sliced bread snippets: Dynamic main page content without using extra modules...or putting "block" type content in the main page

Hi..

Managed to pull together a dynamic page using a standard drupal php page that I thought others might find useful...and was inspired by the way MTV.COMs front page has a funky looking summary of what is new.

The php snippet I have added below is very basic and uses a table to layout the columns...but feel free to play with it..as you please.

Page layout:

!--------------!-------------!
!------site-----!--upcoming--!
!----mission----!---events---!
!--------------!-------------!
!----recent weblog entries---!
!--------------!-------------!

the upcoming events are listed like they are in a block..(event title followed by number of days to go in brackets).

And the page is automatically generated.

To implement the above..simply:

STEP 1: Click on CREATE CONTENT -->> PAGE

STEP 2 : Give the page a title etc. and paste the PHP code below into the body box

STEP 3: Select the PHP CODE filter type.

STEP 4: SUBMIT.

[CODE PASTING DOESN'T WORK ON THIS FORUM. SORRY]

Notes:

1. I have used a simple table to layout the page.
Probably better to use DIVS. For a superb quick reference for multi-column DIV pages...click on the link below.
http://www.thenoodleincident.com/tutorials/box_lesson/boxes.html

2. The upcoming events block will obviously not appear unless you have the events module installed.

3. If you tweak this snippet and come up with other neat ideas or have another snippet, please share. A lot of drupal users are like me and are not very familiar with php instructions. So while the API docs are great....they bamboozle a lot of us.

Hope someone finds the above useful.

before starting this little snippet, I didn't realise you could simply use one line in a php page to display a bock item.

Cheers

Dublin DRUPALLER
___________________________________________________
A drupal user by chance and a dubliner by sheer luck.
Using Drupal to help build Artist & Band web communities.

To implement:

Step 1: go to CREATE CONTENT -->> PAGE

Step 2: give the node a title and paste the following into the body

Step 3: Select PHP CODE as the input format

Step 4: SUBMIT or PREVIEW page

<?php

/**
 * the following displays a list of the 10 most recent weblog titles
 * and links to the full weblogs in reverse order (most recent last)
 * 
 * If you want to increase/reduce
 * the number of titles displayed..simply change the number 10
 * at the end of the SQL statement.
 *
 * works with drupal 4.6.
 *
 */
$output = node_title_list(db_query_range(db_rewrite_sql("SELECT n.nid, n.title, n.created FROM {node} n WHERE n.type = 'blog' AND n.status = 1 ORDER BY n.created ASC"), 0, 10));
print $output;
?>

to change the node type you want listed...just change the following to suit:

n.type = 'blog'

To list all recent blog entries (with teasers and info) use this php snippet instead.

<?php

/**
 * the following displays a list of the 10 most recent weblog teasers
 * and links to the full weblogs in reverse order (most recent last)
 * 
 * If you want to increase/reduce
 * the number of titles displayed..simply change the number 10
 * at the end of the SQL statement.
 *
 * works with drupal 4.6.
 *
 */


  $result = pager_query(db_rewrite_sql("SELECT n.nid, n.created FROM {node} n WHERE n.type = 'blog' AND n.status = 1 ORDER BY n.created ASC"), variable_get('default_nodes_main', 10));

  while ($node = db_fetch_object($result)) {
    $output .= node_view(node_load(array('nid' => $node->nid)), 1);
  }
  $output .= theme('pager', NULL, variable_get('default_nodes_main', 10));
  $output .= theme('xml_icon', url('blog/feed'));
print $output;

?>

Dub

DUBLIN DRUPALLER
___________________________________________________
A drupal user by chance and a dubliner by sheer luck.
Using Drupal to help build Artist & Band web communities.

Hi Guys,

Got an email requesting the following:

This php snippet displays the most recent weblog entry, including teaser and info..and the next upcoming event + teaser and info.

To implement:

Step 1: go to CREATE CONTENT -->> PAGE

Step 2: give the node a title and paste the following into the body

Step 3: Select PHP CODE as the input format

Step 4: SUBMIT or PREVIEW page

<?PHP

/**
 * Displays the most recent weblog entry and the next  
 * upcoming event with teaser & info.
 * 
 * (Assumes that your event listings = flexinode-1)
 *
 * Works with drupal 4.6
 */

  $result1 = pager_query(db_rewrite_sql("SELECT n.nid, n.created FROM {node} n WHERE n.type = 'blog' AND n.status = 1 ORDER BY n.created DESC"), variable_get('default_nodes_main', 1));

  while ($node = db_fetch_object($result1)) {
    $output .= node_view(node_load(array('nid' => $node->nid)), 1);
  }
print $output;

$result2 = pager_query(db_rewrite_sql("SELECT n.nid, n.created FROM {node} n WHERE n.type = 'flexinode-1' AND n.status = 1 ORDER BY n.created DESC"), variable_get('default_nodes_main', 1));

  while ($node = db_fetch_object($result2)) {
    $output2 .= node_view(node_load(array('nid' => $node->nid)), 1);
  }
print $output2;


?>

Notes: Any more experienced php coders...who see an easier way of doing this..please post a response up here.

Hope that is of use.

DUBLIN DRUPALLER
___________________________________________________
A drupal user by chance and a dubliner by sheer luck.
Using Drupal to help build Artist & Band web communities.

The following snippet works with 4.5 & 4.6 and simply lists a certain number of node titles from a certain category with links to the full nodes.

To Implement:

Step 1: Go To Create Content -->> Page

Step 2: Give the page a title as normal and paste in the following code in the body & change the two variables to suit...i.e.

$taxo_id = the category number you want to reference
$list_no =the number of node titles you want in the list.

Step 3: Select PHP CODE as the input format and SUBMIT.

<?php

/**
 * Creates a list of node titles from a specific category
 * with a link to each node. 
 *
 * To change which taxonomy is listed, simply edit the $taxd_id number.
 * To change the number of node titles listed, simply edit the $list_no number.
 *
 * This works with drupal 4.5 and drupal 4.6
 */

$taxo_id = 17;
$list_no =5;
$sql = "SELECT node.title, node.nid FROM node INNER JOIN term_node ON node.nid = term_node.nid WHERE term_node.tid = $taxo_id LIMIT $list_no";
$output .= "<ul>";
$result = db_query($sql);
while ($anode = db_fetch_object($result)) {
$output .= "<li>".l($anode->title, "node/$anode->nid")."</li>";
}
$output .= "</ul>";
return $output;
?> 

Hope that is of use to others...

Dub

Dublin Drupaller

1. go to CREATE CONTENT - PAGE

2. paste in the following php snippet

3. Select the PHP code filter and Save the page.

/**
 * Creates a quicklist of recent forum topic titles and a link to their 
 * node.
 *
 * works and tested with 4.6
 * does not work with 4.5
 * 
 * To increase the length of the list, change $listlength
 *
 */


$listlength="10";
$sql = "SELECT n.nid, n.title, l.last_comment_timestamp, l.comment_count FROM {node} n INNER JOIN {node_comment_statistics} l ON n.nid = l.nid WHERE n.status = 1 AND n.type='forum' ORDER BY l.last_comment_timestamp DESC";
        $sql = db_rewrite_sql($sql);
        $content  = node_title_list(db_query_range($sql, 0, $listlength), t('Active forum topics:'));

       if ($content) {
          $content .= '<div class="more-link">'. l(t('more'), 'forum', array('title' => t('Read the latest forum topics.'))) .'</div>';
        }
print $content;

DUBLIN DRUPALLER
___________________________________________________
A drupal user by chance and a dubliner by sheer luck.
Using Drupal to help build Artist & Band web communities.

This thread is useful, but, it has become too big and hard to follow..please click through to the new PHP Snippets handbook pages and examples for the key snippets.

Cheers

Dub

DUBLIN DRUPALLER
___________________________________________________
A drupal user by chance and a dubliner by sheer luck.
Using Drupal to help build Artist & Band web communities.