By wafflepunk on

I'm going to be designing a community website based on state and local politics that needs to provide the following features:

*RSS news aggregators
*User-created front page story content
*Robust forums and user blogs

The website itself will be just one of multiple portals to come later, each based on the same architecture but with unique content tailored to a specific geographic zone. I envision the site will make use of at least three vertical columns and ultimately need to be of a level of sophistication (in appearance) similar to www.SavannahNow.com or www.MLGPro.com.

For simplicity's sake, let's assume I have no prior knowledge of XHTML, CSS or PHP. This in fact WILL be my first Drupal installation (I've worked with Geeklog and OSCommerce previously) and my web skills are very rusty at present.

I'm already making extensive use of web resources on the subject, but is there a single book you would recommend as vital in helping develop my skill set to the level required to achieve the results in the examples above? I'll be spending a week in a remote location (i.e. no power outlets) and would like to have a reference guide to study while I'm "unplugged." CSS? PHP? Which will be more utilized?

Thanks!

⋅ Categories: Drupal 6.x

Comments

yuriy.babenko’s picture

yuriy.babenko commented

CSS and PHP books will both be handy to have, but what you really need is "Pro Drupal Development."

Oh, and download the PHP manual for yourself. Might want to grab some CSS and PHP "cheat sheets," too. We wouldn't want you getting bored ;)
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Yuriy Babenko
www.yubastudios.com

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Yuriy Babenko | Technical Consultant & Senior Developer
http://yuriybabenko.com

mrbert’s picture

mrbert commented

Wafflepunk, have you read the best and free book at http://drupal.org/handbooks ?

Download this ebook too http://drupal.org/files/getting-started_2.pdf

Ghana Real Estate | Voacanga Africana Seeds | http://www.voacanga-africana.com.gh/sheabutter/">Shea Butter

-Anti-’s picture

-Anti- commented

> I'll be spending a week in a remote location

Only a week? Without access to a computer to test and try things you read about? Forget it.

If you really want to blow £20 to feel you've done something useful with the time, go to packt publishing http://www.packtpub.com/ and put 'drupal' into the search. Their books are pretty basic, but if you aren't near a computer, then the best you can do is go through one of the books with a highlighter.

However, for all the good it will do you, I'd be inclined just to enjoy your solitude and start work in earnest when you return. There is very little you can do to learn drupal or themeing in a week without hands-on, practical testing and experimentation. Also, reading tends to throw up more questions than answers, so being able to post on the forums is probably quite a necessary part of the learning curve.

Reading about Drupal has its place - you need to read a lot - but only in tandem with a practical approach.

wafflepunk’s picture

wafflepunk commented

Thanks for the ideas so far guys!

Anti- I can appreciate your sentiments entirely, and agree wholeheartedly. I was thinking more along the lines of a book to learn the structure and syntax of the most recent versions of CSS or PHP, whichever people would recommend I start with. Those types of things I can commit to memory fairly well without ever needing to sit down in front of a computer.

My primary focus for now is learning to design the aesthetic layout of a news-community site within Drupal. I have more experience with back-end development.

dorien’s picture

dorien commented

What about: Drupal 6: Ultimate Community Site Guide - ebook