Drupal Release: 7.28

TL;DR

Drupal 7.28: Documentation Improvements and Bug Fixes

This release primarily focuses on documentation improvements and bug fixes across various Drupal 7 components. It addresses issues with database functionality, file handling, accessibility, and performance. While mostly maintenance-oriented, this update includes important fixes for memory issues in taxonomy updates, AJAX functionality in Internet Explorer 8, and improvements to error handling in queue workers.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed memory consumption issues in taxonomy updates (Issue #2174551)
• Improved error handling for queue workers by catching exceptions (Issue #2021933)
• Fixed Internet Explorer 8 compatibility issue in AJAX functionality (Issue #2245331)
• Enhanced accessibility for screen-reader users with file upload errors (Issue #1333292)
• Improved HHVM compatibility by removing get_extension_funcs() call (Issue #2161955)

Migration Guide

Drupal 7.28 is a maintenance release with bug fixes and documentation improvements. No specific migration steps are required when upgrading from Drupal 7.27.

However, site administrators should note:

• If you've been experiencing memory issues with taxonomy updates, this release should resolve those problems
• If you've implemented custom code that relies on SelectQueryExtender::hasAnyTag, you may need to review your implementation as this method was fixed
• Custom modules that interact with file handling should be tested after upgrade due to fixes in file entity caching

As always, it's recommended to:

1. Back up your database and files before upgrading
2. Test the upgrade on a development or staging environment first
3. Run update.php after upgrading to apply any database schema changes

Upgrade Recommendations

Recommendation: Standard upgrade recommended for all sites

This release contains important bug fixes and documentation improvements that benefit all Drupal 7 sites. While there are no critical security fixes in this release, the improvements to memory handling in taxonomy updates, file handling, and AJAX functionality make this a worthwhile upgrade for all Drupal 7 sites.

Sites experiencing specific issues addressed in this release (such as memory problems with taxonomy updates, IE8 compatibility issues, or problems with file handling) should prioritize this upgrade.

The upgrade process follows the standard Drupal minor version update procedure:

1. Back up your database and files
2. Put your site into maintenance mode
3. Replace your existing Drupal core files with the new version, being careful not to overwrite any customizations
4. Run update.php
5. Take your site out of maintenance mode

Bug Fixes

This release includes numerous bug fixes across various components:

Database

• Fixed issue where db_query_temporary() failed to create tables when SQL had leading whitespace (Issue #1868972)
• Fixed SelectQueryExtender::hasAnyTag which was using non-existent hasAnyTags method (Issue #2065917)
• Added missing index to query in aggregator module (Issue #1790298)

File Handling

• Fixed PHP notice in drupal_valid_path(): Undefined variable: form_item (Issue #2106129)
• Fixed file_save() and file_delete() not clearing entity controller cache (Issue #2159549)
• Fixed file_field_widget_submit() using wrong parent key (Issue #1468686)
• Fixed image error notice: getimagesize read error in image_gd_get_info() (Issue #1522348)

Entity & Field Handling

• Fixed issue with DrupalDefaultEntityController->cacheGet() using array_diff_assoc() incorrectly for multilevel arrays (Issue #1525176)
• Fixed token [node:summary] not outputting anything for body fields without manual summary (Issue #1300920)

AJAX & JavaScript

• Fixed IE8 compatibility issue in ajax.js due to use of reserved word (Issue #2245331)
• Fixed drupal_get_query_array() not working correctly with query parameters containing equals signs (Issue #2143461)

Other

• Fixed memory issues in taxonomy_update_7011 (Issue #2174551)
• Fixed incorrect setting of 'class' attribute to string in Comment module (Issue #1200478)
• Fixed issues with aggregator titles displaying quotes and special characters (Issue #61456)
• Fixed timeout issues when fetching update information (Issue #952394)
• Fixed inconsistent tracker pager display (Issue #2130461)

New Features

This release is primarily focused on bug fixes and documentation improvements rather than new features. However, there are some enhancements worth noting:

• Added missing country codes to includes/iso.inc (Issue #1068840)
• Added tag filter to content administration page at admin/content/node (Issue #1191660)
• Improved error messages for module compatibility issues with core and PHP versions (Issue #2227687)
• Enhanced SimpleTest verbose output to show end results of drupalPostAjaxForm() (Issue #2182315)

Security Updates

This release does not contain any specific security fixes. For security-related updates, users should always refer to the official Drupal security advisories and ensure they are running the latest version of Drupal core.

Performance Improvements

While this release doesn't focus heavily on performance, there are a few improvements:

• Reduced memory usage in taxonomy updates, preventing out-of-memory errors during taxonomy_update_7011 (Issue #2174551)
• Improved HHVM compatibility by removing get_extension_funcs() call, which can improve performance on HHVM environments (Issue #2161955)
• Added missing index to query in aggregator module, which can improve query performance (Issue #1790298)
• Enhanced update information fetching to prevent timeout issues, making the update check process more reliable (Issue #952394)

Impact Summary

Drupal 7.28 is primarily a maintenance release focused on documentation improvements and bug fixes. The impact is generally positive across all areas with no breaking changes.

The most significant improvements address:

1. Memory management - Fixed memory consumption issues in taxonomy updates that previously could cause sites to crash during updates
2. Browser compatibility - Resolved an IE8 compatibility issue in AJAX functionality
3. Error handling - Improved exception handling for queue workers, preventing potential site failures
4. Accessibility - Enhanced screen reader information for file upload errors
5. Documentation - Extensive documentation improvements across multiple APIs

For most sites, this update will provide incremental improvements to stability and functionality without requiring any code changes or adaptation. The fixes for memory issues in taxonomy updates and the IE8 compatibility fix may be particularly important for sites experiencing those specific problems.

Site administrators should notice improved reliability in the update information system, and developers will benefit from the numerous documentation improvements throughout the codebase.