We have been doing a lot the last two weeks. We finally moved to use Entity reference instead of References, we started testing the drupal.org packing system and we had a NodeStream day at NodeOne.
Changes to NodeStream
At long last, we finally moved completely to Entity references! This means that all features in NodeStream are using entity references instead of node- and user references. We are still using the term reference field in core since it does some special handling for terms and relationships. We provided an upgrade path for all core features, and it should be usable in your project as well if you need it, have a look at for instance ns_article_update_7202 in ns_article.install for a usage example. This was a major change and one of the last ones we will have to do before release.
We also worked on getting rid of the hard dependencies between features. We used the default optional API to be able to decouple NS Poll, NS Fact and NS Form into real content providers instead of extensions. The reference field is an optional component of each of these features and can be enabled and disabled independently. This means that you can use all of these features on their own, and you can combine them however you like in your project.
Some really great work has been done with the drupal.org distribution packaging system. We really wanted to start testing it out, so we converted our nodestream.make file to complaint drupal-org.make file. Everything seems to be working great, and the dev version of NodeStream is currently building on drupal.org. This is truly a great step forward!
NodeOne NodeStream day
We had a NodeStream day at the NodeOne Stockholm office last Friday. It was really productive and we got a lot of NodeOne people involved and up and running with the NodeStream installation. We were working on several projects, here are a few highlights:
Tests for NodeStream
Work was going on to get tests for the NodeStream features. This is a great step towards easier quality assurance of the system and more solid releases. Work is going on in this sandbox.
Lucid
We are working on a new theme. Several people got around to discuss where to go with it and how to make it more awesome. Their progress can be tracked over at the Lucid project.
Semantic panels
Some people at NodeOne is working on getting panels to spit out semantic markup, similarly to how views deals with it's markup. Their work is going on over in in this sandbox.
NodeStream gallery
A great feature that we are currently lacking for NodeStream is a gallery. Some people started to create such a feature. A link to their work is coming soon.
Upcoming stuff
New release of NodeStream 1
We need to get a new release of NodeStream 1 out in the open. This will hopefully happen this week.
New alpha of NodeStream 2 on friday
We will release a new alpha on friday. It will contain all the changes highlighted above.
Moving towards stable...
We are going to focus on a few interesting things during the upcoming weeks:
- Multilingual support, with entity translation
- Core stability
- Separating products from NodeStream core.
- NodeStream enterprise
That's all for now, see you next week!
Comments
Clarification
Have you completed making nodestream theme independent? If so, then is it possible to use any theme that works with panels or only themes that work with panels everywhere (it would seem, the later)? (only Bartik, Precision, AT Panels Everywhere (still -dev) and now lucid work with panels everywhere, right?)
Will you update the download section on nodestream.org? (it still has alpha4, I think)
I am considering using nodestream 2 in a project. I like your choice of modules (e.g. workflow, media) but I am not that familiar with Panels Everywhere and concerned about the theming. Any info you can add about stability of lucid, choice of panels everywhere, etc. would be helpful. (Aside: Is there a basic technology choice between PageManager+Panels Everywhere and Omega/Delta+Context? If so, why did you choose PM+PE?)
Also, a question about the products: will they be "apps" that, essentially, can be "dropped in"?
Thanks for your time and efforts!
Clarification
Hi escapesequence
1.(?)... Yes
Very similar to using templates you can create panels layouts (Panels template system)
And Panels styles plugins
Getting familiar with this stuff will change your life
2.a Contexts are great but they don't really provide the power and versatility that panels do. A little more knowledge about panels this makes this quickly evident
2.b Omega is fantastic and is working towards being a little more panels friendly. Lets hope
Keep on keepin on
an appeal for more documentation
Thanks for the distribution! But I am struggling to get my head round it!
The video on the nodestream homepage refers to 'lots' of documentation being available on d.o., but what I have found on d.o. is not really enough. Nodestream in the first few of hours likes like a very impressive piece of site building, but with little indication of what is going on, or why. Understanding the panels everywhere concept is just part of the process of working it out. The documentation on Nodestream 1 is more explanatory, and gives some hints. With Nodestream 2, I feel I am having to reverse engineer what the site builders have done because the documentation is laconic. If it baffles me, I fear it will baffle my clients, especially once domain access and commerce are added. Maybe there is a clear walkthrough of how to build a site on Nodestream, and how content-producers and editors can use a Nodestream site, which I have simply not found?