With great anticipation, marketers and IT managers alike await the arrival of Drupal 8. There are all kinds of updates and changes in the works but here are 6 notable ones to get excited about.
1. MOBILE-FIRST THROUGHOUT
Yes, it’s true, we can’t propagate this point often enough. If you’re not thinking mobile-first yet, you will get left behind! You know it, Google knows it, and now Drupal knows it as well. Everything in the new version revolves around the idea that device screens can virtually be any shape or size. All Drupal themes, apps and add-ons are now completely responsive by default and, on top of that, Drupal 8 offers a screen compatibility feature to preview what content will look like on various screen sizes.
2. FAR SIMPLER UI
Drupal 8 makes up for past versions on this front. As the Drupal team has finally recognized that its User Interface was in deep need for a facelift, they have simplified the UI and vastly improved functionality. Realizing that Drupal may have been overcomplicating things in years past, the website notes “your web staff can accomplish in minutes what used to take hours.” That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
3. EASIER CONTENT CREATION
Drupal 8 now uses the common WYSIWYG editor (which stands for What You See is What You Get). This means everything in the content creation process, from formatting to editing, is now much better designed with the user in mind. Articles can easily be personalized with drag and drop buttons including images with captions, and there is a customizable toolbar which allows content creators to add or remove editing buttons based on what they use most. HTML tags will now be automatically updated as well.
4. BACKED BY A POWERFUL FRAMEWORK
Drupal 8 embraces the power and flexibility of the Symfony framework (Symfony2, to be exact). For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Symfony is a PHP-based framework that allows for rapid development of robust applications. This translates to no more wasted time on repetitive code, lower overhead due to better caching, and a plethora of useful development features. The integration with Symfony brings to the table a set of features that will overall make for a much more dynamic build process.
A couple of notable websites currently utilizing the Symfony framework include Delicious and TED.com.
5. IMPROVED LANGUAGE SUPPORT
For those marketers dealing with international audiences and cross-border customers, this update will be a big deal. Drupal 8 has improved language capabilities and flexibility from both the development and user perspective. Not only will developers find it easier to build a multilingual website, but they will find that it is an integral part of the process. For example, from first download, a drop-down menu will appear allowing users to choose the primary language right from the get-go. The latest version of the interface in that language will then automatically load, including those that wish to change the default language at any point.
6. SUPER FLEXIBLE
Drupal 8 has implemented the latest in HTML5, allowing for ultimate flexibility – something you never had with earlier versions of the CMS. Drupal websites can now be cleaner, leaner, and can provide your audience with features such as built-in audio and video playback, all using the magic that is HTML5.
Like all new releases, however, you may want to wait until the kinks are sorted out. If you’re wondering if Drupal 8 is the right choice from you, it depends on a couple things such as: a) what kind of site you have; and b) what your timeline is.
Overall, we can safely say Drupal 8 packs a powerful punch, and we can definitely expect big things from it next year!