Drupal Release: 8.7.0-alpha2

TL;DR

Drupal 8.7.0-alpha2: Accessibility Improvements, Media Library Enhancements, and Security Fixes

This alpha release brings significant improvements to the Media Library with better user experience for file management, enhanced accessibility across Layout Builder and UI components, and important bug fixes for translatable content types. A security update (SA-CORE-2019-004) is included, making this an important update for development environments tracking the 8.7.x branch. The Umami demo theme also received several improvements for RTL support and responsive design.

Highlight of the Release

• Media Library improvements for better file management workflow
• Multiple accessibility enhancements for Layout Builder and UI components
• Security update SA-CORE-2019-004 included
• Fixed critical bug with translatable content types
• Umami demo theme improvements for RTL support and responsive design

Migration Guide

No specific migration guide is required for this alpha release. However, developers should note:

1. Deprecated methods: EntityManager->EntityDisplayRepository methods now trigger error notices. Update your code to use the appropriate services instead.

2. Layout Builder changes: If you've built custom modules that interact with Layout Builder's section storage, review the changes in issue #3026434 as assumptions about section storage internals have been addressed.

3. Test changes: If you have custom tests with multiple groups, be aware of the fix for tests running multiple times (issue #3039572) which may affect your test execution.

Upgrade Recommendations

As this is an alpha release (8.7.0-alpha2), it is not recommended for production sites. However, developers and site builders working with the 8.7.x branch in development environments should upgrade to incorporate the security fix (SA-CORE-2019-004) and benefit from the bug fixes and improvements.

The upgrade path from 8.7.0-alpha1 to 8.7.0-alpha2 should be straightforward with no major breaking changes reported. Follow standard Drupal update procedures:

1. Back up your site's files and database
2. Put the site in maintenance mode
3. Update code to 8.7.0-alpha2
4. Run update.php
5. Take the site out of maintenance mode

If you're testing with the Umami demo theme or Media Library features, pay special attention to those areas as they received significant improvements in this release.

Bug Fixes

Critical Bug Fixes

• Translatable content types: Fixed SQL error when creating content for programmatically created translatable content types (#2599228)
• Layout Builder issues:
  • Fixed disclosure triangle missing in details/summary groups in off-canvas dialog in Firefox (#3037121)
  • Replaced editable-area negative-offset outline with something that IE11 can handle (#3038413)
  • Ensured Layout Builder Inline Blocks doesn't assume section storage internals (#3026434)

Other Bug Fixes

• Fixed random test failure in EntityReferenceAdminTest (#3030902)
• Prevented tests with multiple groups running multiple times (#3039572)
• Fixed media_post_update_enable_standalone_url() to only set TRUE if not already set (#3036787)
• Removed reset of user_role static cache in UserRoleAdminTest::testRoleWeightOrdering() (#3039081)
• Fixed TwigExtensionTest::testFormatDate() implementation (#3019115)

New Features

Media Library Enhancements

• Improved file management: Users can now delete newly uploaded files from the media library without having to save them first (#3023801)
• Enhanced workflow options: Media Library now lets users choose what to do after selecting and/or adding items, providing a more intuitive content creation experience (#3023797)
• Better focus management: Improved refocus on submit buttons in Media Library Widget modals for better keyboard navigation (#3016807)

Umami Demo Theme Improvements

• RTL support: Added missing RTL CSS for the Umami demo theme (#3028771)
• Responsive design: Improved blockquote layout on smaller screen sizes (#3039256)
• Search form improvements: Refactored Umami demo's search form CSS for better responsive support (#2977510)
• Language filtering: Ensured Umami views filter content by content negotiated language (#2999893)

Security Updates

• SA-CORE-2019-004: This alpha release includes an important security update identified as SA-CORE-2019-004. While specific details of the security issue are not provided in the commit message, it's recommended that all sites running Drupal 8.7.0-alpha1 update to this version immediately.

  Contributors to this security fix include alexpott, larowlan, greggles, drumm, mlhess, David_Rothstein, and pwolanin.

Performance Improvements

Code Improvements

• Refactored how dblog module renders links in event details (#2868725)
• Replaced deprecated usages of entityManager in list builder classes (#3035383)
• Added @trigger_error() to deprecated EntityManager->EntityDisplayRepository methods (#3038926)
• Removed usages of drupal_static() from field_test.module (#3035350)
• Updated stylelint to version 9.10.1 (#3038562)

Impact Summary

Drupal 8.7.0-alpha2 represents an important milestone in the development of Drupal 8.7.0, with significant improvements to the Media Library and accessibility features. The inclusion of a security update (SA-CORE-2019-004) makes this an essential update for development environments tracking the 8.7.x branch.

The Media Library enhancements provide a more intuitive workflow for content editors, allowing them to delete newly uploaded files without saving and offering better options after selecting media items. These improvements directly address user experience pain points identified in earlier versions.

Accessibility has been a major focus in this release, with improved color contrast in Layout Builder UI, better accessible names for configure-section buttons, and fixes for disclosure triangles in Firefox. These changes help make Drupal more inclusive and compliant with accessibility standards.

The fix for translatable content types addresses a long-standing issue (from 2015) that caused SQL errors when creating content for programmatically created translatable content types. This resolves a significant pain point for multilingual sites.

For developers, the code improvements and deprecation notices help maintain code quality and prepare for future changes, while the test improvements enhance reliability of the testing framework.

Overall, this alpha release demonstrates Drupal's commitment to improving user experience, accessibility, and code quality as it moves toward the stable 8.7.0 release.