Drupal releases 1.0-alpha version

Posted on by mwaller@illinois.edu

The Drupal team launched the 1.0-alpha release of the Drupal Framework package on September 3, 2021.

This includes:

  • documentation on installing Drupal in the campus cPanel service
  • integration with Shibboleth security
  • a large collection of user interface elements that can be added to content pages
  • a theme that supports the official campus brand, including a structured menu system

There are several code repositories that come together to complete this framework and the best way to get started is to visit the Illinois_framework_project repository for detailed instructions. 

With this alpha designation, there are some known layout, user interface, and accessibility issues being addressed. However, the data structure in the code is solid, and you can safely begin work on new Drupal projects with this code and rest assured that as we complete the testing, you will be able to apply the new code without the need to restart construction on your site. 

The proposed roadmap is:

  • September 3 – Alpha released
  • November 1 – Release Candidate release which will include:
    • upgrade to Drupal 9
    • functional bug fixes
    • accessibility issues identified
    • improved back-end and end-user documentation
  • January 12 – Full v1.0 release
    • resolve accessibility issues
    • resolve any issues that come from increased use of the release candidate

The WIGG team is here to help you get started using these tools, though we DO NOT have the capacity to perform actual deployments for units or “build you a website”.  The best way to get involved is to join our MS Teams group (WIGG Drupal) and from there you can join our bi-weekly online meetings. 

A HUGE thanks to everyone that collaborated to create this package.  There’s lots more to do, but this has been a major effort already.  Some of the key Drupal people who contributed to this are below but, by it’s very nature, there is work being done at the Design, WordPress, and Web Component levels that trickles down to this team.  It’s been a campus-wide group effort!

  • Nate Baxley – LAS
  • Julieanne Chapman – Tech Services
  • David Cross – ACES
  • Robbie Gascoigne – LAS
  • Bill Gutierrez – ACES
  • Maggie Jarvis – LAS
  • Tyler Rubach – LAS
  • Liz Shallenberger – ACES
  • Melissa Waller – ACES