Drupal Release: 8.6.8

TL;DR

Drupal 8.6.8: Critical Bug Fixes and Stability Improvements

Drupal 8.6.8 is a maintenance release that addresses several critical bugs and stability issues. Key improvements include fixes for language filters, entity storage, content moderation, and caching mechanisms. This release resolves issues with Layout Builder, workspaces functionality, and migration tools. It also includes accessibility enhancements for the Media Library and table drag handles. This update is recommended for all Drupal 8.6.x sites to ensure stability and proper functionality.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed critical issue with Layout Builder preventing the rendering of extra fields on non-Layout Builder pages
• Resolved fatal errors caused by serialization issues in extension objects
• Fixed accessibility issues with table drag handles and Media Library widget
• Addressed critical content moderation issues that could cause EntityStorageException errors
• Improved migration tools for Drupal 6 user profiles and translations

Migration Guide

No specific migration guide is needed for this maintenance release. Drupal 8.6.8 contains bug fixes and improvements that don't require special migration steps from previous 8.6.x versions.

However, if you're experiencing issues with any of the following areas, upgrading to 8.6.8 is recommended:

• Layout Builder functionality
• Content moderation workflows
• Entity storage and serialization
• Workspaces functionality
• Migration from Drupal 6/7

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

1. Back up your database and code
2. Put the site in maintenance mode
3. Update the codebase to 8.6.8
4. Run the database updates via the UI or using drush updatedb
5. Clear caches
6. Take the site out of maintenance mode

Upgrade Recommendations

Priority: High

This release contains fixes for several critical bugs that could affect site stability and functionality. All sites running Drupal 8.6.x should upgrade to 8.6.8 as soon as possible.

The update is particularly important for sites that:

• Use Layout Builder
• Use content moderation
• Use workspaces functionality
• Are in the process of migrating from Drupal 6 or 7
• Have experienced issues with entity storage or serialization

This is a maintenance release with bug fixes only, so the risk of introducing new issues during the upgrade is minimal. Standard backup procedures should be followed before updating.

Bug Fixes

Critical Bug Fixes

• Layout Builder: Fixed an issue where Layout Builder prevented the rendering of extra fields (like Links) on pages not using Layout Builder (#3007973)

• Extension System: Resolved a fatal error after upgrading to 8.6.x due to regression in the extension system (#3000677)

• Entity Storage:

  • Fixed issue where SqlContentEntityStorage no longer updated entities with certain ID fields (#3027574)
  • Resolved EntityStorageException errors in content moderation when deleting revisions (#3003238, #3007716)

• Configuration:

  • Fixed ConfigFactory static cache pollution with data from config overrides (#2955457)
  • Resolved issue where SiteConfigureForm overrides values from install profile (#2849074)

• Serialization:

  • Fixed issues with extension objects implementing \Serializable (#2701829)
  • Resolved ConfigEntityBase::__sleep() serializing plugin instances prematurely (#3026043)

• Migration:

  • Fixed issues with Drupal 6 user profile field migrations (#2845975)
  • Resolved problems with D6 profile migrations assuming stubs (#3023747)
  • Fixed content translation migration issues (#3021395)

• Caching:

  • Fixed DatabaseStorageExpirable:setWithExpireIfNotExists not respecting expired items (#3024452)

• Language:

  • Fixed errors with exposed Language filters (#2693727)
  • Resolved issue where language selector was immune to hook_entity_field_access in entity forms (#3017812)

• JavaScript:

  • Fixed issue where behaviors get attached to removed forms (#2215857)

• Workspaces:

  • Fixed incorrect blacklist condition in WorkspaceManager (#3027595)

• Archive:

  • Fixed fatal error in ArchiveTar (#3026470)

• Image Styles:

  • Fixed WSOD when loading widgets that used old image style machine names (#2975539)

• Umami Demo:

  • Fixed translation issues with "View more" link in recipe cards (#2999908)
  • Added missing favicon to Umami demo (#3028608)

• Testing:

  • Fixed various test-related issues and improved test documentation (#2981870, #2668416, #2995150)

New Features

No significant new features were added in this maintenance release. Drupal 8.6.8 focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements to the existing functionality introduced in the 8.6.x branch.

Security Updates

While this release doesn't contain dedicated security fixes, it does address several issues that could potentially lead to system instability or data integrity problems:

• Fixed serialization issues with extension objects that could potentially lead to security vulnerabilities (#2701829)

• Resolved issues with ArchiveTar throwing fatal errors, which could potentially be exploited (#3026470)

• Fixed issues with ConfigFactory static cache pollution that could potentially expose sensitive configuration data (#2955457)

Performance Improvements

This release includes performance improvements related to caching and entity storage:

• Fixed an issue where the ConfigFactory static cache was getting polluted with data from config overrides, which could lead to performance degradation (#2955457)

• Improved the DatabaseStorageExpirable:setWithExpireIfNotExists functionality to properly respect expired items, preventing potential performance issues with cache handling (#3024452)

• Fixed entity storage issues that could cause performance problems when updating entities with certain ID fields (#3027574)

Impact Summary

Drupal 8.6.8 is a maintenance release that addresses numerous critical bugs and stability issues across multiple subsystems. The most significant impacts include:

1. Layout Builder Stability: Fixed a critical issue where Layout Builder prevented the rendering of extra fields on non-Layout Builder pages, which affected sites using both Layout Builder and traditional field display.

2. Entity System Improvements: Multiple fixes to entity storage, serialization, and content moderation that prevent fatal errors and improve data integrity.

3. Accessibility Enhancements: Restored keyboard navigation for table drag handles and improved tabbing order in the Media Library widget, making the CMS more accessible to all users.

4. Migration Tool Fixes: Several improvements to the migration system, particularly for Drupal 6 user profiles and translations, making the upgrade path from older Drupal versions more reliable.

5. Configuration System Stability: Fixed issues with config overrides and static caching that could lead to unexpected behavior and performance problems.

This release significantly improves the stability and reliability of Drupal 8.6.x without introducing new features, making it a recommended update for all Drupal 8.6.x sites.