Building a Community Site using Drupal 6 Blueprints
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Druptutorial is intended to be quite simple initially, and will have the following main features:
- Users will be able to create detailed profile pages for themselves (names , interests, and so on)
- Users will be able to create blogs, which will be shown on a general blog page and be available for comments
- Users will be able to create special interest groups of their own
- There will be a forum for users to express their views and opinions on several subjects including tutorials, music, film and video, and concerts
- Users will be able to create polls and have others vote on them
- Users will have access to real-time chat
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[edit] Theme
The theme chosen is "Multiflex-3, which is a contribution theme. Tony chose this theme as he liked it and thought it would attract interest and draw favorable attention from the University students.
[edit] Build Druptutorial
Tony is not looking for anything fancy like Facetutorial or MySpace but just a weekend project. All he wants is a simple community portal with basic social networking features, which can be summarized as follows:
- Tony wants users to be able to create and maintain clubs on the portal
- He wants users to be able to share their interests, knowledge, and opinions on several social topics
- He needs users to be able to hold online conversations in real time, in live chat
In order to create this site, we need to do the following:
- Establish profile pages where users may fully describe themselves. Profile pages will contain name, email, mobile phone number, age, gender, faculty, and so on.
- Select the modules necessary to implement the required functionalities, and configure them.
- Create blogging functionality to enable users to share their journals with one another.
- Create a forum for discussing entertainment topics and, principally, tutorials, music, film & video, and concerts.
- Enable users to create polls.
- Enable users to chat with one another in real time.
- Enable users to create clubs and invite other members to join.
- Organize all of the content in a logical way in order to enable it to be easily accessed and read.
[edit] Modules
For Tony Tortilla's community web site, we shall be using the following modules:
[edit] Optional Core modules
The Optional Core modules are included in the basic Drupal installation, and these will have to be enabled:
- Taxonomy enables us to classify our content
- Comment allows users to comment on stories
- Upload allows the upload of files and images into content
- Profile allows the configuration of user profiles
- Forum enables threaded discussions about general topics
- Poll allows your site to capture votes on different topics in the form of multiple choice questions
- Blog enables user web pages or blogs to be updated easily and regularly
- Search enables site-wide searching by keyword
[edit] Contributed modules
The following Contributed modules will need to be obtained from the Drupal web site, uploaded, and enabled:
- OG enables users to create and manage their own 'groups'
- Tribune provides an advanced discussion space, such as a chat room
- Image allows users with the correct permissions to upload images (thumbnails and additional sizes of images are created automatically)
- IMCE gives the client the ability to upload and manage files through the Admin interface
[edit] Basic content
The site is built around several modules that give it the "community" functionality. In this case, the main challenge will be to make the features enabled by these modules to be easily accessible and to be harmonized.
[edit] User settings
The basic user settings may be found as a link on the Administer page, and the page that it opens to is called the User settings page. At the bottom of this page, we will enable Signature support. We will also enable Picture support so that the users can have their pictures shown on their profiles.
To get the desired user profile page, we need to enable the Profile module on the Modules page. On visiting the Profiles link on the Administer page, we will be presented with a page similar to the one shown in following screenshot:
This page presents us with seven possibilities for creating new fields on the user's accounts page. Now let us add form fields for:
- User's name [textfield]
- Alternative Email [textfield]
- Mobile phone number [textfield]
- Date of birth [date]
- Gender [list selection]
- Faculty [list selection]
- Blab about me [textarea]
[edit] Name
The Name field is a single-line textfield. So this is the link that we will click on to create this field.
In the Category field, let us enter Personal Information because that is exactly what this is all about
- For the Title, enter Name
- For the Form name, enter profile_name
- For Visibility, select Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages
- For the Page title, enter People whose name is %value
- Select all of the last three checkboxes to make this field compulsory, auto-completed, and visible when users are newly registering
The completed Name field form is shown in the following screenshot:
The Alternative Email and Mobile Phone Number fields are created using a similar procedure.
[edit] Date of Birth
The Date of Birth field is a date field. So we will click on the date link to create this field.
In the Category field, let us enter Personal Information, because that is exactly what this is all about
- For the Title, enter Date of Birth
- For the Form name, enter profile_dob
- For Visibility, select Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages
- Select all of the last three checkboxes to make this field compulsory, auto-completed, and visible when users are newly registering
[edit] Gender
This is a list selection field because each user is either male, or female; we'll add the "I don't know" category for political correctness. Select the list selection link.
In the Category field, let us enter Personal Information
- For the Title, enter Gender
- For the Form name, enter profile_gender
- For Selection options, enter Male, Female and I don't know on separate lines
- For Visibility, select Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages
- For the Page title, enter People whose gender is %value
- Select all of the last three checkboxes to make this field compulsory, auto-completed, and visible when users are newly registering
[edit] Faculty
This is also a list selection field, as each user will only belong to one faculty at a time. Drupelburg University has only four faculties Arts, Engineering, Science, and Medicine. Select the list selection link.
In the Category field, let us enter Personal Information
- For the Title, enter Faculty
- For the Form name, enter profile_faculty
- For Selection options, enter Arts, Engineering, Science, and Medicine on separate lines
- For Visibility, select Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages
- For the Page title, enter People whose faculty is %value
- Select all of the last three checkboxes to make this field compulsory, auto-completed, and visible when users are newly registering
[edit] About Me
The About Me field is a multi-line textfield. This is the link that we will click on to create this field.
In the Category field, let us enter Personal Information
- For the Title, enter About Me
- For the Form name, enter profile_about
- For Visibility, select Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages
- Select all of the last three checkboxes to make this field compulsory, auto-completed, and visible when users are newly registering
The completed About Me field form is shown in the following screenshot:
Once all of the fields have been created, our new profile creation page looks similar to the one shown in following screenshot:
Save the configuration. Note that we have elected to have all of these fields show on the user registration page. To make sure that this works the way we planned it, let's log out from admin for a minute, and attempt to register as a new user by going to the Create New Account link. The new user registration form that we created is shown in the following screenshot:
So our profile page is properly configured the way we want it, in the following screenshot:
[edit] Configure the Blog entry Content type
The Blog entry Content type is automatically created when the core Blog module is enabled. This Content type will permit users to post blog posts that are simply user journals. Ensure that you have enabled the Blog module.
By browsing onto the Administer page of the site and then into the Content management section, we will find the Content types link. If we access this page, then we will see the various Content types listed there. We will not be creating a new Content type as the Blog entry Content type is already present, as shown in the following screenshot:
1. Click on the Blog entry Content type's edit link. You will then be presented with a form.
2. In the Workflow setting panel, we need to determine the following options:
Do you want the blog entry to be published and made available for use on the site immediately after submission? If so, select the Published checkbox.
Do you want the blog entry to be promoted to the front page? If so, select the Promoted to front page checkbox.
Do you want the blog entry to remain at the top of the list of contents on the site? If so, select the Sticky at top of list checkbox. In our example, we do not want to make the content sticky.
3. In the Comments settings section, you can indicate whether you want to allow comments to be made on blog entries or not, and if you do, then how these comments will be handled.
[edit] Images
You can see that the submission forms for blog posts and other Content types have no place to enable us to add images. Download the IMCE, and Image modules, and install and enable them. Finally, you must also enable the Upload module, or else users will not be able to attach images and other files to their posts.
Having done this, return to Administer | Content management | Content types, and check all of the Content type pages again. At the bottom of the Content type's page, you will see a new panel for Image Attach settings. Enable Attach images, and now your content will be ready to incorporate images. To confirm this, go to the Create content link again for the Blog entry Content type. Near the bottom of the page, you will find the Attached images panel where users can upload images for their blog entries.
[edit] Test the Blog submission form
Now let us test our blog entry submission form, and see how it works. In order to do this, click on the Create content link on the left, and select Blog entry. You will get a form similar to the one shown in the following screenshot:
Now add some blog posts to ensure that you have done everything correctly.
[edit] Configure Polls
Now let's configure the polls. If you have not enabled the Poll module in your Modules page, then go and do so now. When you return to the Content types page, you will see that a Poll Content type has been automatically created, and the text alongside it describes what a poll is, for you:
"A poll is a question with a set of possible responses. A poll, once created, automatically provides a simple running count of the number of votes received for each response."
The poll is for obtaining feedback on various topics from users.
Let us create a sample poll for the user's Druptutorial. Our poll will be like this:
Who is the coolest dude on campus?
- Tony Tortilla
- The Invisible man
- Walter (Wally) Rosenberg
- I don't Care
To create this poll, go to the Create content link, and then select Poll. Enter your question, the selections, the value that you want to award to each selection, and the duration of your poll. We have given all of the options the same value ("1" in this example).
On saving the poll, you should get a polling form similar to the one shown in the following screenshot:
But we don't really want to see the poll as a page view; we want it in the sidebar. If we make a quick visit to the Blocks page, then we will find that a block for the Most recent poll has been created. Now move this block to the Left sidebar, and save the setting. After you've done this, you will see the latest poll block on the left (where we want it).
[edit] Configure Forums
Creating the forums should also be easy. Go to the Modules page, and enable the Forum module. On the Forums page in Administer | Content management, you will be presented with a blank page. Here, we will create a single "Container" that has four forum boards for Tutorials, Music, Film & Video, and Concerts. Let's call the container General Topics.
In order to do this, look for the links at the top of the page, and follow the instructions for creating the container and for creating the forum. Each of the forum boards (Tutorials, Music, Film & Video, and Concerts) will have the container General Topics as a parent.
Posting to the forum requires that you follow the process that you must have become quite familiar with by now. Go to the Create content link, and look for the Forum topic Content type. You will be presented with a form similar to those you have seen already. When you have completed this form, you will have created a forum topic. While at it, add a few more topics.
[edit] Configure Chat
There are several other modules capable of adding the chat functionality to the community web site, but the Tribune module has been selected, just as an example and not because it is better than any other. Go to the Modules page in Administer | Site building, and enable the Tribune module. Then return to the Administer page, and look for the Tribune link, which will lead to a configuration page. Most of the settings in this page may safely be left with their default values.
If you click on the Tribune link on the Left sidebar, then it will lead you to the users chat page.
Now let us go to the Blocks page, and move the Tribune block to the Right sidebar to make this feature more easily accessible. Rename the block to Chat to make it look more familiar to users.
[edit] Configure Organic groups
Organic groups will enable users to set up groups or clubs of their own, and invite others to participate. Go to the Modules page, and enable OG modules specifically the Organic group access control module.
After returning to the Administer page, we should look for the Organic groups configuration link, which will present us with a settings page.
At the top of this new page, you will initially see an error message asking you to define your Group nodes and Standard group post Content types.
[edit] Create new Group Content type
By navigating to the Administer page of the site and then into the Content management section, we will find the Content types link. If we access this page, then we will see the various content types listed there.
1. Click on the Add content type link at the top; you will then be presented with a form.
2. Add the Content type's descriptions, the general rules for the adding of content to, and displaying of content from, this new Content type, in the places where they need to be in the form.
3. In the Identification fields, add a Name and Description for the Content type.
4. In the Submission form settings, you can choose the title that you want to give the fields. By default, you are presented with Title (for the title of the submission), Body (for the main story), and also the fields demanding the minimum length an article must be before it can be accepted for submission, as well as another place where you can describe submission guidelines for this Content type.5. In the Workflow settings, we need to determine the default options. Do you want the article to be published and made available for use on the site, immediately after submission? Do you want it promoted to the front page? Do you want it to remain at the top of the list of contents on the site? If the answer is "No" to any off these questions, then ignore the relevant option.
6. In the Comments settings, indicate whether you want to allow comments to be made for articles from this Content type or not, and if you do, then how these comments will be handled.
Now return again to the Organic groups configuration page. Edit the presented Content types, and set Story as Standard group post and Group as Group node. You may, at this point, leave other settings with their default values. The following screenshot gives us a visual cue of what has to be done:
[edit] Create a Group
We have designated the Group Content type as our group node, which means that it is the Content type that will always be used to create groups. Therefore, in order to create a new group, we go to the Create content link, and then select Group. This will present a page as shown in the following screenshot:
We define the name of the group and its visibility on this page. After we have created the new group, we may go to the Blocks page, and move the New groups block to the Left sidebar, It should show the details of the group there to all of the users who have access privileges to the group.
[edit] Put it all together
Now we need to tie all of the elements of the project together to make the site more meaningful to the users.
[edit] Front page
From our design, we need to move the latest blog posts and active forum topics to the front page. We can easily do this on the Blocks page. Move the required blocks to the Content region, and configure them to show only on the front page.
Also move the Who's online and Who's new blocks to the sidebar, where we want them.
[edit] Menus
Now let's tidy up our site by creating a menu system that is more intuitive. For simplicity, we will be putting our links to My account, Blogs, Chat, Forums, Polls menu all under the Primary links menu, and separate from our navigation menu.
In order to do this, go to the Menu link on the Administer page, and select Site building.
- Click on the Navigation link at the top to access the page that lists all of the navigation links
- Click on the Edit link in front of My account
In the resulting page, change the Parent Item to <Primary links> and also select Expanded
After saving, you are taken to another page showing that all of the menu items for the terms have been moved under the Primary links menu. Do this for the remaining menus Blogs, Chat, Forums, and Polls.
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Now visit the Blocks page, grab the Primary links block, and drag it to the Left sidebar from where all of the features can now easily be accessed.
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Tips and traps You must remember to visit the Permissions page on the Administer | User management to control what site users are permitted to do. Basically, they should be permitted full access to blogs, forums, images, comments, polls, chat, and user relationship. |
[edit] Finishing up
We may now enable our new theme, Multiflex-3, on the Themes page. Tony Tortilla now has a new social networking site for his friends and the entire Drupelburg University student community!
[edit] Source
The source of this content is Chapter 5: Building a Community Site using Drupal 6 Blueprints of Drupal 6 Site Blueprints by Timi Ogunjobi (Packt Publishing, 2009).
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