Drupal Overview Prepared by : Agustin D. Gumogda Jr. Instructor

Content Types ‘Node’ is the basis for all content types All ‘nodes’ contain title, body, create date, published, etc. CCK Module allows the addition of any kind of field (text, radio, select, checkbox, image, date, etc) New modules can be created for content types by using the Node API.

Modules Modules are extensions or add-ons to Drupal that add a specific feature or features Modules can easily integrate with Drupal core or other modules by using the Drupal API ( - An application programming interface is a specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other.

Blocks Blocks allow the placement of secondary content in various regions on the page Out-of-the-box Drupal allows 5 regions (left column, right column, header, footer and content) Modules can provide blocks with specific functionality Custom blocks can be created

Users, Roles, Permissions Drupal provides a very flexible authentication system (far above other CMS’s) Users can be created by an admin or can self-register Each user can be placed into 1 or more groups called a ‘Role’ Each role can define very specific permissions for users

Taxonomy Taxonomy is a method of categorizing your content in a flexible way Taxonomy is usually the most confusing aspect of Drupal for the uninitiated Category groups are defined as “Vocabularies” Categories themselves are defined as “Terms”

URL Aliases Makes Drupal sites easily SEO friendly URLs typically have variables embedded in them that are required by PHP to process the page request correctly URL alias mask these url variables with any URL of your choice The PathAuto module allows logical rules to be used in automatically creating path alias’ for content

Menus and Navigation Drupal allows the creation of unlimited menu groups, each with it’s own hierarchy Menu items can be tied directly to a content page or be unattached Menu system is tied to permissions, so menu items will only appear for users with permission to view that page

Theming Themes involve HTML templates, CSS files, and a template.php file for custom theme code and theme function overrides HTML templates use PHP snippets for inserting variables and control structures Zen theme is a great starting theme for creating custom designs