From my talk at DrupalCamp Michigan 2016, this presentation covers the basic components of Drupal, compares Drupal to alternate content management systems (CMS) like Wordpress and DNN, and provides an overview of how to plan for design and development of your Drupal website.
5. Components
View
A database query that returns content
(in most cases)
Examples:
• List of recent blog posts
• Upcoming events
• Staff members tagged as
“Researchers”
6. Components
Node
Single piece of content
Unique web address
Analogy:
One page in a Word
document
Block View
Single piece of content
No web address
Analogy:
The header and footer
of the document
One or more pieces of
content
Display as node or block
Analogy:
The table of contents
showing all other pages
10. Drupal can be complicated!
Any questions so far?
Quick Intermission
11. CMS Comparison
Drupal
+ Free and open-source
+ Global development community
+ Highly customizable
– Learning curve
– Decentralized support
12. CMS Comparison
Wordpress
+ Very user-friendly
+ Global development community
+ Built for blogging
– Some paid extensions
– Difficulty customizing
– Security issues
13. CMS Comparison
Joomla
+ Many free plugins (extensions)
+ Easy to install
– Security issues
– Small development community
– Some paid extensions
14. CMS Comparison
DNN (formerly DotNetNuke)
+ Powerful and flexible
+ Drag-and-drop admin interface
+ Developer community and pro support
– Expensive licensing for top tiers
– Limited support
20. Building with Drupal
Custom Content Types
Define structured content fields
Easy for content editors and end users
Database queries through Views module
No coding,but some learning
21. Building with Drupal
Developing Without Code
Possible,but limited
Configure through admin interface
Use modules to customize
Choose available theme
22. Building with Drupal
Customizing with Code
HTML/CSS: General development
PHP: Themes and Modules
MySQL: Databases
JavaScript: Interactive elements
28. User Roles and Permissions
Users can be given one or more user roles,
granting permissions and abilities that can be customized.
Samples and Use Cases
34. Jeff Pompliano
Project Manager
Gravity Works Design + Development
jp@gravityworksdesign.com
Thank You!
Iconography from Noun Project thenounproject.com
Website screenshots used with permission.