By lduperval on

Hi,

I am in the process of rewriting my web site and I want to do a few things differently and I'm looking for the best solutions:

  1. I want to create a page that lists articles.On that page I want a table that has three columns: one will have an article title with an abstract, the second column would be a link to the HTML version of the article and the third column would be a link to the PDF version of the article. How would I go about doing something like this? You can see something similar here: http://www.alcera.ca/articles-newsletters.php. In this case, there are only two columns and no abastract. I could do the two-column thing, but I'd like to have the abstract, similar to what Drupal already does.
  2. I would like a couple of blocks on my front page that shows part of the articles when I put new ones up. I am looking to create a main page which would probably have three blocks (aside from the menu): at the top would be information about the site. On the bottom left would be a block with the preview of the latest articles and on the bottom right, the latest news (or something similar). What is the best way to achieve something like this?
  3. How to I prevent the [1] [2] [3] [last page] from appearing when I display content of a certain type? Is it possible to do it in certain places but not others? For example, would it be possible to remove the numbers on the bottom of the Drupal home page and replace them with a link that says "more..."? However, once the person clicks on the "more..." link, it's fine if the numbers appear.

Those are my questions for now. If anyone can provide guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

L

Comments

dnewkerk’s picture

dnewkerk commented

Sure, have a look at this lesson I wrote up the other day, which should get you on the right track both for questions 1 and 2 (the lesson is in regard to making your home page, but the concepts apply to other uses of CCK, Views, Panels, and Nodequeue as well).
Lesson: Creating a custom/dynamic front page using Panels & Views module

The PDF would be an attachment to the node (content item) using Upload module, and you can add it to the table in Views.

I also posted some references about CCK and Views module that you might find helpful in this post: http://drupal.org/node/282278#comment-920724

Regarding question 3... make your home page using one of the custom techniques outlined in the lesson I mentioned, and this won't be an issue. Drupal's default home page is not highly customizable without the use of other modules. Other than a simple blog site, most people change their home page to a more detailed/useful format using various modules and theming outlined in the lesson.

-- David
absolutecross.com

lduperval’s picture

lduperval commented

Thanks. I'll forward the information to my Web designer.

L

CleanCutRogue’s picture

CleanCutRogue commented

If desired, consider using the computed field CCK module - it would allow you to have a custom themed link that links to the attached pdf file. Then you can simply name your link "VIEW PDF" or even use an image with a link around it. I do this on sites regularly - the computed field module is one of the most understated modules around - and no, I'm not affiliated with the developer :-P

dnewkerk’s picture

dnewkerk commented

Hi Bill -

I'd love to give this a try myself and see how it works... I don't have much experience with computed fields (I think the fact that it requires PHP knowledge is likely what scares a lot of people off).
Would you mind posting a few more details or code snippets, or point me to a relevant help page where you learned the technique?
Thanks.

Given the original poster's description and need for a table, I'd still recommend a file attachment and Views module (just add the PDF as an attachment when you make each node that will ultimately display as one row in the table... in the View, add the "File: Name" field with the handler "With download link"... you'll then have a link with the file name to the PDF, which you can then theme with a CSS class you'll find on the table cell called "view-field-files-filename")...... I'm curious though about the computed field idea as well.

-- David
absolutecross.com

lduperval’s picture

lduperval commented

Do you have an example of this somewhere, so I can see what it loooks like?

Thanks,

L