Debugging

Jürgen Haas explains how LakeDrops added integrated testing, replay, and debugging tools to the ECA Workflow Modeler after UX research with existing users. The post covers live workflow testing, recorded execution replay, token inspection, in-context debugging through a site widget, and planned improvements for conditional recording and JSON export. ...more

Omitsis outlines a structured approach to diagnosing programming errors before attempting fixes. The guide covers assumption checks, divide-and-conquer debugging, stack trace analysis, real-time debugging tools, effective search, AI-assisted investigation, rubber duck debugging, asking for help, and defining a fallback plan when an issue cannot be resolved within the available time. ...more

A Drupal 11 upgrade test failure led James Williams of ComputerMinds to trace an incomplete router rebuild back through execution paths no longer visible in the active call stack. His article explains how stored stack traces helped identify an unexpected interaction between configuration imports, entity deletion, and Drupal core’s menu link cleanup logic during installation. ...more

Randy Fay explains how Xdebug step debugging works inside DDEV — and why understanding its reverse connection model prevents hours of frustration when things go wrong. His guide walks through Docker networking, IDE listeners, and built-in tools like ddev utility xdebug-diagnose, turning debugging failures into clear, actionable fixes across macOS, Linux, and WSL2. ...more

In a recent post, Mark Conroy shares a practical debugging walkthrough for one of Drupal’s most misleading frontend issues: CSS breaking only in certain environments when aggregation is enabled. The post reframes these failures as likely symptoms of merge conflicts, syntax errors, or corrupted theme files rather than aggregation itself. It’s a reminder that many “platform bugs” are often simple code mistakes. ...more

A live demo failure led to a deep dive into Drupal’s JavaScript loader, revealing how one small markup error can break an entire page. ...more

This seventh entry in The DropTimes Listicle series highlights AI-powered developer utilities crafted to assist Drupal developers with tasks such as debugging, log analysis, documentation, and content migration. These modules bring machine learning into technical workflows to reduce manual work and improve development efficiency. ...more

Augusto Fagioli has released the DBlog Time Filter module for Drupal 11, enhancing the core log report page with a real-time server clock, quick time filters, and UI improvements. Designed as a temporary fix for known gaps in Drupal Core, the module includes a planned sunset once native support is available. ...more

In his latest blog, Ivan Zugec explains how to unlock effective debugging in Drupal CMS — from revealing hidden error messages to stepping through code with Xdebug. This guide introduces tools like WebProfiler, Devel, Ignition and variable‑dumping techniques to help Drupal developers troubleshoot faster and smarter. ...more

When logging in to a Drupal 9 site after module updates, a blank white screen may signal a module conflict. iBuild.PH shows how disabling Captcha, Image Captcha, and Spam Master, clearing caches, and optionally truncating the flood table resolved the issue. Their steps work for Drupal 9 and are likely applicable for Drupal 10 and 11 too. ...more

Christian Sanders from ComputerMinds explains how to render plugin blocks programmatically in Drupal using the Block Plugin API. The article walks through retrieving block instances for Views and Webform, constructing correct plugin IDs, and building render arrays. It also addresses pitfalls such as access checks, missing hooks, and caching behavior. This guide is ideal for developers integrating dynamic blocks without placing them in the admin UI. ...more

Brian Perry discusses the benefits of using the—v flag with the drush recipe command to obtain detailed output when applying Drupal Recipes. The verbose output provides details about module installation and dependencies, making it more efficient to track changes without manually reviewing source code or admin UI pages. ...more