Drupal Basics: Modules, Blocks and Roles

by Jamar Bibbs

Core Modules

Drupal comes with a set of modules, called core modules, that enable the developer to do tasks and add functionality to their site. Among the Core modules that Drupal ships with are:

• Aggregator -- enables the developer to publish syndicated RSS content
• Block -- control content in the sidebars and various sections on your site's pages
• Blog -- yes, it allows the site's members to create their own blogs
• Book -- structured document publishing, one page connected to the next
• Comment -- allow comments on various types of content on your site
• Forum -- create threaded discussions and allow your site's members to do so as well
• Locale -- multi-language support based on visitor's locations
• Open ID -- Allows users to login using their Open ID account
• Path -- readable URLs for your pages
• PHP Filter -- allows you to include PHP code in content
• Profile -- extending user account information through the creation of new fields
• Throttle -- congestion control on a module level basis
• Trigger -- Assign actions to system events, i.e. when a user does a certain action, it triggers other actions
• Upload -- enables users to upload various types of files

These basic Core modules allow you to create a very full featured website. They allow you to display RSS feeds on your pages, move the content around on your site's pages, and add the functionality that your site's visitors have come to expect. The same features that they found on MySpace, for instance, would be available on your Drupal site. Drupal provides the ability for members of your site to create their own blogs, join in discussion forums, comment on stories, blogs, etc. and create their own profile pages.

Contributed modules are third party plugins for Drupal that "extend, build or enhance Drupal core functionality." The Module Download area on the Drupal.org site features thousands of modules, and includes listings for utility, administration, community, media, mail, advertising, search, site navigation and many, many others. Additionally, there are several sites out there that focus exclusively on Drupal modules, such as DrupalModules.com. The site features reviews of modules, new listings, and rates modules by popularity, most downloaded, etc.

Modules That Make Life Easier for a Webmaster

• Views - Enables the developer to create lists and tables of content through the use of custom made queries.
• PathAuto - This autogenerates path aliases for each of your nodes, categories, stories, etc.
• Lightbox2 - Allows you to use the Lightbox image overlay on your pages to display larger images in a dynamic fashion.
• Webform - Enables the developer to create custom forms.
• Admininstration menu - Puts a dropdown menu at the top of the screen with quicklinks to most administrative functions.
• Content Construction Kit (CCK) - Enables the developer to add custom fields to nodes.

A good way to keep up with the latest and greatest releases is to check the Drupal Contributed Modules usage statictics page. You can filter them by compatibility, or drill down into specific Project categories.

To install new modules, one would first upload the new module to the modules directory on your web server via FTP. Once the file has finished uploading (and not before) you would go to the Administer section of your Drupal site, then Site Building, then Modules. That will present you with a list of all the installed modules, and will allow you to enable or disable each module. It will also show you any modules that any other module is dependent on, and whether or not that modules is installed and/or enabled.

Next week come back, as we'll delve into the world of Themes, and we'll point you to some additional tools and resources that will simplify the learning process and get you up and running in no time!

Drupal Basics

Drupal Basics
Drupal Basics: Be a Role Model