Drupal Release: 9.1.0-rc2

TL;DR

Drupal 9.1.0-rc2 is a release candidate that focuses on PHP 8 compatibility, testing framework improvements, and bug fixes. This release prepares Drupal for better PHP 8 support by updating dependencies and fixing various issues in the testing framework. It also includes UI improvements for the Olivero theme and addresses several critical bugs that could cause errors in production environments.

Highlight of the Release

• Updated Laminas dependencies for PHP 8 compatibility
• Fixed Composer dependency evaluation to use the correct PHP version
• Improved Behat testing framework with better file upload handling
• Enhanced Olivero theme with typography and markup fixes

Migration Guide

No migration guide is necessary for this release candidate as it doesn't introduce breaking changes that would require migration steps. This is a release candidate preparing for the stable 9.1.0 release with focus on compatibility and bug fixes.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a release candidate (RC2) for Drupal 9.1.0, intended for testing purposes. If you're currently running Drupal 9.1.0-rc1, it's recommended to upgrade to this release candidate to help test and identify any remaining issues before the stable release.

For production sites, it's generally advised to wait for the stable 9.1.0 release unless you specifically need the PHP 8 compatibility fixes included in this release candidate.

Developers working on ensuring PHP 8 compatibility for their modules and themes should consider testing with this release candidate to identify any potential issues.

Bug Fixes

Testing Framework Fixes

• Fixed \Behat\Mink\Driver\Selenium2Driver::uploadFile() override in DrupalSelenium2Driver
• Fixed issue with SubformState::createForSubform() where null was being passed instead of an array
• Improved test assertions by replacing generic assert() calls with more specific assertGreaterThan() and assertLessThan() methods
• Converted calls to drupalPostForm() that assign return values to variables
• Converted calls to drupalPostForm(NULL, ...) to submitForm()
• Removed more uses of t() in assertNoText()

Theme Fixes

• Fixed H1 tags within Olivero's .text-content CSS class to use sans-serif font
• Fixed empty title block div with an empty H1 in Olivero homepage
• Added missing @file documentation in block--system-powered-by-block.html.twig

Documentation Fixes

• Fixed hook_entity_access $operation description that was incorrectly listed under $account

New Features

No significant new features were introduced in this release candidate. This release primarily focuses on bug fixes, compatibility improvements, and preparing for PHP 8 support.

Security Updates

No security fixes were explicitly mentioned in this release candidate.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were highlighted in this release candidate. The focus was primarily on compatibility, bug fixes, and testing framework improvements.

Impact Summary

Drupal 9.1.0-rc2 is primarily focused on improving PHP 8 compatibility and fixing issues in the testing framework. The update to Laminas dependencies (diactoros, escaper, and feed) is particularly important for sites planning to use PHP 8.

The release also addresses several bugs that could cause errors in production environments, particularly related to form handling and entity access. For theme developers, there are important fixes to the Olivero theme that improve typography and markup structure.

For developers, the improvements to the testing framework make tests more reliable and specific, with better handling of file uploads in Behat tests and more precise assertions.

While this is a release candidate and not intended for production use, it represents an important step toward PHP 8 compatibility and the stable 9.1.0 release.