Getting Started with Drupal

Getting Started with DrupalRachel Vacek and Nina McHaleALA Annual ConferenceJune 24, 2011Slides available at: slideshare.net/vacekrae

30-Second IntroductionsYour name, title, affiliationWhat’s your role in library web development?What web development tools are you currently using?What do you want to do with Drupal at your library?

Our Objectives TodayTo become more conversant in Drupal speakTo learn how to manage and maintain a basic Drupal siteTo learn about new themes and modules most often used by librariesTo cross the “I suck” threshold...

Drupal Learning Curvehttp://buytaert.net/drupal-learning-curve

ScheduleIntroduction & Content 9:00-10:30Morning break 10:30-10:45Users & Themes 10:45-12:00Lunch 12:00-1:30Modules 1:30-3:00Afternoon break 3:00-3:15Maintenance & Security 3:15-4:30

Drupal: What is it?An open source content management system (CMS)Created by Dries BuytaertWeb standards-friendlyTimeline/historyDorp Drop  Drupal derived from the Dutch word "Druppel” which in English means "Drop” Drupal was born in January 2001Version 7 released in January 2011

Drupal: Why Libraries Love ItEasy to deploy a robust web site quickly and easilyEasy to include many elements of social networkingMakes customizing library tools for local specifications easyILSDiscover Layer/metasearch toolsLibGuides

Open Source: Good for LibrariesActive community of users and developersDevelop modules that can be sharedLibraries are expected to do more and more onlineLibraries without in-house programming support can quickly deploy robust sitesLibraries with programmers can create and contribute modulesActively participating in open source communities can save everyone time, headaches, and effort

TONS of libraries are using Drupalhttp://groups.drupal.org/node/13473

AcquiaDrupalDrupal core bundled with commonly used modules that won’t change over timeDrupal v6.17: 3.38MBDrupal v7a5: 8.51MB  lots more included :)Convenience for preconference setting

Drupal UXSteep learning curve  takes time to get across the “I suck” thresholdMore development flexibility than other open source CMSs like Wordpress or Joomla!Drupal 7 improves the CMS user experience over previous versions

Repeat after me…The Drupal Glossary is my friend.The Drupal Glossary is my friend.The Drupal Glossary is my friend.http://drupal.org/glossary

Example SitesAuraria Librarylibrary.auraria.eduSite for medium-sized academic libraryColorado Librariescoloradolibrariesjournal.orgOnline journal for state library associationUniversity of Houston Librariesinfo.lib.uh.eduSite for medium-sized academic library

A Note About Presentation FormatEach major area will consist ofConceptsJust the basics about each topicExamplesExamples from live Drupal 6 & 7 sitesGood, and, uh… “could-do-better”Hands-OnQuick activities, time- and wireless-permittingTDF Module“To-Die-For” ModuleInsanely helpful modules that you should know about

Your Site: A TourOpen a browser and point it to http://localhost:8082We will:Review Dashboard-ModulesMake some changes to the site configurationTake a quick look at the Drupal file structure

Content: Concepts There are 2 default content types in Drupal 7Article (time-sensitive information)Basic page (static information)Custom content types can be createdContent is added via online formsManaging URLsSpecific paths can be set to content

Drupal Term: NodeA node is a piece of content in Drupal, typically corresponding to a single page on the siteEvery node also belongs to a particular content type, and can additionally be classified using the taxonomy systemExamples of nodes are polls, stories, book pages and images

Content: ConceptsContent exists in “nodes”Think of nodes as structured pieces of content on the site, such asA database listing in a directory of databasesA post in a library’s news blogThe text of a library policy posted onlineThese different things, and anything you can think to create, are “content types”

Content: ConceptsOptions for your home page contentStatic contentCreate a page that displays desired contentSet as homepage: Configuration => Site InformationDynamicUse “promote to front page” box to display content on the home pageA combinationUse blocks to display both static and dynamic content

Content: ExamplesCustom content: ADI/staff directory Colorado Libraries article

Content: Hands-OnCreate an “About” page with loremipsum textClick on Content  Add Content  basic pageFill out the required fieldsLook at additional options for changing the URLLook at publishing options, and be sure your article is published and promoted to the front pageClick Save

Content: Hands-OnCreate a “Library News” articleClick on Content  Add Content  ArticleFill out the required fieldsLook at additional options for changing the URLLook at publishing options, and be sure your article is published and promoted to the front pageClick Save

Content: Hands-OnGroup discussion What types of content do you want for your site? How many content types are appropriate?Click on Structure  Content types  Add content type

Regions, Blocks & Menus: ConceptsRegionsPreset areas on your web pages into which you may add and arrange content (i.e., blocks)Determined largely by the theme usedMenusProvide site navigation, sub-navigationThey “live” in blocksBlocksThink of them as widgetsThey are chunks of content outside of the main content area of your pagesTheir visibility on pages can be controlled very precisely

Regions, Blocks & Menus: ExamplesTo view regions in a themeStructure  Blocks  Demonstrate block regionsTwo following slidesRegions in Bartik themeRegions in Garland theme

Regions, Blocks & Menus: Examples

Regions, Blocks & Menus: Hands-OnRelabel “About this Web Page” to “About”Click on Structure  Menus  List Links corresponding to Main MenuClick Edit corresponding to HomeChange “About this Web Page” to “About” in the Menu Link title fieldClick Save

Regions, Blocks & Menus: Hands-OnReorder “About” and “Home”Drag the + symbol thingy and drop it above the other oneClick Save Configuration

Regions, Blocks & Menus: Hands-OnCreate a secondary navigation menuClick on configuration button thingy on the navigation menu  LinksClick on Add Link, and type “About” in the menu link title fieldType “about” in the path fieldClick Save

Regions, Blocks & Menus: Hands-OnBlocksMove the search box to the upper rightStructure  Blocks; change dropdown from “sidebar first” to “header”RemoveUser login block“Powered by Drupal” footerStructure  Blocks; change dropdown from “footer” to “none”

Users, Roles & Permissions: Concepts“Users” are all people who will visit your site as well as all people who will create content for and help you manage your siteUsers are placed into “roles” that allow them access to the parts of the site that they work on“Permissions” are assigned to roles to control the actions that they can take on parts of the siteOne of Drupal’s great strengths is flexibility and granularity regarding users

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsThe user you created when you installed Drupal is “user 1,” the superuser, which is automatically in the “administrator” roleThere are two additional default roles in Drupal 7:anonymous userauthenticated userEach user created after “1” is numbered sequentially with a uid number

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsTo create a user, you need 3 pieces of infoUsernamePasswordEmail address (verification highly recommended)More options: include picture/signatureUseful? Maybe on an intranet site or a more social library siteTDF ModulesLDAP integration synchs user accounts with your network accountsCAS allows for single sign-on into multiple systems

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsOptions for user account creationUnmoderatedUse with extreme caution!Spammers WILL find you!ModeratedUsers can request accounts, but site admins have to approve requestsNote: This is the default setting in Drupal 7Administrative approval requiredRecommended

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsInternal user policiesWho should have access?What should they have access to?Consider on content-by-content basisExternal user policiesWill you allow user-contributed content?Will you allow users to create their own accounts?Will you require user email account verification?YES. You will. Or at least, you really, really should.Who will manage user accounts and monitor user activity?

Users, Roles & Permission: ConceptsCreate roles conservatively and preciselyToo many roles can complicate permissions managementAlways follow the “principle of least privilege”Everyone should have access to exactly everything they need to do their jobs, and nothing more

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsThe roles that you create will depend heavily on your environmentThe more types of content that you have, the more roles you (should) haveAnalogy: Think of roles relative to job duties among various staff in librariesDifferent staff have access to different resources

Users, Roles & Permissions: ConceptsPermissions can be assigned very specifically to each rolesPermissions are assigned by checking boxes that link roles to actions (screen shot follows)Each role may (or may not) be allowed to create, edit, and delete each kind of contentThis can apply to ALL content, ORThe user’s OWN content

Users, Roles & Permissions: Examples(Select) Roles at Auraria Library:Web administrator 2 users, web librarian and programmerResponsible for environment, maintenance, content curationBlogger 15 users, mostly in reference/instruction, marketingAdd content about services, events, newsADI Administrator (databases manager)1 user in technical/public services Manage display of and access to electronic resources

Users, Roles & Permissions: ExamplesRoles for Colorado Libraries:Web administrator (2 users)Editor (3 users)Guest Editor (1 new user per quarterly issue)Column Editor (~10 users)Book Review Editor (2 users)Author (? users; haven’t given authors access yet)

Users, Roles & Permissions: Hands-OnCreate a new user:Click on “People” in the admin menuClick on “Add user”Enter a user name, email address, and passwordClick “Notify user of new account”*Click “Create new user account”*it really will send email

Users, Roles & Permissions: Hands-OnCreate a new roleClick “People”Click on the “Permissions” tab (upper right)Click on the “Roles” button (upper right)Type a new role name in the open box and click “add role”Stay on this screen for the next step…

Users, Roles & Permissions: Hands-OnGive the new role permissions to create articlesClick “edit permissions” link associated with the new “editor” role (lower right)Give your editor role permission to create, edit, and delete all article content on your site by checking the appropriate boxesScroll to the bottom and click “Save permissions”

Users, Roles & Permissions: Hands-OnAssign the new role to your new userClick “People”Click the “edit” link associated with your new userCheck the “editor” box under “Roles”Click “Save”

Users, Roles & Permissions: Hands-OnSet your site to require administrator verification for new user accountsClick “Configuration” in the admin menuClick “Account Settings” (top left)Under “Registration and Cancellation,” select “Administrators only”Click “Save configuration”

More info about Views…Tutorial: Intro to Views (multiple parts)http://lin-clark.com/blog/intro-drupal-7-intro-views-pt-1Tutorial: Intro to Views (multiple parts)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z13ylwMhk4Drupalove: 100 Drupal Views Tutorialshttp://www.drupalove.com/article/100-drupal-views-tutorials-and-resourcesRobert Townsend, Foundation Drupal 7Appendix D: Views Recipes

Themes: ConceptsThemes control the look and feel of your web sitePHP templates with HTML and CSSThere are currently ~800 contributed themes for Drupal sitesDrupal 7 comes with four standard themes:Bartik: named for Jean BartikSeven: administrative themeGarland: an old Drupal standardStark: used primarily as demonstration

Build first. Then theme.-Stephanie PakrulThemes: Concepts

Themes: ConceptsFour kinds of themes:Default (Bartik, Seven, Garland)Starter (Zen, Fusion)Contributed (8 gazillion)Custom (requires advanced HTML + CSS skills)

Themes: ConceptsDefault and contributed themes:Modify colorsChange fontsAdd imagesCheck configuration options for different layout possibilities, i.e., column arrangements

Themes: ConceptsStarter and custom themes:Starter themes give a basic layout that can be heavily modifiedCustom themes, which are beyond the scope of this workshop, can be created using HTML and CSS with a PHP template

Themes: Hands-OnSwitch default theme from Bartik to Garland and back:Groups.drupal.org/node/19730Click “Appearance”Click “Set default” next to GarlandClick “Save configuration”Click Home icon to view theme changesRepeat process to set back to Bartik

Themes: Hands-OnExplore contributed themes:http://drupal.org/project/ThemesSearch by:Drupal versionBy project statusKeywordMost installed, date released, etc.Check for: commits, maintainer, community activity around a theme

Themes: Hands-OnHow to install contributed themes:Click “Appearance”Click “Install new theme”Two options:Install from URLUpload a module

Cool Things to do with ThemesSubthemes:Apply to different regions of your site, i.e., blogs, audience-specific sitesKeeps the same overall look and feel Administrative themes:Assign a different theme for users with different permissions so that they know when they’re using administrative parts of site

Modules: ConceptsModules add functionality to your cms, extending the flexibility, making it more powerfulWarning: DO NOT HACK CORE! Upgrades will be hell  We mean it!3 kinds of modulesCore, which come with your installation of DrupalContributed, which you find, download and installCustom, which you build yourself (and then hopefully share with the Drupal community)

Not everything comes in coreYou’ll still need to add some essential modulesWhy?As Drupal evolves, you want your CMS to remain flexible.If modules that have functionality that will evolve constantly, it’s better to not lock them down by including them in core.If modules provide a UI, then it’s better to not be in core, providing more flexibility.

Contributed Modules: ConceptsModules that other people have createdSome may have more functionality than what you are looking for, and some lessLook at Modules handout!

Essential Contributed ModulesViews provide a flexible method for Drupal site designers to control how lists and tables of content are presented. This tool is essentially a smart query builder that, given enough information, can build the proper query, execute it, and display the results. It’s very powerful and one of the most used modules on this entire list.

Essential Contributed ModulesOrganic Groups enable users to create and manage their own 'groups'. Each group can have subscribers, and maintains a group home page where subscribers communicate amongst themselves.

Essential Contributed ModulesPathautoautomatically generates human-friendly URL path aliases for content nodes.Google Analytics offers more options and is cleaner than just pasting google analytics code in your site.

Essential Contributed ModulesMollomis an "intelligent" content moderation web service. By monitoring content activity on all sites in the Mollom network, Mollom is in a unique position to determine if a post is potentially spam; not only based on the posted content, but also on the past activity and reputation of the poster.Also provides CAPTCHAs

Core Modules: Hands-onClick Modules  Look at the list!What are your observations about what is currently installed? What modules would you use, and why?Go to http://drupal.org/project/modulesIf you have the ability to download, find one of the modules we talked about and download, install, and customize it.If you can’t download, activate one of the modules and customize it.

Tips for Picking ModulesSimilar to what we’ve already discussed about themes:How many sites use them?Check versionsCheck maintenance infoLast commitsBug reportsCommunity Activity

Keeping it simpleAn investment in CMS simplification and respect for the user experience can yield an extremely powerful system run by satisfied, happy users.

Custom Modules: ExamplesCustom modulesBeyond the scope of what we’ll cover todayYou need a programmerExamples at the University of Houston LibrariesStaff Directory SystemElectronic Database SystemHours with RESTful API

Maintenance & SecurityMaintenanceBacking up your siteKeeping your site up-to-dateSecurityKeep your site safe from spammers and other baddiesUse the correct file permissions settings to prevent manipulation via the web server (Apache)

Maintenance: ConceptsBackups are an important part of your maintenance and security routineWhat needs to be backed up?The MySQL database (most content)The site file structure, especially the “files” directory (uploaded images and files)Backup routines can be automated (cron) to save time and circumvent forgetfulness

Maintenance: ConceptsWhen you opt to use a robust CMS such as Drupal, you are committing to to a maintenance regimeA site that is not maintained becomes a security risk not only to itself, but to the environment hosting itA site that is not maintained will eventually become obsolete and /or broken beyond repair

Maintenance: ConceptsModules and themes need to be updatedView available updates: Reports  Available updatesYour “Available updates” page should look like a healthy lawn, not look like a Christmas treeYour overall version of Drupal core needs to be updated as wellRequires (hopefully a small amount of) down time

Maintenance: ConceptsYour underlying web environment (OS, Apache, PHP, and MySQL) need to remain up-to-date as wellCreate a regular backup and maintenance scheduleRegular updates of both the web server and Drupal components keep the update process shorter and simpler and minimize down time

Maintenance: ExamplesAuraria Library site backupAutomated MySQL database backed up nightly by UC Denver campus ITWeekly backup to shared drive by web staffWeekly backup is sufficient because most commonly changed content is in LibGuidesPersonal site backup demo (time-permitting):Every Friday morning (reminder in Outlook)Back up database with Sequel ProBack up files with Fetch

Maintenance: ExamplesOpen Acquia Dev Desktop Control Panel  Manage my Database  Export

Maintenance: ExamplesAn out-of-date siteAn up-to-date site

Maintenance: Hands-OnReports  Available updatesAll elements of your site-core code base, themes, and modules-are color coded:Green: up-to-dateYellow: update available, but not criticalRed: update required to ensure site securityGray: no update available

Maintenance: Hands-OnCheck for, and update themes and modulesClick “Modules” (or “Reports”)If there are updates available, check the box, and click “Update”Click “Download these updates”

Maintenance: Hands-OnUpdates to Drupal Core require downtimeClone your environment and test before upgrading to a live siteThe more complicated your site, the more complicated the upgrade processAny customizations should be checked

Security: ConceptsControl undesirable user behaviorUnderstand the basics of site securityThe bottom line: Spammers and bad guys WILL find you!

Security: ConceptsControlling user behaviorUser settings:As mentioned earlier, require user account creation by adminsOr, at the very least, require email verificationComment settings:Always set comments for “moderated”IP blocking: somewhat limited in useTDF Module: Mollom

Security: ConceptsEnsure that file permissions settings are secure and not writable by the serverUntrusted users are prevented from inputting dangerous codeErrors are written to the logs, not the screenUnsafe file extensions are not allowedTDF Module: Security Review

Administration TipsCreate role-specific menus (CL example)Hide admin menu from all but adminsView the site as internal and external userLog out and test to see site as external userTDF Module: Devel module allows you to view site as internal user

Final thoughtsDo research on modules FIRSTPay attention to your peersFollow the “use only what you need” philosophyFind balance between usability and functionalityDon’t give users toomany options

Final thoughts“Remove” the extraneous stuffCreate templates for multiple page layoutsCreate roles for basic users as well as advanced usersDocumentationHow certain tools workReasoning for choicesCreate and embed self-help within CMSConduct usability testing on the CMS

http://www.isitedesign.com/insight-blog/10_11/cms-pain-assessment

Further Resources: BooksFoundation Drupal 7, by Robert J. TownsendCracking Drupal: A Drop in the Bucket, by Greg KnaddisonThe Definitive Guide to Drupal 7, tons of authors, published by ApressBeginning Drupal 7, by Todd Tomlinson

Futher Resources: TutorialsLynda, http://www.lynda.com/Some free tutorials, full access requires subscriptionDrupal offerings7 Essential TrainingLullabot, http://www.lullabot.com/Drupal Easy, http://drupaleasy.com/, Free podcasts on Drupal

Further Resources: This ConferenceDrupal IG meeting: Saturday, 1:30-3:30Convention center room 242Four presentations about uses of Drupal in librariesLevel: beginner-advancedDrupal Fail Panel and Group TherapyMonday, 1:30-3:30Convention center room 274A panel of four discussing Drupal failuresLevel: intermediate-advanced

Further Resources: Drupal CommunitiesALA LITA Drupal Interest Grouphttp://connect.ala.org/node/71787Meetings and programming at Midwinter and Annualdrupal4lib email list (n00bs welcome!)Coming soon! Online trainingDrupal.orgCreate a user accountIf you’re a programmer, contribute!

Further Resources: Drupal CommunitiesDrupalibhttp://drupalib.interoperating.info/a place for library Drupallers to hang out that lists library specific modules DrupalconsConferences for Drupallers, different cities every yearDrupal Meetup Groupshttp://drupal.meetup.com/

LITA Happy Hour5:30-8:00 TONIGHT!Howlin’ Wolf Den907 Peters StreetLITA EatsDeparts 7:00 from Happy Hour

Contact InfoNina McHaleWeb LibrarianUniversity of Colorado, Denvernina.mchale@ucdenver.edu@ninermacRachel VacekHead of Web ServicesUniversity of Houston Librariesrevacek@uh.edu@vacekrae

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