Drupal Release: 8.4.0-beta1

TL;DR

Drupal 8.4.0-beta1 marks a significant step forward with major improvements to content moderation, media handling, and migration tools. This release introduces a more stable content moderation system, enhanced media management capabilities, and numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. It also includes important security updates and accessibility enhancements. This beta release is primarily aimed at developers and site builders who want to test the new features before the stable release.

Highlight of the Release

• Improved content moderation system with better UI and accessibility
• Enhanced media management capabilities
• New comment administration filters
• Fixed issues with configuration translation
• Improved migration tools with better source module identification
• Security fixes including SA-CORE-2017-004
• Introduction of Drupal.offCanvas for better Settings Tray implementation
• Enhanced entity reference selection handlers

Migration Guide

Upgrading to Drupal 8.4.0-beta1

Content Moderation Changes

If you're using the Content Moderation module:

• Review your content types and workflows as the UI has been updated
• Check any custom code that interacts with content moderation as several API changes have been made
• The "view content moderation" permission has been removed
• Content moderation now properly handles translated content

Media Module Changes

• If you're using the contributed Media Entity module (1.x), you cannot enable core's Media module at the same time
• Review your media field displays as labels and thumbnails are now hidden by default for media file and image references

Entity Reference Selection Handlers

If you've implemented custom entity reference selection handlers:

• Update your code to extend the new base class
• Review the structure of your configuration

Symfony Component Constraints

• Symfony components are now constrained to minor and patch versions that are compatible with Drupal
• A minimum phpspec/prophecy version is now specified in core/composer.json

Upgrade Recommendations

As this is a beta release, it is not recommended for production sites. This release is intended for testing by developers and site builders who want to prepare for the upcoming stable release of Drupal 8.4.0.

If you are a developer or site builder:

• Install this beta in a development or testing environment
• Test your custom and contributed modules, especially those that interact with content moderation, media, or entity reference selection
• Report any issues you find to the Drupal issue queue

If you are maintaining a production site:

• Wait for the stable release of Drupal 8.4.0 before upgrading
• Begin planning your upgrade strategy, especially if you use content moderation or media features
• Test your site with this beta release in a non-production environment

The security fix (SA-CORE-2017-004) included in this release is important, so if you're not ready to upgrade to 8.4.x, ensure you apply the security patch to your current version.

Bug Fixes

Content Moderation Fixes

• Fixed fatal error when saving a node type without content moderation
• Fixed issue where content moderation state entity field data was not removed when the host field data was
• Fixed issue with moderating an entity that uses a special language (e.g. LANGCODE_NOT_SPECIFIED)
• Fixed issue where BaseFieldOverride entities created by content_translation were breaking content moderation
• Fixed issue with TranslationLanguageRenderer using the wrong table for the langcode column with entity revision views
• Fixed issue where \Drupal\content_moderation\EntityTypeInfo::formAlter() was partially broken
• Fixed issue where \Drupal\content_moderation\EventSubscriber\ConfigImportSubscriber was causing errors when importing non-workflow config

Migration Fixes

• Fixed issue where menu link migrations were not defensive enough
• Fixed issue where taxonomy vocabulary with name "Type" could not migrate from D6 to D8
• Fixed documentation and example for FileCopy
• Modified the DateField Field plugin to work for both D6 & D7

System Fixes

• Fixed issue where fastcgi_finish_request and shutdown functions (e.g. batch) were not working together properly
• Fixed issue where clearing cache via UI in translated language was resetting config translation of field labels to default language
• Fixed issue where DateTimePlus wasn't applying the correct time zone when converting a string with an offset
• Fixed issue where permanent files with 0 usages could not be referenced
• Fixed regression where modal tour tips lost their grey background and centering with jQuery3

UI and Accessibility Fixes

• Fixed issue where contextual.js and quickedit.js were not failing gracefully with useful error messages when Twig templates forgot to print attributes
• Fixed Settings Tray causing the "pointer" cursor to be used both when hovering over inaccessible links and when in input[type=text]
• Addressed accessibility concerns in ContentModerationConfigureForm

New Features

Content Moderation Improvements

The content moderation system has been significantly enhanced with better UI and accessibility:

• Simplified content moderation state handling with improved form display
• Added the 'revision_translation_affected' base field by default for all revisionable and translatable entity types
• Removed superfluous workflow type access checks and permissions
• Added proper ordering to content moderation schema sequences
• Improved inline documentation for content moderation components

Media Management Enhancements

• Hidden label, thumbnail, and other fields for default display of media file and image references
• Added prevention mechanism to avoid enabling the "media" module if "media_entity" contrib 1.x is already enabled

Comment Administration Improvements

• Added new filters to the comments administration pages
• Provided correct display name and title for comment admin view displays

Settings Tray Enhancements

• Introduced Drupal.offCanvas, mirrored after Drupal.dialog, to avoid Settings Tray using Drupal.Dialog in unintended ways
• Fixed CSS and JavaScript issues in Settings Tray
• Fixed issue where Settings Tray was leaving dashed outline on followup pages

Entity Reference Selection Handlers

• Added a base class for entity reference selection handlers
• Fixed the structure of entity reference selection handlers' configuration

Security Updates

• Included SA-CORE-2017-004 security fix addressing multiple vulnerabilities
• Improved access control in content moderation workflows
• Marked WorkflowDeleteAccessCheck @internal until a UI pattern for access-restricted states has been established

Performance Improvements

Cache Improvements

• Converted system functional tests to PHPUnit for better cache testing
• Fixed issue where clearing render cache in PerformanceForm::submitForm() was obsolete
• Enhanced HeadersCacheContext with better test coverage

System Performance

• Improved handling of batch processing with FastCGI
• Better handling of entity revisions and translations
• More efficient content moderation state handling

Impact Summary

Drupal 8.4.0-beta1 represents a significant step forward in Drupal's evolution, particularly in the areas of content workflow management and media handling. The content moderation system has been substantially improved with better UI, accessibility, and more robust handling of translations and revisions. This addresses many pain points reported by content editors and site builders.

The media management capabilities have been enhanced, setting the foundation for a more comprehensive media handling system in Drupal core. This is a major improvement for content creators who work with rich media.

For administrators, the new comment administration filters provide better tools for managing user-generated content. The Settings Tray implementation has been refined with the introduction of Drupal.offCanvas, improving the editorial experience.

Developers will benefit from more stable APIs, better documentation, and improved migration tools. The enhanced entity reference selection handlers provide a more structured approach to entity references.

The release also includes an important security update (SA-CORE-2017-004) and numerous bug fixes that improve stability and performance. The fixes for configuration translation and FastCGI batch processing address significant issues that affected many sites.

Overall, this beta release demonstrates Drupal's continued commitment to improving user experience, accessibility, and developer tools while maintaining security and performance.