Drupal 10.3 Debuts: Major Enhancements and New Features Revealed

Drupal has announced the release of Drupal 10.3, the third and final feature release for Drupal 10. This update introduces several new features, including an experimental Navigation user interface, stable Workspaces functionality, and Single-Directory Components support, among others. The announcement was made by Gábor Hojtsy on June 20, 2024.

The new Navigation module features a redesigned, collapsible vertical navigation sidebar for the administrative user interface. It includes a full-height drawer for deeper navigation levels and adapts to smaller viewports by placing the toolbar on top of the content, opening with an overlay. This module allows for various customizations, such as adding custom menus and changing the default Drupal logo. The integration with the Layout Builder module enables easy addition and reordering of menu blocks, and a new content creation and management menu aims to improve usability for content users.

The Workspaces module, previously experimental, is now stable, allowing multiple work environments to stage and review content changes before publishing them simultaneously. This feature is particularly useful for large organizations that need to manage coordinated content updates, such as new product launches or event outcomes. Additionally, Single-Directory Components (SDCs), initially introduced in Drupal 10.1, are now a stable part of Drupal core. SDCs group all necessary files for rendering user interface components into a single directory, simplifying the development process.

Drupal 10.3 also simplifies menu item editing by displaying advanced options in a sidebar, allowing content editors to focus on key tasks. The new Recipes API allows for the automation of Drupal module installation and configuration, offering greater flexibility compared to traditional install profiles. Furthermore, the new Access Policy API supports advanced access management solutions beyond traditional permissions and user roles, providing a more flexible and secure access control mechanism.

With the release of Drupal 10.3, the platform enters its long-term support phase, with Drupal 11 scheduled for release in late July 2024. Several members of the Drupal community have been promoted and recognized for their contributions, including Cristina Chumillas, Sally Young, and Théodore Biadala as full Drupal Core Frontend Framework Managers. Drupal encourages users to contribute to the community and deepen their skill sets through the Drupal contributor guide and by attending DrupalCon Barcelona. For more details, visit Drupal's official announcement.