Drupal's Module Must Have in Your Site

Drupal is a powerful content management with hundreds and hundreds of modules available for free to extend the basic core Drupal functionalities. However, it could be puzzling for beginners to find the modules that suit them best. Here are my 10 must have drupal modules for every website.

1- Administration Menu
The Administration Menu module is a real time-saver for Drupal site administrators. This is the very first module I install for any Drupal websites. It creates a theme independent CSS-based menu on the top of the page with quick access to the most important administrative tasks and can be displayed for specific roles. Once you started using this module, you can’t help loving it.

2- FCKeditor - WYSIWYG HTML editor
If it is your client or any common user, he doesn’t like to add html tags in content to apply styles. This is wonderful module that gives visual text editor to Drupal’s text areas. Though there are couple of text editors like WYSIWYG API & TinyMCE, This module is easy to use and majority of the drupalers prefer to use this than other. Before installing this module, have a look at the readme.txt file of the module.

3- Content Construction Kit (CCK)
CCK is probably one of the most famous drupal modules and allows you to add custom fields to nodes using a web browser. If you are building any site that uses more than just title and body in your node, CCK is a must have. This is one of the modules that makes drupal unique and different from any other CMS’s.

4- Views
Views is a powerful module since it empowers people who are unfamiliar with SQL or PHP to generate a list of records which can be displayed in Pages, Blocks, or wherever you need. This module need a bit of a learning curve but it’s worth investing. Almost all large drupal sites use views module and there are lots of stuff you can do than you imagine.

5- ImageField
This is a great add-on to CCK module. It will allow you to add or upload image to your custom content types. I always choose Imagefield than the default drupal upload module. This module is more flexible and easy to control using views modules.

6. Backup and Migrate
This is another notable module for any drupal website. Using this module you can take backup of your database at schedules intervals or manually when needed. I often use this module to restore the database when I did something messy.

7- Pathauto
Pathauto allows you to create user and SEO friend aliases to your content. Normally Drupal path would be www.example.com/node/12 (node id) but when you install this module, you can manipulate the drupal path with user friendly URLs like www.example.com/content/some-text.
This module also enables you to have custom pattern of URLs for different content type.

8. Webform
You can create advance forms using Webform modules where you can capture user data. Typical uses for Webform are questionnaires, contact or request/register forms, surveys, polls or a front end to issues tracking systems.

9- Google Analytics
Enable Google Analytics to your drupal sites and get all useful stats about your site and users. Rather than manually inserting google analytics code in each page, you just need to install this module and add your unique Google Analytics account number (in the format UA-XXXXXX-X) in the module configuration page.

10.CAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA is a challenge-response test most often placed within web forms to determine whether the user is human. The purpose of CAPTCHA is to block form submissions by spambots, which are automated scripts that post spam content everywhere they can. It's easy to install and setup but most importantly, it looks clean and effective.

Have you used all these modules? What are your favorite module for any drupal installation? Let me here you in the comments.

How To Install Drupal

How to install Drupal to your server is relatively the same as how to install WordPress to your server. You can use Fantastico to install Drupal or do it manually. I suggest you do it manually because managing Drupal will usually require you to access the backend of your website. It will be of great advantage to us if during installation, we can familiarize the directory structure of Drupal. We will follow the same steps in installing WordPress manually on manual installation of Drupal.

Install Drupal Manually
Many of the the steps we will do here are essential skills on managing our Drupal powered website.
1. Go to Drupal.org and download the latest release of Drupal. It is an archive package of .tar.gz extension.
2. Login to your cPanel account by going to example.com:2082
3. Upload the Drupal package to the folder in your server where you want to install Drupal. For step by step guide on how to upload files to your server, refer to my previous post How to Upload Files to the Server.
4. Extract the .tar.gz package. Make sure that all Drupal files and folders are inside the directory where you want to install Drupal. Meaning, if you want to install Drupal at the root directory of your site, make sure that all Drupal files and folders are inside public_html not inside public_html/drupal-x.xx.
5. Inside the cPanel, scroll down to "Databases" and click "MySQL Databases" icon.
6. In "Create New Database" enter the name of your database. In most cases, cPanel will prefix your database name with your web hosting username. The complete name of your database would then be accountname_databasename.
7. Add a "New MySQL User". It is a good practice to name your user the same as the name of your database.
8. Add the new user to the new database and give the user all privileges over that database. This can be accomplished in "Add User To Database" section below the "New MySQL User".
9. In the Drupal directory, look for the file named default.settings.php. It is located at ./sites/default folder, where "." represents the directory where you install Drupal. Copy it to another folder, rename it to settings.php then move it back to ./sites/default folder.
10. You are now ready to run the Drupal installation. Go to your website by typing example.com to the web browser. Follow the screen instruction and supply all the necessary information for your Drupal website.

Install Drupal with the use of Fantastico
Using Fantastico to install Drupal is really straightforward.
1. Login to your cPanel account by going to example.com:2082
2. In the cPanel, scroll down to "Software/Services" and click the "Fantastico" icon.
3. In Fantastico, look for Drupal in the sidebar and click it.
4. Read the on-screen instructions and supply all necessary information for your Drupal website.
That's it, using Fantastico is very easy but I discourage you to use it. Here are some reasons why.
• You have no control over the name of the database and database user.
• You cannot control which Drupal release you are going to install. Many times, Fantastico is not updated with the latest release of Drupal.
• Learning the directory structure of Drupal is very essential in maintaining your site. You will loss the opportunity of dealing with Drupal's directory when going with Fantastico.

Site Rotator

It's SO easy...

Tell PageSwirl what web pages you want to advertise. The system then keeps a list of all the URL addresses which you can easily add or delete at any time from the private members area.

Advertise one single URL address! PageSwirl creates your own personal rotator web page. When visitors access the URL, PageSwirl automatically transports them to one of the web pages you've chosen to advertise.

That's ALL there is to it! Just think of all that extra time you'll be able to enjoy from this point on!


.... Find out more!

Drupal's Review

Why is Drupal so Flexible?
As a outcome of Drupal is open up-supply, there are hundreds of "modules" or modest mini-elements accessible. These modules are designed by particular person programmers and some business software program businesses, which work within the Drupal! framework to found your net website many various abilities-from social networking to ecommerce and more.

Drupal is like getting a modular house style. For those who require a single other area for your house, you merely create an additional area module. With Drupal, in case you will need an event registration web page and database seize, you'll be able to merely add an celebration "module" to the web site.

Acquiring Acquainted With Drupal
The Drupal.org internet web site provides you several data about Drupal, including an web demo, boards and documentation. There are hyperlinks to real internet sites making use of Drupal on the Drupal.org internet site which can current you the way diverse Drupal may be created to search and how it is getting employed.

Is Drupal Correct for Your Web site?
Provided how flexible Drupal, and the quantity of modules out there to provide the content material administration program so numerous additional options, the reply is yes. Needless to say Drupal is totally free, nevertheless there are some licensing restrictions, so keep in mind to discover the higher top quality print. Whilst a great deal of the more than three,800 modules are totally free to download and use, some modules aren't totally free, and certain individual module help can vary from minimal to extraordinarily good and every little thing else in involving.

Lastly, as a result of there are so numerous modules, prepare on investing numerous time reviewing, downloading, putting in and testing modules.Drupal Interface

Drupal's Interface

Drupal 6

Drupal is an start-source Internet Improvement Framework or Content material Management Program(CMS). It is normally a potent software program framework, which suggests it's created so numerous option internet site capabilities could be additional by utilizing "modules" or mini-programs.Drupal's roots return to 2001 and Drupal has emerged in the previous couple of years as a single the most nicely-liked start-supply CMS programs currently being employed, and boasts possessing over 650,000 group customers and contributors. Drupal utilizes PHP and MySQL or PostgreSQL and is really adaptable. It is much more than simply widespread-it just operates effectively and a volunteer community retains generating it far better and greater.



How does Drupal operate?
Like all Content material Management Methods, Drupal can make use of a database to comprise all the internet site's content or textual content material, then combines the textual content material with an world wide web website template design in an effort to produce internet website web pages.

An Adminstrator page enables the internet site administrator to log in and have manage more than your total internet website, for making menu structures, which includes modules, new webpages. Drupal permits you to assign totally different people entirely different ranges of abilities. For illustration, you could have to have a amount of individuals writing content material for the net website, nevertheless not in a position to publish the subject material. Diverse workers can have the energy to edit and publish. This method is wonderful for organizations the area you need several contributors, nevertheless you may possibly want to maintain strict control around the web site's subject material.

Built-in Person Registration
Undoubtedly one of Drupal's most effective options is that it may possibly perhaps register consumers and give accepted people entry to net website menus and webpages not observed to the closing public. The individual registration and client login method can be utilized for providing your staff access to worker-solely web pages, or giving your purchasers entry to buyer-only web pages, or gross sales representatives entry to their really very own location - or all the above.
You can as well simply e mail all registered customers, so maintaining groups of people utilizing your internet site informed is straightforward to do. If you do not want individual registration, you'll be in a position to purely disable this characteristic.

How is Drupal Currently being Employed?

• For firm internet sites and portals 
• For corporate intranets and extranets 
• For neighborhood-based mostly mostly portals 
• For little enterprise internet websites 
• For E-commerce web sites 
• For on-line magazines, newspapers 
• For on-line publishing 
• For Authorities functions 
• For private web sites 
• For school and church internet sites

Modifying and Publishing Produced Simple
The location Drupal truly shines is as soon as it's set up and configured. You and your personnel can very easily edit website internet site subject material substance, upload photos and produce new web pages, all devoid of acquiring to know HTML.
You almost certainly have a huge internet site with information that modifications shortly or news that needs to be extra working day by day, Drupal is a excellent CMS.
Drupal has quite a few modules for managing news content articles, and may possibly mechanically rotate new written content substance into webpages or areas of webpages you designate. You too can set the date to robotically publish or expire articles or blog posts or subject material inside of the internet site.

Drupal capabilities embrace:

• Investigation by crucial phrase and superior look for operation 
• Registration program for users with entirely distinct menus for various teams 
• Customers may be assigned enhancing and publishing privileges 
• Entirely net-primarily primarily based administration program 
• Can make use of PHP and mySQL 
• Available resource code 
• More than 4,600 modules to offer several fascinating net website options

The New Trend in Web Development

Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual, a community of users, or an enterprise to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website.

Photoshop Made Photos

Images I've done in Adobe CS 5. Hope you like it...

Search Engine Optimization

 

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is the route of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier (or higher on the page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.

As one of Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.