Posted by joedully on March 6, 2011 at 9:54pm
Drupal case studies, guidelines and forward
I have benefited greatly from reverse review of production-site case studies in Drupal 6. I expect the same from Drupal 7 as more and more designers/developers start using version 7.
Current guidelines for how a case study can make it on the front page of Drupal (sites for review at the bottom of the page)
http://drupal.org/front-page-schedule
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Forum thread of current case studies
http://drupal.org/forum/25
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Planet Drupal restructuring efforts (ideas, tutorials and everything else Drupal related)
http://chicago2011.drupal.org/forum/planet-drupal-bof
Comments
Thank You Joe
I have read some Drupal 7 documentation but it all just seems to explain how to install or select admin options. That's nice but why do I select the options. What will that look like when I log out and view as a visitor.
I agree reverse engineering is very helpful. I looked at Rutgers.edu which is a nice website built with Drupal (from what I read). It is good, but I don't see a login to drupal admin, all I see is a website I would like to build. I not only don't need to login to Rutgers.edu but they don't really expect login. Most websites I visit don't require that I login!
I'm to new to suggest how documentation should be structured. I just know I bought 2 books that are somewhat identical and don't really provide what I need.
One more thing, I read on Drupal.org that it was decided a beginner forum was not necessary. From my experience, I totally disagree. How to install is not the issue. How to select admin options is not the issue. I can read about nodes, blocks, fields, content, taxonomy and permissions. BUT. My issue is how do I put those concepts into a (non-login .. anonymous user) website like I previously had running? Trial and error requires more time than I have available.
How to make millions in just 3 months!
The answer? Write some docs that show examples of how to build several functional sites using Drupal. I mentioned this at the last meeting. From my research, I am up to my ears in documentation that defines the pieces of Drupal. Nowhere does anyone describe how to put them together for anything practical. If someone would write a book to show how to use drupal to make:
...and maybe a couple of other types that I can't think up on the spot. I'm seriously thinking about making a subscription site that will teach Drupal via practical tutorials since the entire planet seems to be devoid of such information. Since you don't have time for trial and error, I think the only solution would be hiring a consultant to be a personal tutor. I had someone ask me to do just that last week. We'll see how it goes.
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She was a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
What is your background?
What perspective are you coming from? There are lots of ways to learn Drupal. Basically, its composed of building blocks that you may or may not find useful in your site design. Typically when working on a project I gather
The first couple of sites I built really sucked, but after awhile you make your own platform (set of modules / themes / glue code) that does the majority of what you need. Once you are comfortable with your toolset, you might make a few sites with it, and then later on decide to try a different way.
If you are not interested in trial and error, you might hire a consultant, or perhaps use a Drupal Installation Profile or Distribution (Drupal Commons? Open Atrium) to get most of your functionality, and just finish off the theme layer.
This is just food for thought, attempting to meet you half way. Feel free to ask more questions, the SODIGroup is friendly and receptive.
Absolutely True Quincunx55555
I absolutely agree with the comment "How to make millions in just three months". The problem is not lack of documentation. The problem is documentation that is focused on a particular outcome.
My comment about "trial and error" was probably a poor choice of words. My background includes PHP, HTML, CSS and canned JavaScript (why recreate the wheel). Of course some Apache2, lots of MySQL and a few varieties of Linux. At home my PC is WAMP with Drupal 7. And yes all programming requires some trial and error.
But CMS does many things underneath the surface so flipping options in admin is somewhat risky and keeping track of what got flipped is difficult. For PHP I just focus on a class or function so if something doesn't work it is pretty clear where, why and how the problem or error was created. My objective for now is not a specific ecommerce site, newsletter site or social networking site, etc. My objective is to try all those features so there is no distinct project plan. I guess the project is "learn Drupal 7" (for now).
I won't continue asking the same thing because that is not constructive. As I move beyond beginner, I would certainly be happy to work with anyone or any group that is interested in working on the art of beginner documentation. Quincunx55555, I would be happy to talk to you about your concept of practical tutorials. I am not sure how I can help at this time but but if I can you have a good idea!
Improving Drupal docs and a code sprint!
Here is a good example of people coming together (in a "sprint" format) to foster better Guides & Documentation for Drupal. This announcement provides a description of what is needed, what will be covered, and also shows how this event will contribute to the Drupal community... And... it looks like fun :)
http://groups.drupal.org/node/132194
- Joe
Drupal