ProcessWire Weekly #47

Summary of the weekly core updates

This week the list of core updates is a very lengthy one. We've got a new type of core module available, module configuration for module authors got easier (again), and a whole bunch of contributions has been merged to the core package:

• FileValidatorModule is a brand new core module type with the sole purpose of validating specific types of files. The first example of this module type in action is the FileValidatorSVGSanitizer module, which validates and sanitizes SVG images for safety and reliability purposes.
• An extension to the ModuleConfig class introduced earlier; module authors can now implement module config simply by including a ModuleName.config.php file containing a PHP array of configuration settings. Defining configuration settings can't get much easier than that!
• Page cache got a new option of selecting page caches to be cleared by using a custom selector. This essentially means that you've got a very fine-grained control over which cached pages will get their cache files cleared when a page using given template is saved.
• Image fields now have the option of rejecting images larger than given dimensions. Much like the existing option to reject images smaller than given dimensions, this allows you to define exactly what size of images are needed, instead of letting the system resize them.
• An issue related to cropping transparent PNG images was fixed, meaning that cropping transparent PNG images no longer makes them lose their transparent backgrounds.
• PageList AJAX error handling was improved so that connection or server-side errors no longer result in an endless loading animation. A message is displayed instead, letting users know what happened, and allowing them to retry the action at a later time without reloading the whole page first.
• InputfieldSelector was updated to support limiting the fields available for selection. Earlier it allowed selecting any fields of selected templates, but now these can be limited further when setting up the inputfield. At the moment this mainly applies to the commercial ListerPro module.

For more detailed descriptions of the additions listed above, head down to the latest processwire.com blog post by Ryan, "ProcessWire core updates, pull requests and more". Thanks to all the contributors this week, your work is very much appreciated!

Getting ready for ProcessWire 2.6

According to Ryan there are still some pull requests to go through, but during the next couple of weeks we are mostly going to focus on going through the issues reported so far, and making sure that everything works as expected, rather than adding a whole lot of new features.

Since we're getting closer and closer to the feature freeze and eventual release of ProcessWire 2.6, we could really use your help testing the dev branch. It's already quite stable, and a lot of folks are using it for their sites, but more eyes could help us catch all the remaining glitches.

If you're already running the development branch of ProcessWire, let us know of any potential issues you may have found either via GitHub or the support forum, and if not, now would be a very good time to start using it – just grab latest ProcessWire dev version from GitHub.

By testing and reporting issues you can provide us with the feedback we need in order to make ProcessWire 2.6 as stable and awesome as possible. With your help we can build the best set of content management tools available anywhere!

File Validator SVG Sanitizer

File Validator SVG Sanitizer is the first module to out there to extend the FileValidatorModule class, providing both validation and sanitization for SVG images. The module is co-authored by Adrian and Ryan, and behind the scenes utilizes the SVG-Sanitizer built by Alister Norris.

SVG (scalable vector graphics) is an XML based file format for presenting vector images. While SVG is both useful and commonly supported file format, there are serious security implications in using SVG images from untrusted sources without properly sanitizing them first.

As Mario Heiderich explains in his presentation "the image that called me", SVG images are much like small applications; for an example they can contain executable JavaScript code. File Validator SVG Sanitizer module takes care of both validation and sanitization of SVG images, making sure that they're not just usable, but also safe to use.

For more details, please visit the modules page and the support thread. Thanks to Adrian and Ryan for getting this module out there, it's a very handy tool!

Recent forum highlights

This is just a brief list of recent forum highlights, in no particular order:

• The PW Cookie Cutter thread poses one simple question: what's your ProcessWire workflow like? We all have our own, individual ways of working, so don't hesitate to share your tips and tricks there!
• Updates, how important is it? The question about whether one should try to keep up with all ProcessWire updates is a valid one, especially since there are still zero known vulnerabilities for any ProcessWire version out there.
• Last week we introduced WireShell, but here's another neat command-line tool for ProcessWire: a simple PW bash install script!
• PHP 7 is coming soon, and even if you're not one of the lucky ones to benefit from it right from day one, it's still good to know what kind of benefits it brings to PHP developers around the world.
• Last but not least, there's a new job posting at the jobs section of the forum. If you're up to the task of setting up a moderately complex ProcessWire setup and are available for hire, this could be a good opportunity for you!

There's always much more happening in the forums than we could possibly highlight here, so remember to check sign in (or sing up) and visit the support forums every now and then. That's where all the ProcessWire action really is!

The Net Awards 2015: Celebrating the best in web design and development

Just a little heads-up for all the ProcessWire users out there: The Net Awards 2015, brought to us by net magazine, is now accepting nominations for various categories. Check it out and feel free to show your support by nominating ProcessWire – or any individuals or projects using ProcessWire!

Nominations will be open until 19th of April and selected nominees will then participate in public voting. Final results will be revealed 18th of September.

It would be great to see something ProcessWire-related in the net awards, but either way, we wish good luck to all participants!

Site of the week: Green Man Festival

Green Man is an independent music and arts festival held at Brecon Beacons, Wales. The festival has been active since 2003 – more than a decade – and once again features a stunning line-up of great artists!

The newly published site of Green Man Festival 2015 is powered by ProcessWire and was developed by freelance designer and developer Alex Capes together with design agency Lovers and illustrator Hedof. Teamwork is the key here, and the site is just bursting with fun ideas and features.

From HTML animations to AJAX-driven artist profiles and too many other neat features to list here, this responsive site has the looks, individuality, and the usability expected from modern websites. Complete with enough high quality content to make any SEO expert happy, simply browsing this site is a highly recommended experience in itself.

Thanks to Alex for sharing this site with us – another great example of what talented people can do when given the right tools and proper inspiration!

Stay tuned for our next issue

That's it for the 47th issue of ProcessWire Weekly. We'll be back with more news, updates, and content next Saturday, 11th of April. As always, ProcessWire newsletter subscribers will get our updates a few days later.

Thanks for staying with us, once again. Hope you've had a great and productive week, and don't forget to check out the ProcessWire forums for more interesting topics. Until next week, happy hacking with ProcessWire!