Drupal Release: 7.0-rc-4

TL;DR

Drupal 7.0-rc4: Bug Fixes and Upgrade Path Improvements

This release candidate focuses on fixing critical bugs in the upgrade path from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7, particularly for PostgreSQL databases. It also addresses issues with password handling, comment editing, and various documentation improvements. This RC brings Drupal 7 closer to a stable release by resolving important issues discovered during testing of previous release candidates.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed critical PostgreSQL upgrade path issues from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7
• Fixed bug where editing a comment would destroy its creation date
• Improved password handling for users upgrading from Drupal 6
• Renamed 'update system' to 'database update system' to reduce confusion
• Fixed installation issue with .po files for multilingual sites

Migration Guide

Migration Notes for Drupal 7.0-rc4

If you're upgrading from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7:

1. PostgreSQL Users: This release fixes critical issues with the PostgreSQL upgrade path. If you previously encountered problems upgrading a PostgreSQL-based Drupal 6 site, you should now be able to complete the upgrade successfully.

2. Password Handling: Issues with rehashed passwords after Drupal 6 upgrades have been fixed. Users should now be able to log in normally after upgrading.

3. Filter Module: A broken upgrade path in the filter module has been fixed (#989556). If you experienced issues with filter configurations during upgrade, this should now be resolved.

If you're upgrading from a previous Drupal 7 release candidate:

1. Comment Editing: If your site has comments that were edited in previous release candidates, you may want to verify their creation dates are correct, as this release fixes an issue where editing a comment would destroy its creation date.

2. Terminology Change: The 'update system' has been renamed to 'database update system' in the interface to reduce end-user confusion. This is only a terminology change and requires no action.

Upgrade Recommendations

This release candidate contains critical fixes for the upgrade path from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7, particularly for PostgreSQL users. If you are planning to upgrade from Drupal 6, especially with a PostgreSQL database, it is strongly recommended to use this release candidate rather than previous ones.

For sites already running Drupal 7 release candidates, upgrading to RC4 is recommended to ensure comment editing functions properly and to benefit from the various bug fixes included.

As this is still a release candidate, it is not recommended for production sites unless you are actively testing the Drupal 7 upgrade path or helping identify remaining issues before the final release.

Bug Fixes

Critical Bug Fixes

• Comment Date Preservation: Fixed a critical issue where editing a comment would destroy its creation date (#1005004)
• PostgreSQL Upgrade Path: Fixed multiple issues that prevented successful upgrades from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7 on PostgreSQL databases:
  • Fixed db_change_field() failing to convert int to varchar on PostgreSQL (#951116)
  • Fixed upgrade process stopping during update.php execution (#1006478)
• Password Handling: Fixed an issue where rehashed passwords after Drupal 6 upgrade would fail (#1007504)
• Filter Module Upgrade: Fixed broken upgrade path in filter module (#989556)

Other Bug Fixes

• Fixed multiple notices from tracker module after deleting a node (#950680)
• Fixed SelectQuery::countQuery() failing with a group by expression (#1005674)
• Fixed update results generating a spurious </ul> tag (#977174)
• Fixed installation requiring .po file rename (#994500)
• Removed outdated reference to file_directory_path (#1005306)
• Fixed typo in variable name in ArchiverZip->remove() (#977450)
• Fixed typo in DatabaseSchema_pgsql (#1007448)
• Fixed missing form_state in callback call in file_managed_file_value (#1002396)

New Features

No significant new features were added in this release candidate. This RC focuses on bug fixes and improvements to the upgrade path from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7.

Security Updates

No security fixes were explicitly mentioned in this release candidate.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were included in this release candidate. The focus was on bug fixes and documentation improvements.

Impact Summary

Drupal 7.0-rc4 is primarily a bug fix release that addresses several critical issues discovered in previous release candidates. The most significant impact is for users upgrading from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7, especially those using PostgreSQL databases, as several blocking issues in the upgrade path have been resolved.

Content editors will benefit from the fix to comment editing, which previously destroyed comment creation dates. Site administrators will find the renamed "database update system" (formerly "update system") less confusing, and multilingual site managers will no longer need to rename .po files during installation.

This release candidate brings Drupal 7 significantly closer to a stable release by addressing important functional issues. While it doesn't introduce new features, it improves the reliability and stability of existing functionality, particularly around the upgrade process and database handling.