Drupal module training Sydney

Drupal module training started in Sydney on Wednesday 18th July, 2012.

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at 280 Pitt street. (The venue is excellent.)

You need a notebook computer or equivalent. You can bring anything you want. You fix your own operating system and hardware problems. You can bring Wifi or preload stuff on to your computer and do everything locally.

Who

You are ready for this course when you can install Drupal and write a little bit of PHP code. You might have added some PHP code to a Drupal .tpl file. You are already registered at drupal.org and might have joined the Australian Drupal group. You are intelligent, enthusiastic, and will do the homework.

What

You can use any computing device that can run Drupal. I find my netbook with the 10" screen ok for reading stuff but too small for editing. My 13" ultrabook is just big enough for editing but you would not want to use it often. Notebooks with 20" and 18" screens are no longer sold in Australia, leaving us with a few tiny 17" screen notebooks. All you need are a few friends to help carry the beasts.

• Apache. You need a Web server. Everyone knows Apache.
• MySQL. you need a database and everyone knows MySQL.
• PHP.
• phpMyAdmin.
• Drupal 7.
• Bluefish. You need an editor and Bluefish is good.
• Filezilla. FTP that is easy.
• USB. We might use it.
• Cost. Nothing for the first night.
• Five nights. I expect we will need at least five nights.
• Alternative venues. We might move.
• (I will think of more later)

Wireless Internet access

Wireless Internet access fails when you need it. I know. I see it happen at conferences and training events all over Australia, Asia, America, and Europe. Set up your portable devices so you can test Web pages without wireless access.

Apache

You can install Apache on any computer and test Web pages without Internet access. The test or a working Apache is the Apache page appearing at http://localhost. See the installation details at Apache.

MySQL

Again the Windows installation is automated. Some other operating systems help you install it. The only bit you need to remember is the administration password you enter when you install the software. Write down the password. Keep it safe.
Old article on MySQL installation on Windows XP.

Ubuntu 12.4:

• Open Ubuntu software centre.
• Search for mysql.
• Install MySQL Server.

PHP

Piece of cake on Windows. Pain in the **** on some versions of Linux. The Windows install includes everything you need. Some Linuxes install only an empty PHP with no usable modules. You then crawl through a minefield of failures constantly adding all the missing bits. Ubuntu has a meta package you install to get the equivalent of what you get automatically in Windows.

Ubuntu 12.4:

• Open Ubuntu software centre.
• Search for php5.
• Install Server-site, HTML-embedded scripting language (metapackage).

phpMyAdmin

Ubuntu 12.4:

• Open Ubuntu software centre.
• Search for phpmyad.
• Install MySQL web administration tool.

Drupal 7

You should know this bit. use the standard profile. Nothing else needed.

Bluefish

You need a simple editor for editing individual files. Bluefish is the best editor you can use without stuffing around with projects and other complications. Bluefish runs on Windows and Linux.

Filezilla

We may use FTP to share the odd file later in the course. FTP is dead simple. Filezilla is the simplest FTP client for all operating systems and uses.

USB

We might pass some files, viruses, and stuff around on a USB stick. Prepare to be stuck with a stick.

Cost

Nothing for the first night. I am paying for the room. If we mess up the room I will be slugged with an extra $100 cleaning charge so no mess.

We might get a sponsor for some nights or have a whip round for cash or find a free venue that is quiet.

Five nights

I expect five nights will be enough as a group to get everyone started with a working module. After that depends on what you plan for the long term.

Alternative venues

We might move. I have not found anywhere as quiet or convenient or low cost as the Mechanics Institute of Arts at 280 Pitt Street. If someone does have a quiet room with a projector and wired Internet, I am happy to move.

Sign up

Update: Too late to sign up for this series. Perhaps next time. If you are ready for this course, you are already registered at drupal.org. Log in to drupal.org then visit the following link. You might want to join the Australian Drupal group to see other events.
groups.drupal.org/node/242748

Example 1

example.zip contains the module we worked on in the first session. My Drupal 7 site is happy with a directory name of example but not a module name of example. I left the directory named example, renamed the files and functions to example1, and everything worked. The module appeared in the module list.

I have used example before as a name without problems. My test site had a bunch of other examples installed at various times and that might be the cause of the conflict.

The module also answers the question from last night about the directory name matching the module. They do match and Drupal 7 does not care because Drupal finds the .info file then records the path to the .info file in the system table.

Drupal 8 will be more complicated because Drupal 8 introduces name spaces and other things. You can learn about the Drupal 8 approach at Drupalcon in Brazil during December.