Drupal Website Building Tips - Part 2

Install content creation kit (CCK) and other important modules

• If you have a multi-site installation, create modules and themes folders within the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x folder, which will be specific to that site. If you wish to use modules and themes for all your subsites, then create modules and themes folders in the /etc/drupal/6/sites/all folder.

If you install your custom modules and themes in the root installation directory (/usr/share/drupal6), then they will be overwritten every time you do an upgrade, (which may or may not be desirable to you).

• Although the recommended procedure is to install each module one-by-one (updating and setting the functions for each installed module individually), you may be able to install them all, update once, then set the functions for all the module simultaneously. This will only work if you have increased the PHP memory (as detailed in the previous step).

• Install the CCK module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/cck-6.x-2.6.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf cck-6.x-2.6.tar.gz
sudo rm cck-6.x-2.6.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> CCK -> select CCK module functions to enable

• Install the Views module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/views-6.x-2.10.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf views-6.x-2.10.tar.gz
sudo rm views-6.x-2.10.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Views -> select Views module functions to enable

When you wish to configure the Views properties of a content node, go to:

Drupal -> Administer -> Site Building -> Views -> Enable and Edit the node Views you wish to use

• Install the Date module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/date-6.x-2.4.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf date-6.x-2.4.tar.gz
sudo rm date-6.x-2.4.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Date/Time -> select Date/Time module functions to enable

• Install the jQuery UI module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/jquery_ui-6.x-1.3.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf jquery_ui-6.x-1.3.tar.gz
sudo rm jquery_ui-6.x-1.3.tar.gz

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules/jquery_ui
sudo wget http://jquery-ui.googlecode.com/files/jquery.ui-1.6.zip
sudo unzip jquery.ui-1.6.zip
sudo rm jquery.ui-1.6.zip
sudo cp -r jquery.ui-1.6 jquery.ui

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> User interface -> select jQuery UI module functions to enable

• Install the Event module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/event-6.x-2.x-dev.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf event-6.x-2.x-dev.tar.gz
sudo rm event-6.x-2.x-dev.tar.gz

• Install a few miscellaneous Event:Datepicker modules (see this thread):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules/event/contrib/datepicker
sudo wget http://www.kelvinluck.com/assets/jquery/datePicker/v2/demo/styles/datePicker.css
sudo wget http://www.kelvinluck.com/assets/jquery/datePicker/v2/demo/scripts/jquery.datePicker.js
sudo wget http://www.kelvinluck.com/assets/jquery/datePicker/v2/demo/scripts/date.js

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Event -> select Date Picker module functions to enable

• Install the Signup and Calendar modules:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/signup-6.x-1.0-rc6.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf signup-6.x-1.0-rc6.tar.gz
sudo rm signup-6.x-1.0-rc6.tar.gz

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/calendar-6.x-2.2.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf calendar-6.x-2.2.tar.gz
sudo rm calendar-6.x-2.2.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Date/Time -> select Calendar module functions to enable

• Install the Advanced Help module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/advanced_help-6.x-1.2.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf advanced_help-6.x-1.2.tar.gz
sudo rm advanced_help-6.x-1.2.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Other -> select Advanced Help module functions to enable

• Install the FeedAPI module (allows iCal feeds into Drupal):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/feedapi-6.x-1.8.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf feedapi-6.x-1.8.tar.gz
sudo rm feedapi-6.x-1.8.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Feed API Add-on -> select iCal parser module to enable

• Install the iCal parser module (parses iCal feeds into Drupal):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/parser_ical-6.x-1.1.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf parser_ical-6.x-1.1.tar.gz
sudo rm parser_ical-6.x-1.1.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Feed API Default -> select Feed API module functions to enable

• Install SimplePie, a module that facilitates RSS feeds through the FeedAPI module:

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/simplepie-6.x-1.0-beta1.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf simplepie-6.x-1.0-beta1.tar.gz
sudo rm simplepie-6.x-1.0-beta1.tar.gz

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules/simplepie/lib
sudo wget http://simplepie.org/downloads/simplepie_1.2.zip
sudo unzip simplepie_1.2.zip
sudo rm simplepie_1.2.zip
sudo cp simplepie_1.2/simplepie.inc .
sudo cp simplepie_1.2/simplepie.inc /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules/feedapi/parser_simplepie

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Other (and FeedAPI Default) -> SimplePie module functions to enable

• (Optional:) Install the dCaldav module (for importing CALDAV server info into Drupal):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://www.dcaldav.com/system/files/dcaldav-0.2.1.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf dcaldav-0.2.1.tar.gz
sudo rm dcaldav-0.2.1.tar.gz

Note: If you wish this module to be available to only one subsite, then install it instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Other -> select dCaldav module functions to enable

Install Access Control modules

• Install the ACL module (an API that allows per-user access controls in Drupal):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/acl-6.x-1.0.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf acl-6.x-1.0.tar.gz
sudo rm acl-6.x-1.0.tar.gz

• Install the Content Access module (gives fine-grained access control over individual content pages):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/content_access-6.x-1.2.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf content_access-6.x-1.2.tar.gz
sudo rm content_access-6.x-1.2.tar.gz

• Install the Forum Access module (gives fine-grained access control over individual forum pages):

cd /etc/drupal/6/sites/all/modules
sudo wget http://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/forum_access-6.x-1.0.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf forum_access-6.x-1.0.tar.gz
sudo rm forum_access-6.x-1.0.tar.gz

Note: If you wish these modules to be available to only one subsite, then install them instead into the /etc/drupal/6/sites/mysite_x/modules folder.

Note: You must update and adjust permissions after module installation.

• Drupal -> Administer -> Modules -> Forum Access -> select ACL, Content Access, and Forum Access module functions to enable -> Rebuild Permissions (follow the prompts)

• You must enable Access Control for each Content Type:

Drupal -> Administer -> Content Management -> Content types -> Page -> Edit -> Access Control -> Enable per content node access control settings: ticked

Enable permissions for added modules

• Any time a new module is installed or the configuration of the module is changed, the database must be updated. This is especially important if you are running multiple sites, since configuration files must be created for each subsite. Updates can only be done by an administrator with suitable privileges for that site (usually the original user for the site or subsite):

http://mysite_x.mydomain.org/update.php

• By default, permissions are turned off for any new modules that you have installed. After installing a new module, go to the permissions page and select permissions for each user role that will be able to access the functions of the new module(s):

Drupal -> Administer -> User management -> Permissions

and tick or un-tick the features that should be available to each class of user.