This document provides an overview of the open source content management system Drupal. It describes Drupal as a flexible CMS built on PHP and modular architecture. Core features include nodes, taxonomy, views, and themes. Key terms are defined such as modules, blocks, and users/roles. The document outlines some top Drupal modules, advantages of Drupal for libraries, potential obstacles, and resources for learning more.

1. Drupal:
an
overview
Matt Weaver
Web Librarian
Westlake Porter Public Library
facebook.com/mattweaver
@mattrweaver

2. What is Drupal?
• Content management system(CMS) / content
management framework (CMF)
• Open source
• File structure written in PHP
• Supports several databases:
 MySQL, postgresql the most common
• Prefers Apache (over Microsoft IIS)
• Prefers Linux

3. What is Drupal?
• “Drupal is like a Lego kit.
Skilled developers have
already made the
building blocks - in the
form of contributed
modules - that you need
to create a site that suits
your needs…”--
http://drupal.org/getting
-started/before/overview

4. Some Drupal terms
• Nodes = “content types”
 stories, pages, blog entries, custom
• Comments – attached to nodes
• Blogs – every user gets one
• Blocks – containers for content
• Users
 Roles
• Modules
• Themes
• Taxonomy

5. Modules
• PHP-written functions that are executed to do
something:
 Create a node
 Display an image
 Organize taxonomy terms
 Set access restrictions
 et cetera
• Core and contributed

6. Themes
• The layout of the site
• CSS
• Template files: php
 Custom templates for node types, front page, user
login…
• Core and contributed

7. Nodes = content types
• Default types:
 Page – “policies”
 Story – announcements
• Custom:
 Content Construction Kit (CCK)
• Import modules
• node_save method

8. Drupal: the deets
• Nearly 11,000 modules
• Nearly 1,200 themes
• Current supported versions are 6 & 7
 Which should you choose?
 Depends on our site’s needs:
▫ D7 is slick, but lots of modules haven’t been written for it
yet.

9. The Case for Drupal
• Versatile: allows for customization
• Extensible: “there’s a module for that”
• Sometimes Wordpress is not enough
• One Web Librarian can build a lot of
functionality with those Lego blocks

10. The Case for Drupal
• For Libraries: Strong library community incl.
library-related modules
▫ XC (extensible catalog)
▫ Sopac (integrates catalog to drupal website)
▫ Biblio (manage and display lists of scholarly
publications )
▫ MARC (imports MARC records to nodes)
▫ and others

11. Obstacles
• Learning curve can be steep, which can increase
development time/costs
• Nearly 11,000 modules and 1,200 themes
▫ Sometimes poorly maintained/abandoned
▫ Only as good as the developer who wrote them
• Quality of support

12. Obstacles
• Getting more complex:
▫ Lines between data structures getting
blurred/overridden/emended
• Can be overkill for a small site
▫ Sometimes Wordpress is better

13. The Drupal
Development
stack:
The further down you
go, the more damage
errors can do to your
site.

14. Essential Modules
• Content Construction Kit (CCK)
▫ Custom node type: eresource
taxonomy
Node Title
Default node “body”
Link fields
Attached image/image field

15. Essential Modules
• Views module:
framework for
displaying
database data
from queries
• User interface,
not SQL
commands
• Simple to
complex
A table view of a custom content type

16. Essential Modules:
Panels
• Panels:
templates for
pages/nodes
• Override theme
restrictions
• Incorporate
blocks, nodes,
views
• Can restrict
access to
specific panels

17. A Panel Dissected
Custom Rotating
content image
just in this Slideshow(
panel. Views)
Tabbed
Block: used
block
on other
(quicktabs
pages
module)
that
displays Block of
views Feed data
(aggregator
Another Module)
Quicktabs
block
Node content
(page)

18. Drupal at WPPL
Main site and three subsites

19. Drupal at WPPL

20. Drupal at WPPL

21. Drupal at WPPL

22. Drupal at WPPL
Intranet
Online forms w/ email notification:
Online Incident Report Form (CCK): automatically emails form to
director/assistant directors
Online meeting signup
Maintenance Request form
Subsite for tech support staff: knowledge management system/repository

23. Multisite
• One instance of Drupal core
• If one module is used in all sites
(CCK, Views, Panels) install it
once
• Install distinct modules for
subsite in that site directory only
• Easier to maintain, lightweight
• Lots of ways to do multisite
• Some reconfiguring of Apache,
other subsystems.

24. XHTML & CSS
• Themes
▫ Choosing/buying
▫ Rolling your own
▫ Theming hacks (views, node templates)
• Node content
▫ Text editors offer some control, depending on the
user.

25. Other uses
Opportunities to create cost savings by building
functionality provided by vendors
▫ Room reservation
▫ Course reserves
▫ libguides

26. Drupal Skills
• Get your hands dirty
• Foundation of XHTML & CSS will serve you very well
• Database stuff
▫ Basic SQL commands
▫ Understanding the Drupal database
▫ Maintenance: module updates/upgrades
▫ Errors: Can destroy your site

27. Drupal Skills
<?php
• PHP $path_pieces = explode('/',
▫ At least a little drupal_get_path_alias($_GET
▫ Use/hack existing ['q']));?><p style="text-align:
center;"><a
scripts/snippets href="/movielists/?
▫ Develop your own q=taxonomy/term/<?php print
$path_pieces[2]; ?
theme >/moviecatexport"
▫ Theming Views onMouseOver="ImageOnly1.s
▫ Errors: Can break rc='/sites/www.westlakelibrary
.org.movielists/modules/movie
your site. cat/images/new_download_h
over.png'"…
A real drupal snippet, trapped
in the wild.

28. Development guidelines
• Never do development on a production server
This setup is good
Test site: Production server:
(all development work from experimental
to production quality)

29. Development guidelines
This setup is better
Test site Production server
(crash test dummy) Staging Server:
Stores backup of production site:
Minor tweaks

30. How to play with Drupal
• Xampp: preconfigured web server environment
(free)
 Apache
 Mysql
 PHP
 Phpmyadmin (GUI for database)
 For Mac, Linux and Windows
• Plenty of tutorials for installing xampp
• Drupal.org
• A good tutorial on installing Drupal 6 on
xampp:
▫ http://bit.ly/ds3Wp

31. To learn more

32. To learn more
ALA Library Technology Report: Using Drupal Great book on theming
Drupal in Libraries Excellent General
Text for Webmasters

33. Get Help
• Drupal4Lib – Listserv : essential
 Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful participants
 Responsive
• Drupalove.com
• Lullabot.com – incl. podcast
• Gotdrupal.com
• Yadadrop.com/drupal-video

34. Get Help
• Drupal.com/community
▫ Module/theme issues
▫ Forums
• Groups.drupal.org – can be local, regional; or can be
topic-specific