UI Suite Monthly #21 - Major Milestones and Strategic Transitions Ahead

Overall Summary

Our 21st monthly meeting marked a significant milestone in the UI Suite Initiative's journey. After two years since starting in October 2022, we've officially transitioned from the legacy UI Suite module to promoting UI Patterns 2 as our flagship solution. This meeting highlighted our growing momentum with around 50 UI Patterns 2 users and our position as the second most popular SDC module on Drupal.org.

We're experiencing exciting developments across multiple fronts: UI Patterns 2 is progressing through beta releases with enhanced features, UI Icons has been accepted for fast-track inclusion in Drupal core 11.1, and our ecosystem is consolidating from 10-15 modules into a single comprehensive solution. The meeting also showcased progress on various design system implementations and community growth, with our Slack channel now hosting 225 members.

Key Topics Discussed

UI Patterns 2 Evolution and Beta Strategy

Our approach to UI Patterns 2 releases has become more flexible and user-friendly. Rather than sticking to our original monthly beta schedule, we've adopted a more agile approach by splitting larger releases into smaller, more manageable updates. This means we released not just one beta but two betas since our last meeting, with Beta 3 being divided into smaller releases for September, and Beta 4 and 5 planned for mid and late October respectively.

• New Source Plugin Features: We're introducing a simplified default source attribute that allows users to add classes without writing the full attribute string, making the development process more intuitive
• Reference Entity Data Access: A significant enhancement that will allow access to data from reference entities, such as file paths instead of just file IDs
• Library Module Transformation: Complete redesign of the UI Patterns Library with new YAML format, automatic component linking, and collaboration with SDC Guide for standardized formatting

UI Icons Core Integration Progress

Our UI Icons module has achieved a major milestone by being accepted for fast-track inclusion in Drupal core 11.1. This represents a fundamental shift in how icons will be handled across the Drupal ecosystem. We're preparing multiple merge requests to core, with the requirement that at least three modules use our API - a target we've already met with UI Icons, Navigation module, and Iconify Icons.

The core integration strategy involves putting most UI Icons functionality into core while keeping contrib-space themes and design system artifacts as separate modules. This approach will allow icon pack providers to focus on what they do best while leveraging the standardized core infrastructure.

Theme and Design System Implementations

Our design system implementations continue to evolve across multiple fronts. Bootstrap, DSFR (French government design system), USWDS (American government system), and the newcomer DaisyUI are all making significant progress. We're particularly proud that DSFR and DaisyUI have become leaders in the Drupal.org ecosystem.

• Legacy vs Modern Theming: We're supporting three types of theming approaches - legacy teams using traditional preprocessing, SDC teams adding components while keeping templates, and full SDC implementation removing templates entirely
• Conversion Success: UI Pattern 1 implementations are converting to UI Patterns 2 relatively easily, though we're working on improving the conversion process for future releases
• Material Design Opportunity: We're seeking community members to implement Material Design 3 using web components, as we maintain Material Design 2 as a stable legacy solution

Community Growth and Ecosystem Consolidation

Our community continues to expand, with exciting developments from DrupalCon Barcelona generating significant interest. The consolidation from 10-15 modules to a single comprehensive module with five sub-modules will significantly simplify the user experience. We're proactively renaming legacy projects and adding notices to prevent confusion during this transition.

Key Action Points

Immediate Development Priorities

We need to complete several critical tasks before our next major releases. The primary focus is delivering UI Patterns 2 with its enhanced library functionality and improved user experience. This includes finalizing the new library page that was originally planned for Beta 3 but is now targeted for Beta 5, ensuring we maintain our development timeline without compromising quality.

• Beta Release Coordination: Continue our flexible beta release strategy with Beta 4 in mid-October and Beta 5 in late October
• Library Module Completion: Finalize the complete redesign of UI Patterns Library with new YAML format and improved component linking
• Core Integration Preparation: Prepare and submit merge requests for UI Icons core integration

Strategic Ecosystem Transitions

Our transition strategy requires careful coordination across multiple projects. We're implementing a comprehensive renaming and notification system for legacy modules to guide users toward UI Patterns 2. This involves adding "1.x" designations to legacy projects and clear explanations of why they're no longer relevant for UI Patterns 2 users.

The UI Icons core integration represents our most significant strategic initiative. We must prove our API's utility with three modules and successfully navigate the Drupal core review process. Success here will establish UI Icons as the standard icon handling system across the entire Drupal ecosystem.

Community Engagement and Testing

We're actively seeking community involvement in testing and feedback. Our offer to test team implementations continues to be available - teams can send us their codebase for comprehensive testing. This collaborative approach helps ensure compatibility and identifies potential issues before wider releases.

Planning for upcoming events includes DrupalCamp Berlin in November, where we'll engage with the German Drupal community and potentially expand our user base further.

Upcoming Deadlines / Releases

The meeting concluded with our community stronger than ever, positioned for significant growth as we approach these major milestone releases. Our transition from experimental modules to core-integrated solutions represents not just technical progress, but a fundamental maturation of the UI Suite Initiative's vision for modern Drupal theming and component development.