Website
The end of November 2021 marked the end of Drupal 8. For our client LEM, this implied that they had to quickly move to the Drupal 9 version, to ensure the proper functioning of their website and its security. Therefore, LEM called upon its digital service provider Eminence to handle this migration.
Objectives & challenges
Migration to Drupal 9 presents technical challenges for the client. Three main obstacles have been identified:
- The hosting environment was not compatible with Drupal 9.
- The module used for the forms “Yaml Form” was no longer supported and therefore not compatible with Drupal 9.
- In the case of LEM, there were many custom modules and a custom theme. All deprecated source code had to be manually checked and fixed to be compatible with Drupal 9.
Our approach
To continue receiving technical support for the updates to the Drupal CMS and the technologies it uses, it was essential to migrate LEM’s website from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9. Our developers began by checking if the existing hosting environment met the requirements of the new Drupal 9 version. After conducting a comprehensive audit of the site to prepare for the migration, it turned out that the hosting environment did not meet Drupal 9 prerequisites. Therefore, we had to set up a new hosting environment to install the site and update it to the latest version of Drupal 8.
Next, our developers installed and configured the 'Upgrade Status' module. This module is useful to ensure a smooth upgrade
Our Strategy
Once "Upgrade Status" was implemented, we carried out the following tasks:
Checked if the system met the requirements of the Drupal 9 hosting environment.
Used "Update Status" to suggest updates for our contributed projects.
Ran PHPStan checks to detect any compatibility issues with Drupal 9 that might persist.
Scanned the site’s modules and theme to verify deprecated code and address the issues flagged by Upgrade Status.
We also updated the contributed and custom modules and themes to verify the quality of the source code and identify errors that needed to be quickly fixed. In LEM's case, this step was particularly complex as the site contained many custom modules and themes that had to be manually corrected.
Once this setup was complete, we proceeded with the upgrade to Drupal 9 by updating the site's core and database. We also replaced the "Yaml Form" module with the "webform" module and recreated all the site’s forms to ensure they were compatible with the new version.
The final step was to verify the smooth completion of the migration and ensure the website was fully functional under its new version.
Thanks to this migration, LEM now has a more functional site with greater maintainability and an extended lifespan. The upgrade to Drupal 9 also allowed LEM to offer a better browsing experience to its visitors. The migration of LEM's site to Drupal 9 was a complex but essential project to ensure the security and performance of their digital platform. Thanks to the expertise of the Eminence team, every challenge was met, from updating the hosting environment to adapting custom modules and themes. This transition has enabled LEM to benefit from a more reliable site with better maintainability and an optimized user experience. By adopting Drupal 9, LEM is now better equipped to meet the needs of its customers and maintain its leadership in the field of electrical parameter measurement.
Clients testimonials
LEM
Drupal migration
The collaboration with Eminence's teams was very natural.
They took the time to understand our particularly technical working environment and adapted to our internal constraints and needs to define an optimal work organisation. Eminence accompanies us today on issues of development and visibility on the web. On a daily basis, the availability of Eminence's team is a great advantage, and resolutely one of the agency's great strengths. This facilitates daily work and undeniably promotes mutual