By joepolk on

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies to this posting!

I am the webmaster for a fire department site. I currently maintain the site by hand which is way too rudimentary and creates a problem because I am the only one that can do anything.

That being said...I want to install and begin using a CMS. As you all know, there are TONS of CMS programs out there. I saw a link to Drupal via Evolt (www.evolt.org) so clicked on it to check it out.

What I want to know from all of you is -- is Drupal right for my site? Here are the facts:

1. Design -- I have purchased a pre-made template from a company to serve as the foundation for our new web site, It is a graphical layout only with no webpages or programming included.

2. Number of authors -- Ultimately, I'd like to make about 5-10 people authors on the site. Our fire department has a number of divisions and I'd like to give each division head the ability to maintain their own section of the web site. These folks aren't the most computer literate, and definitely not web literate -- so any content modification must have an easy to use WYSIWYG interface (if possible).

3. Plugins / Options -- I'd really like to be able to integrate a photo gallery (Gallery, Coppermine), some forums (phpBB, Invision) and other content. Will Drupal allow me to do that? If so, is it easy or a burden?

As I said at the begging, I appreciate any and all answers that anyone from these forums will provide. Thanks!

Comments

mork’s picture

mork commented

1. Design -- I have purchased a pre-made template from a company to serve as the foundation for our new web site, It is a graphical layout only with no webpages or programming included.

Yes. The phpTemplate theme engine make it relativley easy to integrate a design into drupal. When I am going to tackle a drupal design I make a single tatic html file and work with it until I've got a page layout complete. From there it's pretty quick to move the appropriate chunks over to the appropriate templates.

2. Number of authors -- Ultimately, I'd like to make about 5-10 people authors on the site. Our fire department has a number of divisions and I'd like to give each division head the ability to maintain their own section of the web site. These folks aren't the most computer literate, and definitely not web literate -- so any content modification must have an easy to use WYSIWYG interface (if possible).

Yes. This can be configured. There's also 3 different WYSIWYG editors to choose from in the modules download section. I'd personally recomend TinyMCE.

Plugins / Options -- I'd really like to be able to integrate a photo gallery (Gallery, Coppermine), some forums (phpBB, Invision) and other content. Will Drupal allow me to do that? If so, is it easy or a burden?

There's plenty of plugins available. However, none that integrate other forum software. Expect a few headaches if you go for it. Drupal does have its own forum module. You, in fact, used it to make your post!

I believe there is a module to integrate gallery2.

dublin drupaller’s picture

dublin drupaller commented

Hiya,

just to add my two cents. I would echo everything mork saiud with the exception of the forum integration...I don't use it myself, but I have seen a phpbb plugin module for drupal and numerous posts about how to knit the two together.

In terms of using drupal as a multi-editor tool for a site..drupal is perfect for that. It's very simple to give permisions to different types of editors..what they can/can't edit or change and even setup a hirearchy of editors..with different levels of editing poswer.

So, based on what you said..I think drupal is ideal. You may have to spend a bit of time renaming your style sheet classes to match your custom design. But, if it is a professionally designed style sheet(s) it should be fairly simple and intuitive to do yourself.

Dub

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

Currently in Switzerland working as an Application Developer with UBS Investment Bank...using Drupal 7 and lots of swiss chocolate