Drupal Gardens Essential Training

Author Tom Geller demonstrates how to create and publish a complete web site with the powerful tools in Acquia’s hosted service, Drupal Gardens. The course shows how to leverage the pre-built page layouts and add custom styling using the ThemeBuilder tool; integrate rich site features, such as surveys, user ratings, and media galleries; and push content to Twitter and Facebook. The course also covers transitioning from a Drupal Gardens site to a self-hosted Drupal site. Exercise files are included with the course.

Topics include:

• Creating and managing content and content types
• Embedding videos and other media
• Publishing and subscribing to RSS feeds
• Setting up blocks, banners, menus, and forms
• Allowing users to rate content
• Managing comments and spam
• Tracking site usage
• Collecting feedback with web forms
• Duplicating and deleting sites
• Adding custom domains
• Changing the site’s main logo and favicon
• Adding visual effects with JavaScript libraries

Table of content

Introduction

• Welcome
• Previewing the finished project
• What’s new in the late 2011 update?
• What is Drupal?
• What is Drupal Gardens?
• Getting started with Drupal Gardens
• Getting help
• Using the exercise files

Getting Around Drupal Gardens

• Using the administrative overlay
• Using the dashboard, toolbar, and shortcut bar
• Touring the newly created site
• Configuring the site

Content

• Creating and managing content
• Creating and managing content types
• Embedding YouTube videos and other media
• Subscribing to RSS feeds
• Categorizing RSS feeds
• Managing tags and taxonomies
• Creating dynamic pages with simple views
• Creating complex information collections with Views
• Creating image galleries

Site Structure

• Working with blocks
• Setting up rotating banners
• Understanding menus
• Setting up contact forms
• Adding and removing functionality

Site Membership

• Managing users
• Adjusting user permissions
• Managing comments
• Slowing spam
• Starting discussion forums
• Creating blogs
• Setting up mailing lists
• Allowing users to rate content
• Using best practices for online clubs

Making Sites Interact with the World

• Getting feedback with webforms
• Publishing RSS feeds
• Taking advantage of social media
• Emphasizing external links
• Improving search engine optimization (SEO)
• Internationalizing sites
• Tracking site usage with Google Analytics

Introducing the Theme Builder

• Understanding Drupal themes
• Understanding the Theme Builder
• Switching, saving, and copying themes
• Introducing custom CSS
• Refining selections in the Theme Builder
• Exporting themes

Creating Site Designs with the Theme Builder

• Changing the site’s color palette
• Changing the site’s main logo and favicon
• Changing the column number and arrangement
• Adding background colors and images
• Changing element spacing and borders
• Adjusting typography
• Using fonts from outside sources
• Inserting raw CSS code into themes
• Adding visual effects with JavaScript libraries

Perfecting Site Designs

• Finessing theme design
• Eight ideas for modifying themes

Managing Sites

• Monitoring sites
• Duplicating and deleting sites
• Adding custom domains
• Using exported sites outside of Drupal Gardens
• Hosting exported Drupal Gardens sites

Conclusion

• Goodbye

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