Front End

We will be delving into a new frontend ecosystem and incorporating Drupal 8 as a backend. Now, imagine forking your favorite text editor to customize it, using javascript! We will be using Electron for rapid desktop development using web technologies.

The example project we will be building together is a simple FTP client which uses Drupal to store the different FTP accounts as a "cloud" so that we can jump between devices while keeping our account data in sync.

Today’s JavaScript can be a clutter of confusing context and workarounds for a lack of language features, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Imagine if we could demystify the this keyword, squash asynchronous callbacks with ease and include features like modules and classes — all without the dependency of a third party library.

What started out as a simple brochure website has become a file repository with workflow automation replacing MS Word documents, that were tedious to fill out. The entire site is built from contrib with no custom code!

Drupal has been promoted as being modular like a set of legos and this session demonstrates the capabilities that Drupal offers to non-developer site builders.

This session was well received at an April Chardug meet up. The process, issues, and modules used will be discussed.

Winning Drupal websites live at the intersection of psychology, technology, and brand- a place that can get very complicated for users.

Introduction to theming for Drupal 8.

We'll create a new Drupal 8 theme using Bootstrap built as a child-theme atop the core theme 'Stable'.

We'll show how to add Bootstrap downloaded right from getbootstrap.com as a library theme dependency in your D8 theme.

Bootstrap is used as an example, but you can user your (micro)framework of choice - e.g. Foundation, bourbon/neat etc. Nothing is Bootstrap specific, we are using it as a well known example.

Together we will review how you can write ES2015 / ES6 syntax in your Drupal application. We will learn how to run a "transpiler" in order to build backwards-compatible javascript while utilizing modern syntax. We will compare old techniques to modern techniques so you can start refactoring immediately.

Key syntax features to be discussed:

• Destructuring
• Arrow Functions
• Blocked Scope Declarations
• Import / Export modules
• String Interpolation

In June 2016 I hiked about 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,189 mountainous route from Georgia to Maine. Starting in March 2017 I plan to take time off from Drupal and hike the entire trail from end to end.

What does hiking have to do with Drupal? A lot more than you might think.

Thought there are obvious differences between the simple, low-tech activity of backpacking and the complex, intensive work of Drupal development, there are many parallels to be found.

UNC Asheville recently completed a 2-year project to design, develop, and implement 2 new Drupal themes for our 100+ websites. One theme was externally facing, the other an administrative theme.

This talk will discuss the challenges of having hundreds of users (of various skill levels) editing your site. How do you ensure consistency? Good content? Proper formatting? Accessible content? How do you train everyone? Where do you find the balance between giving editors a flexible toolset, while preventing them from going off the rails?

The integration of design and development is still a work in progress. The pursuit of beautiful visuals often leads to complex development demands, compounded by the need for parity with responsive, grid-based web systems. The stark differences between the two disciplines can widen the gap between the creative vision of a website and the actual achievement of it.

In the front-end world, our responsibilities often rest upon delivering designs that look great on any screen, but the technology we use to achieve this can be a frustrating mess of awkward styles and heavy frameworks. Enter flexbox.

With flexbox, we can easily slay complicated designs without the headaches.