OSU Drupal 6 Boot Camp Workbook

Transcription

1 OSU Drupal 6 Boot Camp Workbook Provided by Central Web Services Contact Call Help Ticket In Association With WebComm Contact Call [email protected]

2 Table of Contents About this Boot Camp 3 Itinerary 3 The Classes 4 The Workbook 4 Before Jumping In 5 Types of OSU Drupal Sites 5 Before Requesting a Site 5 How to Acquire an OSU Drupal Site 5 Once We Receive Your Ticket 6 How to Request a Site Launch 6 Launch Preparation 6 After the Launch 7 OSU Drupal FAQ 7 Analyzing Your Site Needs Lab 9 Basic Site Information 9 Site Map 10 Narrative 11 Taxonomy Lab 13 Vocabulary Drilldown Simple List 13 Vocabulary Drilldown Hierarchical 14 Vocabulary Details 15 Custom Content Lab 16 2

3 About this Boot Camp Itinerary Welcome to the CWS Drupal Boot Camp. We're pleased to have you as a participant for this training event. Below is the itinerary for the next three days. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Basics 8:00 am 10:00 am Content Types 10:15 am 12:00 pm Writing for OSU Brand & Marketing (WebComm) 1:00 pm 2:00 pm Analyzing Your Web Needs 2:00 pm 3:00 pm Prep for next day and Exploratory Lab: 3:15 pm 4:30 pm Developing Site Structures 8:00 am 10:00 am Taxonomy Lab 10:00 am 12:00 pm Applying the OSU Brand / OSU Themes (WebComm) 1:00 pm 2:15 pm Formatting Blocks 2:30 pm 4:30 pm Generating Custom Content Types 8:00 am 10:00 am Plan Your Custom Content Needs 10:15 am 11:00 am Content Development Lab 11:00 am 12:00 pm How to Use Views 1:00 pm 2:45 pm Intermediate Views 3:00 pm 5:00 pm Due to the condensed timeframe we have to work in, and the large class size, we must start promptly at each specified time. If assistance is required, please contact your instructor prior to class by calling CWS at or submitting a help ticket at 3

4 The Classes Day 1 of our event will be an introduction to using Drupal which will guide users through the Drupal environment and walk through basic content development using the default content types. During this time period everyone will be working on a multi user site called Discover Drupal 6. Starting on Day 2 of our event, we'll begin to witness the difference between being a content contributor and a site builder. Each participant in this Boot Camp will have his or her own personal training site and will be the Administrator of this site. The goal, from here on out, is to progressively build a model site called "Food for Thought" using pre developed text content and supplied images. Here we'll start to take a look at the different structural components involved in a Drupal site, and how you can plan, configure, and develop these different structural elements to suit the needs of your site. Day 3 will be fast paced and demanding. On this day we'll tackle advanced topics such as custom content development using the CCK module and how to use the Views module to develop custom database queries and create different ways of displaying the query results. The Workbook The pace of this Boot Camp will be rigorous. You will learn a great deal about many different technical components of the Drupal framework. You will also probably forget some of it, especially if you don't immediately put it into practice, which is why this workbook has been developed. The model we use in class is good for teaching the technical aspects, but most people usually don't completely "get it" until they apply these techniques to a website topic that has personal meaning, such as something work or hobby related. Different participants in this Boot Camp will have different needs. Users who will be functioning as site builders for their organization may find this workbook very useful in the planning or revision of their future site. It's our hope that this tool will help this group of users hit the ground running in terms of planning and preparation. For users who will be working more as content contributors, you will still find value in going through this workbook, learning about the different components involved in a Drupal site and how they are developed. It will provide you with insight that will help you better communicate ideas and issues to whoever is developing and/or administering your site. This workbook is not graded and does not have to be returned to CWS. Feel free to mark it up with notes and ideas that you might have. Keep it around for your personal reference, or use it as a reference for yourself and others who may be working on your site with you. 4

5 Before Jumping In Sometimes trying to figure out where to go and who to talk with regarding different technologies can be difficult and confusing. Before diving too deeply into the planning and building of your training site, we'll go over some preliminary things that you'll need to consider before even requesting a site. Types of OSU Drupal Sites CWS supplies two different types of OSU Drupal Sites Personal Training Sites These are sites that are used as "sandboxes" for individuals to train on. Personal sites are slightly more limited as users are not able to connect to the file directory via an SSH/SFTP client. Personal sites are also never pushed to production. Public Sites These are full service sites that are intended to be viewed by the public once they are built. File directory access via an SSH/SFTP client is possible. Public sites include sites for colleges, departments, groups and organizations, and research. Before Requesting a Site Before requesting a public site, some things need to be determined. Site name o Site Owner o If your organization chooses to have a URL structure where the name is displayed before oregonstate.edu, the proposed name must be approved by the Domain Naming Committee. This can be a time consuming process and must be completed prior to any site request to CWS. For more information about this, please see Network Engineering's Domain Name Policy at The owner of a site must be an OSU employee who possesses some level of authority regarding communications for the organization. Please note that if you are requesting a Drupal site to replace a conventional site, and you are not the owner, the owner must be contacted and approval sent to CWS before we can move forward. How to Acquire an OSU Drupal Site Training Sites Just send a help ticket via requesting a Drupal training site and one will be created for you. Development Sites Once you have a site name and owner established, all you need to do is go to and submit a help ticket requesting a Drupal site. Your 5

6 request will then be queued. Our stated turn around time is 3 business days, but often things will move faster that that. Once We Receive Your Ticket The majority of new and replacement Drupal sites we install start out as either development sites (for public sites) or training sites. Both development and training sites are initially housed in a location called drupaldev. This is a special area where you can develop your site without worry of the public, or search engines, seeing it before it's ready. When sites are in drupaldev, they can always be accessed from on campus. Accessing them remotely, such as from your home, requires a service called VPN. To use VPN for remote access, visit the OSU Computer Help Documents site at campusaccess. Here are several options for all operating systems. Just click on the operating system of your choice and the appropriate instruction set will be made available. Training sites will always stay in the drupaldev area. Development sites, though, when they are ready, are launched into production where the public and search engines have access to the content. How to Request a Site Launch Once your site is ready to launch, all you have to do is send CWS a help ticket via and propose a date and time. Once your request is received, a project manager will contact you regarding your push. When a date and time are agreed upon, your site launch will be queued. Please note the following site push policies: We request at least a week's notification two weeks is even better. A site launch actually requires full human interaction it is not something that is programmed. Therefore it has to be queued up and one of our programmers must actually perform the task. Under most circumstances, if you request a site to be pushed on the following day, this will most likely be denied and a project manager will contact you to establish a time that is possible. CWS will only launch sites on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays of regular working weeks. Since we do not have staff available over the weekends to address any emergency issues, we limit launches to days and times when we will have coverage to assist our customers. Launch Preparation If your site will be replacing an existing site, CWS will archive the old site at the customer's request. Please be aware that any sub directories in a conventional site should be packed up and saved before the Drupal site is launched. Getting access to these directories after a push is performed is difficult and time consuming. 6

7 Prior to the launch your development site will be locked down. No one will be able to log in and make changes during this process. The site will then be moved from drupaldev into the domain where it should normally exist. After the Launch After your site has been launched, it will be unlocked and changes can be made to the live site as needed. Content can be added and removed the site will not need to go back and forth from development to production. After a week, your development site will be removed unless requested otherwise. OSU Drupal FAQ Following are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding OSU Drupal and their respective answers. Is there a charge to use OSU Drupal? There is no charge for a basic installation of OSU Drupal, or basic web hosting through CWS. Custom or special case items will incur a charge. This includes such items as: Use of a virtual host. If your organization requires its name to be before oregonstate.edu in the URL, such as this will require a special set up charge and annual fee. Site development. CWS does not develop sites for free. Drupal is provided so that users can develop their own sites if desired. CWS can be contracted to assist with site building projects, as can WebComm. Theme development. CWS does not design themes. For custom theme design, we suggestion contacting WebComm. WebComm will typically design a theme and then provide CWS with specifications to build it. CWS does not build custom themes for free. Custom theme development can be very expensive therefore WebComm and CWS have partnered up to develop and deliver some very high quality, configurable OSU centric themes in an effort to help reduce web publication costs. We strongly recommend using these themes to both strengthen the OSU brand and to keep costs down. Why Am I Missing Modules In My Drupal Site? If you have different modules or features such as a different looking Text Editor it's likely that you're using a Drupal Installation Profile that is not OSU Drupal. Different colleges and groups here at OSU may have their own Drupal Installations that they run on their own networks. Some of these installations may have different modules than those that are used in OSU Drupal. If you are with: COSINe has its own network and Drupal installation. The contact person for this is Lee Hughes, or via e mail at [email protected]. 7

8 Engineering has its own network and Drupal installation. The contact person for this is Mark Staben, or via e mail at [email protected]. Extension this installation is quite close to OSU Drupal. CWS actually hosts Extension's sites and performs maintenance services for the Extension Drupal profile. There are still some differences in the two installations. The person to contact regarding specific questions about module configurations and permissions is Bryan Mayjor, or via e mail at [email protected]. Forestry has its own network and Drupal installation. For information regarding Forestry's Drupal Installation please contact the Forestry Help Desk at Can I develop a site on the CWS network and then move it to another network? We are unable do this. Due to network accessibility limitations, our maintenance scripts would be unable to update sites moved off of our network. This could potentially pose a security risk for the network the site is moved to if the installation is not adequately maintained. My college has its own network and Drupal installation can we get copies of the OSU Themes? The OSU Themes actually belong to University Advancement/WebComm. The distribution of these themes is as the discretion of the WebComm Director or delegate. Can I install additional modules or delete ones I don't want? No. This is not possible. The installation of different modules would make it impossible to update your site using our update scripts. Can I install my own Drupal site? Yes you can. Please be aware, though, that Drupal requires regular updates. These updates can often be critical, such as in the event of a security concern. If you have your own Drupal site installed on the CWS network, the site is not maintained properly, and it becomes a security risk to our network, we will take the appropriate action to ensure the integrity of our infrastructure and everyone else who is hosted within. Typically this means we have to shut down all external campus access to the offending site. Is Drupal use mandatory? Using Drupal is not mandatory from a university policy standpoint. Some colleges or departments may adopt a policy within their unit where they require their sites to be in Drupal, though. CWS does not have any authority to require this at any level we merely provide the installation, hosting service, and training. 8

9 Analyzing Your Site Needs Lab Basic Site Information The following lab is intended to assist you in determining and organizing basic information about your site. Site Name Site URL Site Objectives Be clear, concise, and pointed. Try to keep each objective contained within a single sentence. Audience Info Your audience plays a large factor in deciding the best approach for communication. As an example, there is a big difference between a very technical audience versus a very creative audience. If multiple audience categories, exist, choose them. If additional categories are needed, use the provided space. Age Range Gender Language F M U Audience Categories Future Students Current Students Internat'l Students Alumni Parents E Learning Employees Employers Technical/Research Government Community Creative Features Your site can have many different features. Select any features that apply at right. If additional features are desired, use the provided space. Announcements Bibliographies Chaptered Content FAQ Keyword Searches Multimedia Collections News Releases People Highlights Polls RSS In RSS Out Technical Articles 9

10 Site Map Use the space provided below to draw out a simple site map. Consider, especially, sections that your site may have. For example, many college sites here at OSU have sections specifically designated for Students, which may be further broken down into Future Students and Current Students, or Undergraduates and Graduates. A front page element and starter sections have already been added for you. Add or cross out elements as needed. 10

11 Narrative If your site has sections, use the following pages to write a brief description of the function of each section. Try to keep it within one short paragraph. Section Name Description Subsections (if applicable) Name: Name: Name: Description: Description: Description: Section Name Description Subsections (if applicable) Name: Name: Name: Description: Description: Description: 11

12 Section Name Description Subsections (if applicable) Name: Name: Name: Description: Description: Description: Section Name Description Subsections (if applicable) Name: Name: Name: Description: Description: Description: 12

13 Taxonomy Lab The Taxonomy module is a basic, core module that can serve many different purposes in a Drupal site. Typically, Taxonomy is used to create keyword lists and/or term definitions. In OSU Drupal 6, the Glossary module is available, which provides a real time, context sensitive help feature. To use the Glossary module, at least one vocabulary must be created. The following lab is intended to assist you in developing any vocabularies that your site may require. First, drill down a vocabulary of your choice and then provide some details for it. Vocabulary Drilldown Simple List If your vocabulary does not require any type of hierarchy, it is basically just a simple list of terms and definitions, where applicable. Vocabulary Name Term, Acronym, etc Definition (if applicable) 13

14 Vocabulary Drilldown - Hierarchical If your vocabulary is hierarchical, a deeper drill down will be required. Use the provided diagram to brainstorm a hierarchical vocabulary, if needed. Add or cross out Parent and/or Child elements as needed. Once the vocabulary has been brainstormed, it can then be organized into an outline and definitions may be added, as applicable. Child Term Child Term Parent Term Child Term Vocabulary Name Child Term Parent Term Parent Term Child Term Child Term 14

15 Vocabulary Details Once you have an idea of the terms you want in your vocabulary, you can then determine how you want to use these terms in your site. Remember, vocabularies can be used on any content type, including custom ones so you could, in effect, have a particular vocabulary that is associated with just one content type (such as an Employee Profile content type and an Org Chart vocabulary). Vocab Name Description Help Text Used to provide on screen instruction to the contributors selecting items from the vocabulary Ex 1: "To select multiple terms, or deselect terms, hold the Ctrl key (PC) or Apple key (Mac) while clicking." Ex 2: "Only one term may be selected from this list. To deselect terms, hold the Ctrl key (PC) or Apple key (Mac) while clicking." Content Types (if you wish to provide this list to your contributors to use as a controlled tagging list, select the content type(s) the list should appear on) Provided Content Types Announcement Biblio Book Page Page Poll Story Custom Content Types Settings Tags Commonly known as "freetagging", this is where terms are created by users as they submit posts. Multiple tags can be submitted by typing in a comma separated list. Multiple Select If you would like your users to be able to select multiple terms from a vocabulary, select this. Otherwise users will be presented with a drop down menu that allows the selection of only one term. Required Take care when selecting this option. If this box is checked, your users must select at least one term from the list before a post can be submitted. 15

16 Custom Content Lab Custom content types are content submission forms that are used for groups of related content. For example, an Employee Profile content type could be created that displays information about the employees in your department. Using this feature helps ensure consistency in how information is both gathered and displayed. The following lab is intended to assist you in collecting and organizing information regarding any custom content type needs that your site may have. The chart below has been provided to help determine data types and widgets for the content planning forms on the following pages. Available Data Types and Widgets Data types are in bold, widgets are indented. Date Select List Select List/Repeat option Text field custom Text field repeat option Text field pop up Text field pop up/repeat Decimal Text field Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Single check box Embedded Video 3 rd Party Video Integer Text field Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Single check box Text Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Single check box Text field Text area (multiple rows) Datestamp Select List Select List/Repeat option Text field custom Text field repeat option Text field pop up Text field pop up/repeat Embedded Audio File Link 3 rd Party Audio File Upload Image Link User Reference Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Autocomplete text field Datetime Select List Select List/Repeat option Text field custom Text field repeat option Text field pop up Text field pop up/repeat Embedded Image Float 3 rd Party Image Text field Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Single check box Node Reference Select List Check boxes/radio buttons Autocomplete text field 16

17 Content Type General Information (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Add content type tab or edit link) Content Type Name Description Submission form settings some general settings for default elements that appear on all forms Title & Body field labels: Change the labels of the Title and Body field, if desired Explanation or Submission Guidelines: This shows up as instructional text at the top of the content type submission form and is seen only by your content contributors. Title Label: Body Label: Workflow Settings what do you want your content to do when you submit it? Default options: In OSU Drupal 6, usually the only options you may want to check are Published and Create new revision Published Promoted to front page Sticky at top of lists Create new revision Multilingual Support: Multilingual sites are possible in OSU Drupal 6, but CWS does not currently provide training in how to build one. Disabled Enabled Enabled, with translation Attachments: This allows users to attach files to nodes, similar to how you would in an e mail. Disabled Enabled Content Type Fields (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Content type manage fields link) Field Name Data Type & Widget Required Associated Taxonomy Vocabularies (configure at Administer > Content management > Taxonomy) Permissions must be granted for users to create and edit content using this content type (configure at Administer > User management > Permissions) node module group Author Adv. Author Admin Custom Role Create X content Delete any X content Delete own X content Edit any X content Edit own X content 17

18 Content Type General Information (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Add content type tab or edit link) Content Type Name Description Submission form settings some general settings for default elements that appear on all forms Title & Body field labels: Change the labels of the Title and Body field, if desired Explanation or Submission Guidelines: This shows up as instructional text at the top of the content type submission form and is seen only by your content contributors. Title Label: Body Label: Workflow Settings what do you want your content to do when you submit it? Default options: In OSU Drupal 6, usually the only options you may want to check are Published and Create new revision Published Promoted to front page Sticky at top of lists Create new revision Multilingual Support: Multilingual sites are possible in OSU Drupal 6, but CWS does not currently provide training in how to build one. Disabled Enabled Enabled, with translation Attachments: This allows users to attach files to nodes, similar to how you would in an e mail. Disabled Enabled Content Type Fields (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Content type manage fields link) Field Name Data Type & Widget Required Associated Taxonomy Vocabularies (configure at Administer > Content management > Taxonomy) Permissions must be granted for users to create and edit content using this content type (configure at Administer > User management > Permissions) node module group Author Adv. Author Admin Custom Role Create X content Delete any X content Delete own X content Edit any X content Edit own X content 18

19 Content Type General Information (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Add content type tab or edit link) Content Type Name Description Submission form settings some general settings for default elements that appear on all forms Title & Body field labels: Change the labels of the Title and Body field, if desired Explanation or Submission Guidelines: This shows up as instructional text at the top of the content type submission form and is seen only by your content contributors. Title Label: Body Label: Workflow Settings what do you want your content to do when you submit it? Default options: In OSU Drupal 6, usually the only options you may want to check are Published and Create new revision Published Promoted to front page Sticky at top of lists Create new revision Multilingual Support: Multilingual sites are possible in OSU Drupal 6, but CWS does not currently provide training in how to build one. Disabled Enabled Enabled, with translation Attachments: This allows users to attach files to nodes, similar to how you would in an e mail. Disabled Enabled Content Type Fields (configure at Administer > Content management > Content types > Content type manage fields link) Field Name Data Type & Widget Required Associated Taxonomy Vocabularies (configure at Administer > Content management > Taxonomy) Permissions must be granted for users to create and edit content using this content type (configure at Administer > User management > Permissions) node module group Author Adv. Author Admin Custom Role Create X content Delete any X content Delete own X content Edit any X content Edit own X content 19