====== VuFind Newsletter: February, 2021 ======

===== Highlights / Executive Summary =====

February's primary focus was on completing the [[:changelog#release_71_-_2_22_2021|VuFind 7.1]] release, which was made available on schedule on Monday, February 22.

At the same time that VuFind 7.1 was being finished, work on code for VuFind 8.0 continued. Significant new features include the ability to cache Solr responses locally within VuFind for improved performance, support for MySQL SSL connections, and a number of smaller fixes and improvements.

Another significant February project was an upgrade to PHPUnit 9 and an overhaul of VuFind's test suite to clarify its organization and eliminate some outdated and confusing elements. This sets a solid foundation for a discussion of testing which will begin during the video tutorial portion of the next [[:community_call|Community Call]].

Finally, the VuFind Community Planning Group released their [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1udsczuJvMFm7GibUBzf1w54ej_9hXyTA3UhR_tzom9c/edit?usp=sharing|first Governance Document draft]] on time, as mentioned in last month's newsletter. This draft will be discussed (and likely approved) at the March [[:community_call|Community Call]]. Please join us there, or comment on the draft before the meeting, if you have input you would like to share.
===== Recently Completed / Resolved Issues =====

The following items were completed in the past month:

  * Add configuration for API settings: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1838|#1838]]
  * Add support for caching Solr queries: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1854|#1854]]
  * Citation improvements, part 2: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1837|#1837]]
  * Disable session writes in getRecordCover AJAX handler: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1842|#1842]]
  * Fix fixPrimoFacetValue to not destroy UTF-8 strings: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1845|#1845]]
  * Fix ISO 2709 MARC reader for improved PHP 8 compatibility: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1856|#1856]]
  * Improve typehints/comments related to deduplication listener: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1844|#1844]]
  * Improved profiler support: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1851|#1851]]
  * Improved Solr handling in CI/test setup: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1853|#1853]]
  * Load record drivers in a batch for lists in MyResearch: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1843|#1843]]
  * MySQL SSL support: [[https://vufind.org/jira/browse/VUFIND-1395|VUFIND-1395]] / [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1665|#1665]]
  * PHP 8 compatibility patches: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1855|#1855]]
  * Primo: Fix url-encoding of filters in search query: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1852|#1852]]
  * Raise PHP version requirement to 7.3: [[https://vufind.org/jira/browse/VUFIND-1440|VUFIND-1440]] / [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1833|#1833]]
  * Replace Service Manager references with more generic Containers: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1848|#1848]]
  * Simplify and reorganize tests: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1846|#1846]]
  * TemplateBased Content Block: Fix problem with i18n of PHTML templates: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1836|#1836]]
  * Translation fixes: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1841|#1841]]
  * Upgrade to PHPUnit 9: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1839|#1839]]

===== New Issues =====

The following items were reported / begun in the past month, but are not yet completed:

==== Code in Progress ====

  * Add ARIA role for flashmessages: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1840|#1840]]
  * Add indication for user's public lists: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1847|#1847]]
  * SolrPrefix autocomplete: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1850|#1850]]
  * Update jstree component: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1849|#1849]]

==== Issue Report / Discussion Only ====

  * Improve Solr Connector HTTP client behavior: [[https://vufind.org/jira/browse/VUFIND-1466|VUFIND-1466]]
  * Reorganize caching: [[https://vufind.org/jira/browse/VUFIND-1467|VUFIND-1467]]

===== Active Issues =====

The following items saw significant progress / activity during the past month:

  * Display flash message on login: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1680|#1680]]
  * Donor bookplates: [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1834|#1834]]
  * Review Javascript configuration options in theme.config.php: [[https://vufind.org/jira/browse/VUFIND-1437|VUFIND-1437]] / [[https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/pull/1799|#1799]]