Drupal Release: 8.7.0-beta2

TL;DR

Drupal 8.7.0-beta2 brings significant improvements to accessibility, testing infrastructure, and performance. This release focuses on enhancing the Umami demo theme's Layout Builder compatibility, optimizing web font loading, fixing session handling issues, and converting numerous tests to the more efficient kernel test framework. It also includes important accessibility improvements for image ALT text and disabled form styling.

Highlight of the Release

• Improved web font performance by embedding only needed weights for Open Sans and Scope One
• Enhanced accessibility with better image ALT text and styling for disabled form elements
• Improved Layout Builder compatibility with the Umami demo theme
• Fixed critical session handling issues with Symfony/http-foundation 3.4.24
• Massive test infrastructure improvements with many tests converted to kernel tests

Migration Guide

No specific migration steps are required for this beta release. However, developers should note:

1. If you've built custom code that interacts with Symfony's session handling, be aware of the fix for lazy started sessions with session data.

2. If you're using the workspace plugin that was reported as non-existent in 8.7.0-beta1, this issue has been fixed in this release.

3. If you've extended or customized tests that have been converted to kernel tests, you may need to update your code accordingly.

Upgrade Recommendations

As this is a beta release (8.7.0-beta2), it is recommended for testing environments only and not for production sites.

Developers and site builders who are preparing for the upcoming 8.7.0 stable release should test their custom modules and themes with this beta to identify any potential compatibility issues, particularly if they:

1. Use custom session handling code
2. Have extended the Layout Builder functionality
3. Rely on the workspace plugin
4. Have custom test extensions

Testing with this beta will help ensure a smoother transition when the stable release becomes available.

Bug Fixes

Session Handling Fix

Fixed an issue where lazy started sessions with session data were not being saved properly with symfony/http-foundation 3.4.24, which could lead to session data loss.

Context Handling Fix

Resolved a regression where optional context values could throw exceptions if unsatisfied, improving stability of context-aware plugins and layouts.

Workspace Plugin Fix

Fixed an issue from the previous beta release (8.7.0-beta1) where the "workspace" plugin was reported as non-existent.

New Features

Enhanced Umami Theme Layout Builder Support

The Umami demo theme received significant improvements to better support Layout Builder:

• The highlighted region is now more flexible, adapting to Layout Builder usage and demonstrating placement of various blocks
• Added Umami-specific styling for Layout Builder messages, improving the user experience

Improved Web Font Loading

Font loading performance has been optimized by embedding only the necessary weights for Open Sans and Scope One fonts, reducing page load times and improving overall performance.

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were mentioned in this beta release. As this is a beta version, users should be aware that it's primarily intended for testing purposes rather than production environments.

Performance Improvements

Optimized Web Font Loading

Significant performance improvement by embedding only needed weights for Open Sans and Scope One fonts, reducing unnecessary downloads and improving page load times.

Testing Infrastructure Optimization

Converted numerous tests from web tests to kernel tests, which run significantly faster and use fewer resources, improving development workflow and CI pipeline efficiency.

Impact Summary

Drupal 8.7.0-beta2 represents a significant step forward in Drupal's ongoing commitment to accessibility, performance, and developer experience.

The accessibility improvements, including better image ALT text guidance and styling for disabled form elements, align with web standards and make Drupal sites more inclusive. The web font optimization directly impacts end-user experience by improving page load times.

For developers, the extensive conversion of tests to the kernel test framework improves the development workflow by making tests run faster and more efficiently. The updated Symfony components and Twig templates ensure compatibility with the latest standards.

Site builders benefit from enhanced Layout Builder support in the Umami demo theme, showcasing Drupal's commitment to improving its layout and design capabilities.

While this is a beta release intended for testing rather than production use, it demonstrates Drupal's focus on quality, performance, and user experience improvements that will be part of the upcoming stable release.