In order to run a Drupal site, the web server you are using must meet minimum technical requirements.
In this lesson we're going to finish mapping the fields for the player migration and learn about how to deal with source data that requires some additional massaging before being saved to the destination. We'll learn about the use of field mapping callback functions and the migration's prepareRow method as possible spots to perform additional logic during a migration. Then we'll use these techniques to combine our player first and last name fields together for the node title field, deal with our birth and death date fields by concatenating the three source columns together into a single date string, and finally add some additional information to the notes field during import that will allow us to track imported records in the future.
Note: This lesson was recorded using the 7.x-2.6 version of the date module, however the 7.x-2.7 version is now out which contains some changes to the module's integration with the migrate module. The biggest change being that the date_migrate module is no longer required and has been deprecated. You can read more about the changes here: https://drupal.org/node/2034231
Additional resources
When it comes to integrating Apache Solr with Drupal there are currently two different modules that can be used, Search API, and the Apache Solr module. While both are valid options, for this series we've chosen to focus on the Search API module because amongst other things it's generally more flexible, and based on conversations with people in the community who are working on Solr integration it is currently seeing more focused development efforts and will likely superseded the Apache Solr module sometime in the future.
This tutorial provides some background information on the Search API module and why we've chosen to use it. We'll look at how the Search API module bridges the gap between Solr and Drupal, and explain some of the commonly used terms we'll encounter in the module's UI and codebase.
By the end of this lesson you should be able to explain the Search API module's terminology, requirements, and position in the Drupal ecosphere, as well as be able to make a good case for why someone should choose the Search API module as a starting point for creating better search tools in Drupal.
Additional resources
Before we set up a multisite we need to understand how Apache and Drupal work together to deliver the site we intend. In this lesson we'll look at the documentation for Drupal multisites, and then discuss the way you need to set up your Drupal directories. We'll also review the workflow that Apache and Drupal go through to get the correct site displaying in the browser.
Additional resources
Multi-site - Sharing the same code base (drupal.org)
This lesson is a short one but it covers an important topic, multi-value fields. Almost any field in Drupal can be configured to support more than one value being entered for a single field. Our teams entityreference field is a good example of this, a player could have played for one or more team over the course of their career. This lesson will look at two different ways to map multiple values for a single field.
First we'll look at doing it in a callback method where we perform an additional query and then use the values returned by that query. And second we'll look at using the field mapping's separator method to take a column in a source row that has multiple values separated by a comma and import them as individual field values.
Before our field can save user provided data we need to use hook_field_validate() and hook_field_is_empty() to perform validation on field data. In certain context values like 0, FALSE, and NULL can all be a valid value. In fact, even a blank space could be valid input for a field. As such, it's not possible for Drupal to know what constitutes an empty state for a field without a little extra help. The same is true for checking if the value of a field is valid.
Examples:
/**
* Implementation of hook_field_is_empty().
*/
function rgb_field_is_empty($item, $field) {
if (empty($item['rgb']) || empty($item['label'])) {
return TRUE;
}
return FALSE;
}
/**
* Implements hook_field_validate().
*/
function rgb_field_validate($entity_type, $entity, $field, $instance, $langcode, $items, &$errors) {
foreach($items as $delta => $item) {
if (!empty($item['rgb'])) {
// Make sure it's 6 characters.
if (drupal_strlen($item['rgb']) !== 6) {
$errors[$field['field_name']][$langcode][$delta][] = array(
'error' => 'rgb_length',
'message' => t('%name: the hex color must be 6 characters.', array('%name' => $instance['label'])),
);
}
}
}
}
Additional resources
Amazon.com is one of a large number of web-based businesses that have opened up their product information databases for other sites to access. In the case of Super Duper Chefs, we want to retrieve useful data like product photos, pricing, and manufacturer information for display on our own website. The Amazon module for Drupal allows us to do just that. In this lesson we'll take a look at the Amazon module, by starting with:
- What’s Included?
- Locale
- Referral settings
- Amazon keys
Additional resources
The API that we're going to be building through this series is a REST based API so we need to understand the basic tenants of RESTful web services. In this lesson Joe gives a short presentation explaining the basic terminology, workflow, and tennants of REST based web services.
Additional resources
Up to this point we've focused focused on creating nodes as the result of our migrations. The Migrate module however supports a number of different destinations that we can use when importing data. In this lesson we'll take a look at the destination classes that the Migrate module provides for us and talk about what each one is used for and where to find more information and examples of using them. Then we'll implement a migration that imports data as vocabulary terms using the MigrateDestinationTerm class.
Additional resources
In this chapter we dive deeper into the Date field and look at all the configuration options that come with the Date field out of the box. We'll also enable the Date All Day and Date Popup modules to see some nice additions to our main Date field.
Panels provides export code that you can copy and paste into a module or directly import into another instance of the site.
In this lesson, we will:
- Export a panels page using Panels UI
- Import a panels page into another instance of site
By the end of this lesson, you will understand where to find the export code for a panel and be able to simply and quickly import it into another copy of your site.
Demo site log in:
- Navigate to /user
- Login with admin/admin
Modules allow you to turn on and off functionality within your Drupal website. There are two types of modules: core modules, which come with Drupal itself, and contributed modules, which are provided for free by the Drupal community and available for download from Drupal.org. In this lesson we're going to look at the module administration page, and walk through finding and installing modules. We'll wrap things up by discussing how you remove a module from your site, and the difference between disabling and uninstalling.
Additional resources
This lesson introduces students to Entity classes and illustrates what each of the main Entity classes does, followed by a more in depth look at the CRUD operations provided by the base entity class, and finally demonstrates overriding the default Entity class with our own custom Entity object to define a defaultUrl() for our entities and a new implementation of hook_menu where we can view an entity.
Note: At the end of the this video code is added to hook_entity_info() that references a VideoEntityUIController class, however, the definition of that class is in our sample code, but was not shown being added here. And it is necessary to follow along with the videos. If you're following along you'll want to add the following code to the bottom of your videoasset.module file. If you're curious about what it does it's explained in the last part of this video.
/**
* Our custom controller for the admin ui.
*/
class VideoEntityUIController extends EntityDefaultUIController {}
Additional resources
Domain Access can do its magic because of the Drupal node access system. In this tutorial we'll walk through the basics of how this system works, highlighting the two main methods, and then explain why this may be important information for you. We won't be diving into the code side of things, but instead outline the basic concepts for anyone who needs to interact with this system. When using a module like Domain Access, you should be aware of the Drupal context in which you are working, even if you hopefully never have to dive into the details.
Additional resources
Controlling Access to Content Overview (drupal.org handbook)
Node access developer documentation (api.drupal.org)
The Field module provides an extremely flexible framework for creating forms to enter content. In past versions of Drupal, this was provided by a contributed module called the Content Construction Kit, or CCK, but this now a feature that comes with Drupal core itself. In this lesson we're going to get an overview of the Field module and the pieces it provides, including field types, input widgets, displays, view modes, and formatters. We'll also take a look at reusing existing fields and what that means.
Additional resources
In addition to the built in support for core's data and actions the services module also provides a robust framework for exposing the data and actions of our custom modules as an API. In this lesson Joe writes a basic module which creates a custom resource for saving and retrieving a "checked in" status for an authenticated user.
Example commands:
Check a user's status
curl http://localhost/demos/services-7x-test/docroot/api/v1/drupalsquare/1 -H "Accept: application/json"
Check-in a user
curl http://localhost/demos/services-7x-test/docroot/api/v1/drupalsquare/checkin -X POST -H "Content-type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" -d '{"uid":1}'
Additional resources
Fields are the building blocks of Drupal's powerful content modeling system. The field API allows for the development of custom field types to suit almost any data display and collection needs. Developers can create custom field types that can be bundled together and attached to various pieces of content. Fields allow a Drupal Site Administrator to create an information architecture that matches the needs of each individual site.
This series will provide you with all the information you need to be able to define a custom field in your own module. After completing all the lessons in this series, you should have a firm grasp of the Drupal 7 field API and the tools and knowledge you need in order to define your own custom field types.
Prerequisites
This series requires an understanding of PHP and basic Drupal 7 module development. For a refresher, or if you get stuck, check out our Drupal 7 Module Development series.
Additional resources
Drupal 7 Module Development series (Drupalize.Me).
The Using Drupal series of lessons walks through the O'Reilly book, Using Drupal, written by Angie Byron, Addison Berry, and Bruno de Bondt. We use the second edition, which covers Drupal 7. The book starts off with taking a look at Drupal Core and then works through various case studies using a wide range of contributed modules from the Drupal project.
The video series follows along with what's in the book, so if you have the book, the videos are really great supplemental material. Even without the book, you’ll get the full lessons here in the videos.
This series is intended for people who have worked with the web and understand how a website gets delivered, and in particular, how to get a website onto a web server so that people can actually see it and use it. The rest of this introductory series we have here will look at how the book relates to the video series we're going to be creating, and how you can use those 2 together.
Additional resources
In this lesson we're going to break down the "Drupal stack" to understand what pieces are working here and how they relate to each other. We'll take a tour of the major components of Drupal itself, like nodes and users, and then have a brief discussion about ways of organizing content.
Additional resources
Creating pages with Panels involves a lot of configuration which can take a lot of time and effort. In order to avoid re-doing all that work on another instance of the site, we can export this configuration into code using Features and deploy it in the usual way (using git or FTP).
In this lesson, we will:
- Export a custom panels page
- Take inventory of all panes
- Create a new Feature to export configuration
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to export a basic panel page configuration that contains a View using Features.
Demo site log in:
- Navigate to /user
- Login with admin/admin