Stability for Scientists: How Hello World Rebuilt the WaveMetrics Digital Experience
Two major Drupal upgrades and a custom syntax highlighting migration to highlight.js, keeping scientific documentation accessible without interruption.
Highlights
Hello World has partnered with WaveMetrics for over four years, maintaining their Drupal infrastructure and executing two major version upgrades from Drupal 7 to 9, then 9 to 10. We migrated their custom syntax highlighting module to highlight.js for broader language support and easier maintenance, all without service interruption.
Services
Enterprise Drupal Development
Full Stack Platform Migration
Custom Syntax Highlighting (highlight.js)
Technical Strategy and Roadmap Planning
Ongoing Security and Maintenance
WaveMetrics Case Study: Modernizing the Igor Pro Scientific Community Platform
Hello World partnered with WaveMetrics to modernize the digital home of Igor Pro, a premier technical graphing and data analysis platform used by global research institutions and universities. Scientists and engineers rely on the WaveMetrics website for critical documentation, specialized code examples, and community support. Our mission was to transition this essential resource through two major Drupal migrations while preserving the specialized tools the scientific community depends on.
The Challenge: Upgrading Critical Infrastructure Without Interruption
The WaveMetrics site originally ran on Drupal 7, an aging architecture nearing its end of life. Because code samples are the backbone of Igor Pro documentation, the site relied on a highly specific custom syntax highlighter that had no modern equivalent.
Transitioning from Drupal 7 to 9 required a complete rebuild of the database schema, content types, and every custom module. Shortly after reaching version 9, the transition to Drupal 10 became necessary to stay ahead of security and performance requirements. The technical hurdle was completing these massive structural shifts while keeping the community forums, documentation, and downloads fully operational.
Our Strategic Technical Approach
1. Drupal 7 to 9: The Foundation Migration
We treated the move to Drupal 9 as a complete re-engineering project. Before migrating any data, we audited every content type and third party dependency. Using the Drupal migration framework and custom scripts, we mapped all legacy data into a modern structure. By staging the entire process in isolated environments, we validated content integrity and executed the production cutover with zero service gaps.
2. Modernizing Syntax Highlighting with highlight.js
The original syntax highlighting module was tightly coupled to legacy code and difficult to maintain. We migrated this functionality to highlight.js, a versatile client side library. To support the unique requirements of Igor Pro, we authored a custom highlight.js language definition. This move provided WaveMetrics with broader language support and significantly reduced the long term maintenance burden.
3. Drupal 9 to 10: Future Proofing the Platform
With the heavy lifting of the initial migration finished, the move to Drupal 10 focused on optimization. we updated deprecated APIs, refined the theme layer, and confirmed that all contributed modules met Drupal 10 standards. The highlight.js integration remained stable through the transition, proving that our modular approach was the correct long term strategy.
4. Ongoing Partnership and Technical Support
For over four years, Hello World has provided continuous maintenance for WaveMetrics. This includes proactive security updates, performance monitoring, and incremental feature improvements. We prioritize clear, plain language communication, ensuring the WaveMetrics team always understands the technical roadmap and remains confident in their platform’s stability.
Partnership Results
- Two Major Migrations: Successfully transitioned from Drupal 7 through Drupal 10 without a single service interruption.
- Modernized Code Display: Replaced a bespoke legacy module with a custom Igor Pro definition for highlight.js.
- Reliable Availability: Zero downtime across both major upgrades and over four years of ongoing maintenance.
- Operational Efficiency: Reduced technical debt and maintenance costs by adopting widely supported open source libraries.
- Scalable Documentation: Improved the speed and reliability of the technical resource library for global users.
Support Your Scientific Community with Confidence
Hello World provides the technical expertise required to keep research and documentation platforms running at peak performance. We eliminate the risks of legacy systems, ensuring your users always have access to the tools and data they need.
Ready to modernize your technical platform? Contact Hello World today to discuss a seamless migration strategy for your infrastructure.