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49 · Image toolkit switched to ImageMagick even when it is not installed
Project Varbase (recipe varbase_performance_base, used by the Varbase site templates)
Component Code
Category Bug report
Priority Major
Status Draft, not filed on drupal.org yet

Problem/Motivation

varbase_performance_base installs the ImageMagick module and sets system.image:toolkit to imagemagick unconditionally. On a host without the ImageMagick binaries – common on shared hosting and in fresh containers – every image operation fails. A German installation of the Varbase template wrote the same error 83 times to the log:

ImageMagick error 127: sh: 1: exec: identify: not found

The installer finishes without a warning, but no image style can be generated. The site then shows no images in its content: the Drimage formatter of the Varbase templates renders an empty SVG placeholder and requests the image style from JavaScript, which never succeeds. Only images outside of image styles (e.g. on Canvas pages) appear. Switching system.image:toolkit back to gd makes all images appear.

Steps to reproduce

  1. On a host without ImageMagick (which identify returns nothing), install Drupal CMS with Varbase.
  2. Open a blog post: the featured image area stays empty.
  3. Open Reports → Recent log messages.

Proposed resolution

Only switch the toolkit if the binaries are found (e.g. check identify -version in a recipe action or an install hook), or keep GD and document ImageMagick as an optional step. At least the template description should name ImageMagick as a requirement.

Additional information

Found with Varbase Starter 1.0.x on Drupal CMS 2.2.1, PHP with GD, Ubuntu without ImageMagick (October 2026). Not a translation problem; found while testing the German installation. Affects The Rightup, Educare and Horizon Aid as well, which use the same recipe. Workaround: the Drupal CMS German Installer switches the toolkit back to GD if the binaries are missing.

Copy to drupal.org

Issue title:

Image toolkit switched to ImageMagick even when it is not installed

Issue summary (paste it into the "Issue summary" field; project, component, category and priority are in the table above):

<h3 id="summary-problem-motivation">Problem/Motivation</h3>
<p><code>varbase_performance_base</code> installs the ImageMagick module and sets <code>system.image:toolkit</code> to <code>imagemagick</code> unconditionally. On a host without the ImageMagick binaries – common on shared hosting and in fresh containers – every image operation fails. A German installation of the Varbase template wrote the same error 83 times to the log:</p>
<code>ImageMagick error 127: sh: 1: exec: identify: not found</code>
<p>The installer finishes without a warning, but no image style can be generated. The site then shows no images in its content: the Drimage formatter of the Varbase templates renders an empty SVG placeholder and requests the image style from JavaScript, which never succeeds. Only images outside of image styles (e.g. on Canvas pages) appear. Switching <code>system.image:toolkit</code> back to <code>gd</code> makes all images appear.</p>
<h3 id="summary-steps-reproduce">Steps to reproduce</h3>
<ol>
<li>On a host without ImageMagick (<code>which identify</code> returns nothing), install Drupal CMS with Varbase.</li>
<li>Open a blog post: the featured image area stays empty.</li>
<li>Open Reports → Recent log messages.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="summary-proposed-resolution">Proposed resolution</h3>
<p>Only switch the toolkit if the binaries are found (e.g. check <code>identify -version</code> in a recipe action or an install hook), or keep GD and document ImageMagick as an optional step. At least the template description should name ImageMagick as a requirement.</p>
<h3>Additional information</h3>
<p>Found with Varbase Starter 1.0.x on Drupal CMS 2.2.1, PHP with GD, Ubuntu without ImageMagick (October 2026). Not a translation problem; found while testing the German installation. Affects The Rightup, Educare and Horizon Aid as well, which use the same recipe. Workaround: the Drupal CMS German Installer switches the toolkit back to GD if the binaries are missing.</p>