents important progress toward a stable Drupal 7 release. The focus on documentation and bug fixes in this release suggests that the Drupal 7 API is stabilizing, though developers should still expect possible changes in future releases.