Talking Drupal

www.talkingdrupal.com/135

In Episode #134 we talk about Highly Available websites with Drupal. Show Notes Defining what we mean by high availability and defining availability with a customer. High availability scenarios - “Today Show Affect” Traffic patterns and history, understanding your customers needs and schedules How to determine if a customer needs high availability Implementing high availability - single points of failure, components of HA and overview of strategies How to learn more about HA website implementations Checkout Digital Ocean and Amazon AWS for learning and playing HA is not point and click… heavy DEVOPS HA Drupal providers Acquia and Pantheon Disaster recovery (a future show is needed for this) Module of the Week https://www.drupal.org/project/christmas_lights A splendid module with Christmas lights decoration that creates long lasting atmosphere of X-mas for you and the users of your website. Bonus Content Mark Meier from Load Impact joins Nic and Stephen to demonstrate Load Testing with his product Load

In episode 133 we talk about something that everyone does when building and supporting websites, debugging. Show Notes Can you determine where the issue originates from? Is it front end, backup, css, or a module. RIR Strategy - Reproduce, Isolate and Resolve. Reproduce Gather pertinent information to help resolve a bug quicker Train your customer and provide a bug report form to help them provide you the best information. When trying to reproduce an issue, make sure your development/QA enviroments mirror the production environment. For example, do you PHP version match? Listen to show #127 Local Development with Vagrant. If an issue cannot be reproduced in a development environment, look at the server configuration and data. Isolating When the issue can be reproduced, isolating it is the next step. Tools and techniques you can use to help Drupal and server logs - check your log files first. Turn on error reporting for PHP to display errors Inspector - use the Console and Networking sections in the inspe

  Recorded the day after the US Presidential Election, John , Nick and I were a bit tired after watching election results throughout the night, but energized for a discussion with Kevin Reynen about Drupal Licensing. A recent community ‘conversation’ between WordPress and Wix sparked our interest to talk about the GPL. If you are making money on Open Source software, you should pay attention to licensing. Watch or listen Show Notes What is the Drupal Licensing Working Group? Everything committed to Drupal repo has to be compatible with GPL v2 What is the GPL? Based on Richard Stallman’s set of four freedoms: The freedom to run the program, for any purpose The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions, giving the community a chance to benefit from your changes What is the difference between copyright and licensing You can claim copyri

In episode #131 we talk about interfacing your Drupal website with third party APIs. Listen or Watch Tips of the Week Nic - sign up for Talking Drupal’s new Newsletter to receive bonus material at www.talkingdrupal.com John - Consider upgrading your Mac before buying a new one.  A Memory upgrade and/or solid state drive can make an old machine new again. Stephen - Look for local meet ups. It’s a great place to learn and make new Drupal friends. Show Notes What is an API?  A contract between two applications. Client side vs server side access to third party APIs Evaluating APIs Is the API well documentation. Use tools to test the API before you invest time in writing code - (chrome extensions) Advances REST Client, Postman  Relationship with company providing the API. Do you have access to technical support? Authentication - authentication methods, depends of the API Interested in an API - look for a Drupal modules first, before coding one yourself Module of the Week CKEditor Anchor Link for Drupal 8

In this special episode we share the New England Drupal Camp keynote speech from Brian Charlson.   Brian shares the struggles of a blind person using a good website and bad website.  Brian Charlson is a national authority on assistive technology for persons who are blind or visually impaired.  Brian has worked at the Carroll Center for the Blind as both a classroom instructor and as the Director of Technology over the last 30 years.  Blind himself, he has dedicated his career to ensuring that persons with vision loss have equal access to technology and the skills to independently use it in their daily lives. As Director of the Carroll Center for the Blind Computer Training Services program, and as the Chair of the Information Access Committee of the American Council of the Blind, he has worked with Sun Micro Systems, Adobe Systems, Microsoft, IBM and may other companies to improve the accessibility of mainstream products and services. While working with Freedom Scientific, GW Micro, AI Squared and Duxbury Sys

In episode #128 we talk about options for securing Drupal logins.   TOPICS: What do we mean by Login Security? Modules Password Strength Password Policies Two Factor Authentication Flood Control HTTPS Spam accounts Reset password Drush RESOURCES: Password Policy - https://www.drupal.org/project/password_policy Password Strength - https://www.drupal.org/project/password_strength Flood Control - https://www.drupal.org/project/flood_control Login Security - https://www.drupal.org/project/login_security Duo Two-Factor Authentication - https://www.drupal.org/project/duo Google Authenticator Login - https://www.drupal.org/project/ga_login MODULE OF THE WEEK: BG Image Formatter www.drupal.org/project/bg_image_formatter This module provides an image formatter who allows you to set an image in background of a div. The images are from a field of an entity and not from a configuration page or sth else, so it's very easy to setup and manage.

In episode #127 we talk with Ben Doherty about setting up a local development environment with Vagrant. TOPICS: What is Vagrant Why would you consider using it? What are the benefits of vagrant vs *AMP Difference between Docker and Vagrant How do you install Vagrant Common Vagrant Commands How do you get a local environment setup When using GIT/IDE locally, where does the code sit? How does it work? More advanced uses/configuration Resources RESOURCES: Vagrant Boxes Search - https://atlas.hashicorp.com/boxes/search Vagrant Boxes Install - https://www.vagrantup.com/docs/boxes.html Drupal VM - https://www.drupalvm.com Docker - https://www.docker.com/

In episode #126 we discuss the planning for the New England Drupal Camp 2016. TOPICS: NEDCamp Third Year Scheduling around other camps / Drupalcon Moving location Team Training Day Focus/Theme - Accessibility Where’s next year's camp going to be? MODULE OF THE WEEK: IMCE for FileField www.drupal.org/project/imce_filefield IMCE for FileField allows users to select files from IMCE File Browser. It supports FTP uploaded files by automatically registering them as IMCE files thus making them usable in a FileField.

TOPICS: How you can use analytics What analytics are needed Capturing analytics Core Statistics module Custom development Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager Other tools Other Analytics Tools/Modules MODULES: Statistics Counter - https://www.drupal.org/project/statistics_counter Google Analytics - https://www.drupal.org/project/google_analytics Google Tag Manger - https://www.drupal.org/project/google_tag RESOURCES: New Relic https://newrelic.com/ Loggly https://www.loggly.com/ Google Tag Manager - https://www.google.com/analytics/tag-manager/ MODULE OF THE WEEK:  Simple Ads www.drupal.org/project/simpleads This module provides a way to feature advertisements on a Drupal website. It displays graphical, text and flash ads in configurable blocks. It records and reports useful statistics. It is easy to configure and does not depend on other contrib modules. HOSTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLightened.net @nicxvan

TOPICS:  Drupal 8 learning curve Composer - The new way to manage modules Git workflows Update hooks / deleting modules MODULE OF THE WEEK: Node Edit Protection www.drupal.org/project/node_edit_protection A very simple JavaScript based protection that will alert a user if they are navigating away from a modified Node Edit form without saving. It uses a standard JavaScript confirm dialog that allows the user to either continue what they were doing, or cancel the move allowing them the opportunity to save. It marks the form as dirty by using the blur event of the node fields. HOSTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan

In episode #123 we take about the red hot module, Paragraphs.  www.talkingdrupal.com/123 TOPICS: What is Paragraphs Why use it? Features Use Cases Supporting Modules MODULES: Paragraphs - https://www.drupal.org/project/paragraphs Paragraphs Pack - https://www.drupal.org/project/paragraphs_pack Classy Paragraphs - https://www.drupal.org/project/classy_paragraphs Paragraph Defaults - https://www.drupal.org/project/paragraphs_defaults Paragraphs ID - https://www.drupal.org/project/paragraphs_id RESOURCES: Paragraphs Demo Site - http://paragraphs.site-showcase.com/ Beyond WSIWYGL: Buiding a better UX for Content Editors http://nedcamp.org/new-england-drupal-camp-2015/sessions/beyond-wysiwyg-... Paragraph Extras (sandbox) - https://www.drupal.org/sandbox/christophersmith262/2544230 HOSTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLightened.net @nicxvan  

In episode #122 we talk about using Taxonomy or Entity References TOPICS: Definition of Taxonomy Scenario/Use cases Considerations MODULES: Taxonomy Access Control https://www.drupal.org/project/taxonomy_access Taxonomy Access Fix https://www.drupal.org/project/taxonomy_access_fix MODULE OF THE WEEK: IMCE Mkdir www.drupal.org/project/imce_mkdir IMCE Mkdir allows users to create and delete sub-directories under directories assigned by IMCE. HOSTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan GUEST: Benji Fisher - https://www.drupal.org/u/benjifisher

In episode #121 we talk with Holly Ross and Megan Sanicki. Megan is replacing Holly as the Executive of the Drupal Association.  www.talkingdrupal.com TOPICS: DA mission - what is the mission of the Drupal Association What next - for Holly? Holly's time with the DA Megan's vision for the DA Goals for the next 12 months RESOURCES: https://assoc.drupal.org/blog/holly.ross.drupal/hello-world-goodbye-drup... https://assoc.drupal.org/blog/megansanicki/ready-serve http://buytaert.net/megan-sanicki-to-become-executive-director-at-the-dr...   HOSTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLightened.net @nicxva   GUESTS: Megan Sanicki - @megansanicki Holly Ross - @JustHRoss  

In episode #121 we hear about Drupal Con NA from John's perspective.  www.talkingdrupal.com TOPICS: Driesnote Drupal 8 Update Market Perspective Survey Initiatives MODULE OF THE WEEK: Better Formats www.drupal.org/project/better_formats 8.x & 7.x (needs more testing for a stable release) Set allowed text formats per field. Set default order of text formats per field. Hide format tips per role. Hide more format tips link per role. Hide format selection per role per entity. Currently only works on Field API fields on fieldable entities implementing core style text processing. The good thing is that is most things in core and contrib.    

In episode #119 we talk about changes in Drupal 8 that are related to performance and caching.  www.talkingdrupal.com/119 TOPICS: Drupal 7 Caching Drupal 8 - Cache Tags Drupal 8 - Dynamic Page Cache External Cache Setup - Varnish Big Pipe MODULES: Generic Http Purger - https://www.drupal.org/project/purge_purger_http Purge - https://www.drupal.org/project/purge MODULE OF THE WEEK: iFrame www.drupal.org/project/iframe A custom field, which lets you add a complete iframe to your content types; including Src-URL, setting width and height, optionally a title above, and optionally a target attribute. GUESTS: Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencross John Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozzi Nic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan  

In episode #118, we talk with Dan Shure (@dan_shure) about SEO.   TOPICS: What is SEO What is an SEO Consultant When to go to an SEO Consultant Organic vs Pay Managing customer questions Snake oil SEO Tools to get started Most common mistakes SEO Tips Recommended resource to people to learn RESOURCES: Screaming Frog SEO Spider - https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/ Open Site Explorer - https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/ Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com/ Majestic - https://majestic.com/ Google webmaster Tools - https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ SEO by the Sea - http://www.seobythesea.com/ Google webmaster blog - https://webmasters.googleblog.com/ Google inside search - http://www.google.com/intl/es419/insidesearch/ Search engine land - http://searchengineland.com/ Search engine watch - https://searchenginewatch.com/ Google webmaster help hangout - https://sites.google.com/site/webmasterhelpforum/en/office-hours Moz Blog - https://moz.com/blog Evolving SEO - http://www.evolvingseo.com Experts On Th

In episode #117 we talk about using Solr for search on a Drupal website.  www.talkingdrupal.com/117 TOPICS: Core search What is Solr How does Solr work Benefits of using Solr Features of Solr MODULES: Search API - https://www.drupal.org/project/search_api Search API Solr Search - https://www.drupal.org/project/search_api_solr Search Pages - https://www.drupal.org/node/1255226 Custom Search - https://www.drupal.org/project/custom_search Facet API - https://www.drupal.org/project/facetapi Search API Page - https://www.drupal.org/project/search_api_page Search API Autocomplete -https://www.drupal.org/project/search_api_autocomplete ApacheSolr - https://www.drupal.org/project/apachesolr RESOURCES: Setting up Solar - https://www.drupal.org/node/1999310 Apache Solr - http://lucene.apache.org/solr/ Rubber Duck Debugging - http://www.rubberduckdebugging.com/ Views Help Text Bug (Patch #36) - https://www.drupal.org/node/339384 Open Solr - https://opensolr.com/ MODULE OF THE WEEK: Multi-Step Registrationwww.d

In episode #116 we discuss automating the deployment process with Rob Aubin. TOPICS: Deployment process Dev - Staging - Traing - Production Using GIT Strategy for deployment Why automation Automation risks Jenkins and other tools RESOURCES: http://deploybot.comhttps://jenkins-ci.org/https://www.tunnelbear.comhttps://events.drupal.org/losangeles2015/sessions/how-jenkins-can-work-w... MODULE OF THE WEEK: Smart IPwww.drupal.org/project/smart_ipSmart IP identify visitor's geographical location (longitude/latitude), country, region, city and postal code based on the IP address of the user. These information will be stored at session variable ($_SESSION) with array key 'smart_ip' and Drupal $user->data object with array key 'geoip_location' of the user but optionally it can be disabled (by role) at Smart IP admin page. Other modules can use the function smart_ip_get_location($ip_address) that returns an array containing the visitor's ISO 3166 2-character country code, longitude, latitude, region (FIPS), city and

In episode #115 we talk about Google's AMP (Accelerated Module Pages) and implementation in Drupal with Matthew Tift.  http://www.talkingdrupal.com/115 Topic What is AMP? Technical Implementation Show should care about AMP? Drupal AMP Module   Resources AMPing with Drupal - https://amphtml.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/amping-up-drupal/ https://assoc.drupal.org/vote2016 https://assoc.drupal.org/drupal-association-board-elections https://www.drupal.org/project/amptheme https://www.lullabot.com/articles/amping-up-drupal  Modules AMP module - https://www.drupal.org/project/amp Module of the Week Field UI - api.drupal.org/api/drupal/modules!field_ui!field_ui.module/7 Allows administrators to attach custom fields to fieldable types. Hosts Stephen Cross - www.ParallaxInfoTech.com @stephencrossJohn Picozzi - www.oomphinc.com @johnpicozziNic Laflin - www.nLightened.net @nicxvan Matthew Tift - @matthewtift