Drupal Release: 9.4.0-rc1

TL;DR

Drupal 9.4.0-rc1 is a release candidate that addresses several important bugs and improves the stability of the CKEditor 5 integration. This release fixes issues with Olivero theme styling, HTML restrictions handling, configuration importing, and message rendering. It also includes improvements to media handling and link decoration in CKEditor 5. This release candidate brings Drupal 9.4.0 closer to a stable release with important fixes that enhance the overall user experience and stability.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed Olivero theme's code block styling at various viewport widths
• Improved CKEditor 5 integration with better handling of HTML restrictions and linked media
• Fixed configuration import validation with proper error handling
• Resolved message rendering issues in Olivero theme

Migration Guide

No specific migration steps are required for this release candidate. This is a standard update from 9.4.0-beta1 to 9.4.0-rc1 and follows normal Drupal update procedures.

If you're updating from an earlier version, follow the standard Drupal update process:

1. Back up your database and site files
2. Put your site into maintenance mode
3. Update your codebase (via Composer recommended)
4. Run the database updates via the UI or using Drush
5. Clear caches
6. Take your site out of maintenance mode

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a release candidate for Drupal 9.4.0, which means it's approaching stability but may still contain some issues.

• For development sites: Upgrading to this release candidate is recommended to help test and identify any remaining issues before the final release.
• For production sites: Unless you're experiencing specific issues that are fixed in this release, it's generally advisable to wait for the final 9.4.0 release before upgrading production environments.

If you're currently on Drupal 9.4.0-beta1 and need the fixes included in this release, upgrading to this RC is recommended. As always, thoroughly test the upgrade in a development or staging environment before applying to production.

Bug Fixes

• Olivero Theme Improvements

  • Fixed code block styling issues at various viewport widths (Issue #3280985)
  • Resolved message rendering problems when JavaScript creates messages and PHP messages already exist (Issue #3223264)

• CKEditor 5 Enhancements

  • Fixed handling of GHS attributes in linked media (Issue #3276217)
  • Disabled automatic link decorators in CKEditor 5 to ensure proper integration with Drupal filters (Issue #3247683)
  • Fixed issues with plugin support for HTML tags with attributes (Issue #3273983)

• Core System Fixes

  • Fixed HTMLRestrictions::merge() and ::toGeneralHtmlSupportConfig() methods for handling allowed attribute values that can be interpreted as integers (Issue #3274648)
  • Fixed ComposerHooksTest on latest DrupalCI PHP container (Issue #3283795)
  • Added reset of ConfigImporter::$errors in ::validate() method to ensure proper validation (Issue #3284270)

New Features

No significant new features were introduced in this release candidate. This release focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements to prepare for the final 9.4.0 release.

Security Updates

No security fixes were explicitly mentioned in this release candidate. As always, it's recommended to keep your Drupal installation up to date with the latest security releases.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were highlighted in this release candidate. The focus was primarily on bug fixes and stability improvements.

Impact Summary

Drupal 9.4.0-rc1 represents an important step toward the stable release of Drupal 9.4.0. This release candidate primarily focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements across several key areas of the CMS.

The most notable improvements are in the Olivero theme, with fixes for code block styling and message rendering, which will provide a better visual experience for site visitors. Content editors will benefit from several CKEditor 5 enhancements, including better handling of HTML restrictions, proper retention of GHS attributes in linked media, and the disabling of automatic link decorators to ensure proper integration with Drupal's filtering system.

For site administrators and developers, fixes to the configuration import validation process and Composer hooks will improve the reliability of site management tasks. The fixes to HTMLRestrictions methods address edge cases that could cause problems when working with certain attribute values.

Overall, this release candidate brings Drupal 9.4.0 closer to a stable release by addressing several important bugs that affect the user experience, visual presentation, and system stability.