Class 3-1

Syllabus: Class 3-1

Content Management Systems

This term our project group will explore the use of a popular open source CMS called Drupal. Here is some general information about CMS definitions and choices.

Drupal is the CMS we'll be investigating this term.

What is Drupal?

Drupal at WWU

• VikingVillage
• WesternToday
• GAIA

Companies that use Drupal

See list at drupal. Includes Sony, AOL, FastCompany, Yahoo, Warner Bros and many others. Also IUPUI and their Herron School of Art & Design

Learning More about Drupal

Get Drupal.org log in

In order to get maximum benefit from the drupal.org site, including the ability to do a filtered search through the many themes and modules, you must create a login.

Drupal Learning Resources

• Drupal.org - first stop for all questions - create a login for full usage of the site
  • Getting Started - lots of great documentation and reading here
• Consider join one of the (fairly) local Drupal User's Groups (DUGs)
  • Seattle
  • Vancouver, BC
• Set up a Drupal site on your own computer (localhost)
  • Acquia Drupal (acquia.com)

    This company provides a free download of their version of drupal (pre-packaged with the most popular modules) as well as a full DAMP (Drupal, Apache, MySQL, PHP) for Windows. Easiest way to experiment with Drupal

Some Drupal Books

See the Books page for this term

Starting to think about a Drupal site

• Plan your site
• Explore from the user point-of-view
  • Drupal Terms: Block | Node | Module | Theme
• Installation
• Administration
• Theming
• Shopping Cart
• CCK and custom types

Our Site for this Term

For those continuing to work on personal sites, the access will not change from last term. (see above)

For working on Drupal we will be using a new site (see below)

Tools you'll need this term

• FTP tool - use filezilla on your home computer
• Zip tool - 7-zip works well http://www.7-zip.org/
• CPanel for our site - sign into as at right

Intro to CPanel

• Files / File Manager (files, folders, moving files, extracting, permissions)
• Databases (create MySQL databases and users)
• Mail (create email addresses for site admins; access webmail)
• Software /Services / Fantastico (installing software)

More CPanel Documentation here

OPTIONAL: Setting up a Drupal Instance on your own computer

Option 1: Acquia - recommended for PC, Mac users.

Option 2: Manual method:

2a - First set up Apache, PHP, MySQL

• For Mac: http://www.mamp.info/en/index.php
• For PC: http://www.en.wampserver.com/

2b - then install Drupal from drupal.org