28 Sep 2026
Drupal.org aggregator
The Drop Times: Rotterdam Puts Drupal’s Biggest Bets to the Test
Perhaps the most revealing thing about DrupalCon Rotterdam is that its programme does not tell one tidy story. Drupal is preparing to discuss its transformation into a production-ready Agentic CMS while another session asks, quite directly, why developers still do not choose Drupal. Canvas has become central to Drupal CMS, yet Rotterdam will also put it against Display Builder in a real-world project. Those collisions matter because Drupal's next phase depends less on any one initiative succeeding than on whether these different bets can reinforce one another without carrying old friction forward.
Connecting Drupal to models and agents is no longer the difficult part of the AI story. Rotterdam moves quickly into hallucination, reviewer trust, orchestration, governed workflows and human control because production use raises harder questions about what an agent may do once it can act rather than merely answer. Permissions, auditability, validation and human approval are becoming part of the product itself. If the Agentic CMS idea is going to mean more than a collection of AI capabilities, those boundaries have to become as deliberate as the capabilities they constrain.
Adoption tests another part of the same argument. Drupal CMS 2.0, Canvas, Recipes and AI-assisted tooling have changed the product presented to builders, but improved technology does not automatically change how Drupal is perceived beyond its existing community. "Why Developers Don't Choose Drupal" puts that gap unusually plainly. The useful evidence from Rotterdam will not be another inventory of features, but signs that newcomers can enter the system more easily, that organisations are choosing Drupal CMS rather than only inheriting or upgrading Drupal, and that the new experience removes barriers people outside the community can actually feel.
Digital sovereignty makes the question more demanding because Drupal is also being asked to apply its values inward. A Rotterdam discussion on FAIR asks whether sovereignty, governance and cost problems in Drupal's own software distribution could be addressed differently, starting from Drupal.org's role as the ecosystem's central distribution point. That turns openness from something Drupal offers its users into something its own infrastructure may need to demonstrate. Arguments about control become more credible when the project is willing to examine where dependence, responsibility and operational burden sit inside its own systems.
Discovery may be where all of these threads become visible from outside. A Rotterdam discussion on Drupal's representation in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude starts from the recognition that developers and decision-makers increasingly encounter technologies through AI-generated answers as well as conventional search. Drupal therefore has to become easier to understand, evaluate and trust not only for people already inside the ecosystem, but also for the systems mediating their choices. Rotterdam will not settle all of that in four days. What it can reveal is whether Drupal's current direction is beginning to cohere: a product easier to adopt, agents with clearer limits, infrastructure consistent with its sovereignty claims, and a project that can explain its relevance wherever technology choices now begin.
Follow The DropTimes on LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, and Facebook, or join #thedroptimes on Drupal Slack.
Kazima Abbas wrote and curated this issue of Editor's Pick.
28 Sep 2026 2:06pm GMT
BloomIdea: Measuring ChatGPT ads on Drupal, from the browser and from the server
Since September, advertisers in Europe can buy ads inside ChatGPT, and the Ads Manager asks for two things before it can tell you whether they work: a measurement pixel in the browser and, ideally, conversions sent from your server. On a Drupal site that usually means pasting a snippet into the theme, writing the order_created call by hand in a template, and trying to hide the whole thing behind the cookie banner. Then the order paid by bank transfer or payment reference hours later, confirmed by a webhook, never shows up, because no browser was there to see it.
Even when a browser is there, the pixel loses part of the picture. Ad blockers stop it outright, Safari caps cookies written by scripts at seven days, and iOS removes tracking parameters from links shared in Messages and Mail and from links opened in private browsing. OpenAI's own documentation calls the Conversions API "a more reliable tracking source than the pixel alone".
We have released a module for this on drupal.org: ChatGPT Ads, free software under the GPL, for Drupal 10.3 and 11, covered by Drupal's security advisory policy. It plugs into Drupal Commerce, Webform and the Klaro consent manager through sub-modules, and sends events through both OpenAI's Measurement Pixel and the Conversions API. It is a community module, not affiliated with OpenAI.
What you can measure
- With Drupal Commerce, every product added to the cart, including from an AJAX add-to-cart button, with its SKU, quantity and price.
- The start of checkout, and the order itself when it is paid, not merely placed, so an unpaid bank transfer or an expired payment reference never counts as a sale.
- The order paid later and off-site, reported from the server when the payment webhook arrives, with the same event id as the browser, so OpenAI counts it once.
- With Webform, a contact form, a quote request or a newsletter sign-up as a lead: add the ChatGPT Ads handler to any webform and map the email and phone fields.
- Account registrations, from the browser and the server.
- Anything else, with a single call to
Drupal.chatgptAds.measure()from your own script.
The pixel goes only on the pages you choose, using the same visibility conditions blocks use: paths, roles, content types, language.
What it refuses to do
Nothing is requested from OpenAI, and no cookie is set, until the visitor has decided. OpenAI's documentation suggests loading the pixel with consent withheld and granting it later, but the script sets cookies as soon as it loads, so the module does not load it at all until there is an answer.
A visitor who has not answered yet is neither a yes nor a no. Their events wait in memory and go out if they accept, so the landing page is not lost; if they refuse, they are dropped. The Klaro integration reads only decisions the visitor has confirmed, because Klaro reports a service's default from the moment the page loads, which would otherwise be read as a refusal while the banner is still on screen.
The same rule applies on the server. Hashed email, phone, IP address and user agent go to the Conversions API only for a visitor whose consent was recorded at the time of the event. For everyone else the conversion still goes, carrying the click identifier and nothing about the person.
The module never saves an order. Saving inside a Commerce transition can fire that transition twice, which on a live store means duplicate receipts and an error at checkout; the click identifiers are stored on the order when the checkout flow saves it anyway.
Pages stay cached
The pixel and the settings that are the same for everyone are cached with the page. What belongs to one visitor, the events collected for that page and, with advanced matching on, their hashed account data, arrives through a placeholder rendered on every request. A page carrying the pixel stays in Drupal's Dynamic Page Cache, instead of turning every page on the site uncacheable to deliver one visitor's identity.
Where it came from
It was built for one of the e-commerce stores we develop in Portugal, where many orders are paid by Multibanco or MB WAY, Portuguese payment methods whose confirmation often arrives hours after checkout. Bank transfers and payment references behave the same way in any country, and that pattern is why the Conversions API is in the first release rather than a later one: without it, those sales are invisible to the ad platform. The pixel, the Klaro gate and the cart events have been running on that store since mid September.
Your consent manager, your choice
Klaro gets a ready-made sub-module: install it and a ChatGPT Ads service appears in the banner, off by default. Any other consent manager reports the decision through a small JavaScript contract, and the README carries a working recipe for EU Cookie Compliance:
Drupal.chatgptAds.consent(true); // granted, now or on a later page
Drupal.chatgptAds.consent(false); // refused or withdrawnTo see what else on your site reaches third parties before the visitor decides, Consent Audit records it from real visits.
Get it
composer require drupal/chatgpt_adsYou need a ChatGPT Ads Manager account and the pixel id from its Conversions tab. The Conversions API sub-module stores its key through the Key module, so the secret can live in an environment variable instead of your exported configuration. The project page, the documentation and the issue queue are on drupal.org. Bug reports, questions and merge requests are welcome.
28 Sep 2026 10:28am GMT
Drupal Association blog: Drupal's Got Talent at DrupalCon Orlando 2027!
The inaugural DrupalCon Talent Show is happening at DrupalCon Orlando on the evening of Tuesday, March 23, 2027 as part of the community party!
We're planning about two hours of entertainment and looking for roughly 10 acts to take the stage (5-7 minutes for the act, plus up to 3 minutes for stage setup).
This is DrupalCon. The goal is to learn, network, and have fun. Expect jokes, friendly razzing, questionable decisions, and plenty of laughs. You don't need to be a professional. You just need to be willing to get up there and attempt to entertain your fellow Drupalers (within our Code of Conduct https://events.drupal.org/code-conduct, of course!)
What are we looking for?
Pretty much anything entertaining:
- Musicians
- Bands
- Stand-up comedy (keep it PG-13 please!)
- Magic
- Singing
- Dancing
- Juggling
- Puppet shows
- Ridiculous feats of skill
- Weird talents you didn't think anyone wanted to see (we do)
Got something that doesn't fit on the list? Even better. Solo acts, groups, first-timers, seasoned performers, and wonderfully questionable ideas are all welcome.
Think you've got something? Sign up here and show us what you've got!
FAQs
When is the deadline?
The absolute last deadline to sign up is Friday, February 19th. However, submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis as they come in. Once all ~10 spots are filled, sign-ups will close early. We strongly encourage you to submit as soon as possible.
Is there a prize?
Likely, but this hasn't yet been determined. Suffice it to say that the primary prize will be bragging rights!.
How will performances be chosen?
Performances will be chosen to ensure a wide variety of performance types, geographical regions, companies, diverse performers, etc. You can increase your chances of being selected by submitting earlier rather than later.
How long should the performances be?
5-7 minutes is ideal
Do I have to bring my instrument? Will there be microphones?
We will provide microphones for your band (up to four). If needed by multiple performers, we may be able to supply basic instruments. Details will be provided ahead of the performance if you are accepted to perform.
Will there be a bar?
A cash (and credit card) bar will be available.
28 Sep 2026 9:07am GMT
W3C - Blog
Recap of the web & AI international standards seminar: generative UI and WebSkill
Hosted by the W3C Shenzhen Representative Office as part of the 2026 CCF Standards Technical Conference, this seminar brought together industry experts to discuss emerging technologies and standardization challenges related to generative UI, WebSkill, and web AI.
28 Sep 2026 8:17am GMT
25 Sep 2026
W3C - Blog
Crafting WCAG 3 for more accessible user experiences
In this post, W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Director Shawn Lawton Henry covers some of the stakes and challenges in developing W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3 that is under active development.
25 Sep 2026 12:50pm GMT
22 Sep 2026
W3C - Blog
2026 Climate Weeks: W3C and Web Sustainability
W3C's Sustainable Web Interest Group shares updates about Web Sustainability Guidelines and Impact Ratings in time for Climate Week, with changes demonstrating impacts on People, Planet, and Prosperity and reflecting W3C's horizontal review process.
22 Sep 2026 12:40pm GMT
18 Jan 2026
Official jQuery Blog
jQuery 4.0.0
On January 14, 2006, John Resig introduced a JavaScript library called jQuery at BarCamp in New York City. Now, 20 years later, the jQuery team is happy to announce the final release of jQuery 4.0.0. After a long development cycle and several pre-releases, jQuery 4.0.0 brings many improvements and modernizations. It is the first major … Continue reading
18 Jan 2026 12:29am GMT
11 Aug 2025
Official jQuery Blog
jQuery 4.0.0 Release Candidate 1
It's here! Almost. jQuery 4.0.0-rc.1 is now available. It's our way of saying, "we think this is ready; now poke it with many sticks". If nothing is found that requires a second release candidate, jQuery 4.0.0 final will follow. Please try out this release and let us know if you encounter any issues. A 4.0 … Continue reading
11 Aug 2025 5:35pm GMT
17 Jul 2024
Official jQuery Blog
Second Beta of jQuery 4.0.0
Last February, we released the first beta of jQuery 4.0.0. We're now ready to release a second, and we expect a release candidate to come soon™. This release comes with a major rewrite to jQuery's testing infrastructure, which removed all deprecated or under-supported dependencies. But the main change that warranted a second beta was a … Continue reading
17 Jul 2024 2:03pm GMT
29 May 2023
Smiley Cat: Christian Watson's Web Design Blog
7 Types of Article Headlines: Craft the Perfect Title Every Time
When it comes to crafting an article, the headline is crucial for grabbing the reader's attention and enticing them to read further. In this post, I'll explore the 7 types of article headlines and provide examples for each using the subjects of product management, user experience design, and search engine optimization. 1. The Know-it-All The […]
The post 7 Types of Article Headlines: Craft the Perfect Title Every Time first appeared on Smiley Cat.
29 May 2023 10:20pm GMT
09 Apr 2023
Smiley Cat: Christian Watson's Web Design Blog
5 Product Management Myths You Need to Stop Believing
Product management is one of the most exciting and rewarding careers in the tech world. But it's also one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented. There are many myths and misconceptions that cloud the reality of what product managers do, how they do it, and what skills they need to succeed. In this blog post, […]
The post 5 Product Management Myths You Need to Stop Believing first appeared on Smiley Cat.
09 Apr 2023 5:28pm GMT
11 Dec 2022
Smiley Cat: Christian Watson's Web Design Blog
The Key Strengths of the Best Product Managers
The role of a product manager is crucial to the success of any product. They are responsible for managing the entire product life cycle, from conceptualization to launch and beyond. A product manager must possess a unique blend of skills and qualities to be effective in their role. Strong strategic thinking A product manager must […]
The post The Key Strengths of the Best Product Managers first appeared on Smiley Cat.
11 Dec 2022 4:43pm GMT