By tgeller on

Lynda.com logoOnline video provider Lynda.com just released my new six-hour video series, "Drupal 6: Online Presentation of Data". You can check it out with a free one-day pass; it's also available to anyone with a Lynda.com subscription, which starts at $25/month.

The course covers calendars, mapping, charting, and preparing data for tabular export, all built on a foundation of CCK and Views. Since Lynda.com's audience is mostly graphic designers, the course also includes clarification about how to plan data structures. Extra bonus: For giggles, check out the Introduction video, which includes some live-action video of the author looking goofy. :)

One wag in IRC questioned the need for such a course. "Presentation of Data?," he said. "Isn't that what Drupal does anyway?" He's right -- in the same way that a car is a tool for going shopping.

But I believe that many people who would benefit from Drupal's data-presentation features simply don't know about them, because their knowledge of it stops at Stories, Pages, users, and blocks. They need a bit more information to make the leap, and could become fierce advocates for Drupal when they see all it can do in this area.

⋅ Categories: Drupal 6.x

Comments

saltcod’s picture

saltcod commented

Drupal's got information presentation down to a science. Its the data end of things that's lacking - perhaps the IRC wag had data and information mixed up, as they are not the same. This news from Lynda is excellent.

neofactor’s picture

neofactor commented

Here is the direct link to the overview: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=754

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Thanks for putting that in! It really should have been in the original post... oops.

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

mazpantz’s picture

mazpantz commented

Thanks for that! Perhaps a mod can edit that link into the main post?

gdemet’s picture

gdemet
he/him
Primary language English
Location Chicago, USA
commented

Done!

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Thanks! And sorry that my error made it necessary.

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Very nice to see this. Great job creating another video series with lynda.com

Slightly OT, but I will never sign for a lynda.com sub again. The monthly subs are useless if you want to learn because they don't let you access the exercise files that help you complete the learning. For that, you need to sign up for the premium annual sub costing $375. I had a monthly sub for a year and requested them many a time for a premium monthly option at a higher cost than $25 to be able to download the exercise files. They made weak promises of 'looking into it', but, almost three years later, there is nothing.

They need to realise that no one learns by gawking at their pretty videos but only by working along side the examples. And, that not everyone can afford a one time payment for a premium annual sub costing $375.

Sorry that OT part got longer, but I was just hoping you could pass on this feedback to them. May be they will care for feedback coming from their authors. Thanks!

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Hey, Venkat -- thanks for writing. Sort of related...

We had a hard time figuring out how to do the exercise files for this course. In a Photoshop course, you can just start anywhere and be pretty certain that the exercise file will work. For Drupal, though, both the database and the /sites folder change constantly. AND software updates mean that the database files won't work without a visit to update.php. (I think there were two Drupal updates between recording in late March and release in early July.) We made it work, although not all that elegantly.

Like you, I learn best by *doing*. I hope the exercise files for this course are satisfactory; but moreso, I hope the course is still instructive even without them.

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Hello Tom, I just wanted to clarify that I didn't mean the exercise files for this course at all. As you point out, there are challenges to providing exercise files for video courses on drupal which tends to be more of a moving target compared to desk top based apps.

Isernbreegen’s picture

Isernbreegen commented

I'm a monthly subscriper and they've just offered me a monthly premium subscription for $37.50 with access to the excercise files. That's a bit more than the yearly $375 subscription but I guess it's fair to have the yearly subscription cost less. I'll think about it - at least they seem to have listened to your feedback!

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

That's great to hear! May be it was Tom's feedback?

Funny that they don't mention it anywhere in their monthly newsletter. Let's hope they will offer it to me too.

Thanks for letting me know.

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

This is the first time I've heard of such a subscription, and don't see anything about it on the Lynda.com site. (I'd expect it at http://www.lynda.com/home/otl.aspx . ) Could you offer some details?

Maybe they only offer it to returning customers?

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

Isernbreegen’s picture

Isernbreegen commented

I've had a subscription for no more than 3 months now. When I logged in yesterday (and just now again, since I've clicked on "Remind me later") they presented me with this new offer. Here's the text:

We're offering our loyal Monthly members an exclusive new membership option for $37.50 a month. It allows you to become a Monthly Premium member and have all the privileges of our Annual Premium account holders.

With this new Monthly Premium membership, you will be able to access the same assets that your instructors are using in the training. You can pay a low monthly fee, with no obligation. Go back to your regular monthly account at any time!

Since the launch of lynda.com’s Online Training Library, only Annual Premium members have had access to our instructors’ exercise files. Many Monthly members have written to tell us that they want the benefits of a Premium membership, but prefer to pay monthly rather than an annual lump sum. We listened and put together this $37.50 per month plan. We hope this new offer makes our exercise file plan more accessible for your budget, and that lynda.com continues to help you learn what you need to know to keep current in today’s ever-changing software landscape.

I don't know why I get this offer and seemingly no-one else does. But I've decided to take advantage of it since I can revert back to standard subscription any time. So this actually is pretty neat. But it seems to be available to current subscribers only.

Oh, and thanks for your work, Tom!

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

That's very interesting! I can only guess at why they do that -- perhaps to prevent thieves from signing up for just a single month to steal (and redistribute) the exercise files.

Anyway, thanks!

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

ufoloji’s picture

ufoloji commented

Thanks

Nick Lewis’s picture

Nick Lewis commented

CCK and Views data display could cover 6 hours easy.... I'd spend the first hour looking goofy too if I had to explain that whole system to a designer -- but it might be because I'd need to be sedated and tranqualized before I'd ever agree to explain it to a camera. Actually, by the end of the video, I'd probably look worn down, and have some sort of heavy handed, depressing message like "Look man, this stuff is hard, but it has to be hard, because if its not hard, it can no longer both display the specific complex bits you want, AND let you edit the paramaters of the display, as well as the data fields through a long plastic hallway of webforms. Anyways, at least you're employed... its not all bad." This is probably why no one is asking me host videos.

--
"I'm not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose... it'll be much harder to detect." - George Carlin
--
Personal: http://www.nicklewis.org
Work: http://www.zivtech.com

seutje’s picture

seutje commented

I feel what you're trying to say, props to the author of this video for being able to do it... I'm sure I couldn't :P

azovsky’s picture

azovsky commented

Nice work! But... Home page looks very bad in the browser Opera 9.

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Thanks for saying something, azovsky. I've pointed the Lynda.com folks at your comment.

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

rszrama’s picture

rszrama commented

You should also get them to add "Drupal" to the list of things to "Learn" in that Flash animation on the front page. I waited for it to show up and had a little sad moment when it didn't make an appearance. : D

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Ha! I never even thought to look for that. :)

I think they made that Flash animation over a year ago, and haven't updated it for *any* new technologies they feature. Not that Drupal doesn't deserve special treatment... ;)

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

david strauss’s picture

david strauss
he/him
commented

Same here!

Morn’s picture

Morn commented

As I tried to log in with "Jörg" I got the message:
"Please reenter your First Name using only letters of the alphabet. "
:-)

kartolocyber’s picture

kartolocyber commented

hehehe.. hey morn, please tell me more complete tutorial about it. Please make it more easy to understand..

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Good point. :)

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

samkat12’s picture

samkat12 commented

The screencast for the data presentation is very clear,informative and simple. I have termed the screen cast "IPOD for Drupal" because the tutorial is packaged with all elements of drupal e.g Views,CCK,taxonomy,Maps,events,files..... i was very impressed and anyone who is new to drupal or having problems with views must see the screencast.

SEEING IS BELIEVING, so have a look and judge for your self.

***

Thank you Tom, we need more people like you in the community.

jefflocke’s picture

jefflocke commented

Thanks for your excellent work on the second course. You have helped me see and understand Drupal in a completely new way. I have finished the CCK portion and decided to practice that new knowledge before moving further into Views. While using the practice data may be helpful for some I found that creating an application on my own site, with frequent return to the videos for review, to work well for me.

Learning some of the tricks you teach makes Drupal, CCK and additional modules appear to be a bit of a Rube Goldberg but my guess is most commercial software is similar only hidden under the skin. Thanks again.

domineaux’s picture

domineaux commented

One day trial is BS.

Who has the time to do one course that takes 6 hours to complete in one day?

However... it is an effort and I appreciate that.

rszrama’s picture

rszrama commented

Well, I suppose it's aptly named a "trial" then. : P

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Yes. This. :)

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

domineaux’s picture

domineaux commented

Guess I sound like a bad guy,eh?

I watched what I had time for.

Your presentation = well done and organized.

I might have gotten through it with a 3 day trial, in lieu of a one day trial. LOL

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Nah, don't worry about it... I thought it was funny. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it!

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

giorgio79’s picture

giorgio79 commented 
domineaux - July 12, 2009 - 15:39

One day trial is BS.

Who has the time to do one course that takes 6 hours to complete in one day?

However... it is an effort and I appreciate that.

Perhaps you should complete a time management course as well on lynda.com :DD

My Drupal sites:

hasage’s picture

hasage commented

These tutorials are worth every penny! Keep up the good work Geller! I hope for more to come! Thanks!

LoveCharge’s picture

LoveCharge commented

nice work thank you

pfoucher’s picture

pfoucher commented

Thank you, i watched nearly everything with the free trial (48 Hours). Really interesting !

pengekcs’s picture

pengekcs commented

I have just finished watching this tutorial.

First: It's obvious the guy who made this learned all what he says while making the video (maybe a little bit before, but he's definitely not too experienced) this is OK though, as as far as I see it, no errors are made in the video.

Second: Even though I occasionally create drupal sites, and have been on one conference (so far only one.. in Szeged last year) I think I can get around the myriads of modules drupal has to offer. Of course cck and views are the most basic ones to include in almost all projects. With that said I have never used such features as 'attachments' and 'relationships' as it has been demonstrated in the video. It's no biggie, but it was good to see something about them - even if the term tells you everything ;)

Third: The chapters on the gmap and charts plugins for views were very nice. Some gmap config options you will see there (if you have never used it) will come handy if needed for sure. Oh, by the way, the latest gmap API (v3 - still in beta) needs no API keys finally! I hope these drupal modules will soon be updated with it.

And last: As the guy tells in the video several times, if you really want to get into views and what it can do for you, take your time and reviw the built-in views (like frontpage, tracker, etc.) they cannot be deleted, but they can be overridden...

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

At first I blanched at your assertion that I learned the subject "on the job". But hell -- I don't pretend to be a truly advanced Drupalist, just an intermediate one who's good at explaining things. I actually built a private site similar to the one used as an example in the course before going into the studio, so certainly it wasn't as new to me as you think. But I ain't merlin. ;)

Anyway, your observations are generally astute. Thanks for the review!

--"the guy"

---
Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal

macintosh’s picture

macintosh commented

Hi Tom,
i dont know how i would learn about drupal if i didnt seen your lynda's essential training... there you really gave me the big view of the project. since im new to web design/dev.. i was building sites using wiswig editors like rapidweaver on my mac. but i always felt limited ... so the way you presented Drupal made it easy to me to learn and also made me very enthusiastic about learning more .. and now i find my self saying to the same self : oh man is web design that easy ? where have u been during ur decade in IT ??
Tom really presents things in a very simple way until sometimes u tell him man i'm not that stupid u think lol but i know its made for all kind of people.. u know just before reading about your "presentation of date" training i was always wondering how can i present data in maps like gmaps. how can i create forms with attachment enabled.. how ..how and you'r just giving me the exact image.
i believe Drupal is an Environment which will need more and more training video.. so please TOM do not hesitate to create more videos.. for example " drupal : the must have modules for all content type creation and presentation"
pst Tom use Snow leopard with its genie effects finder, exposé and real time dragging/opening really macs deserves. (dont say this is an ad for apple, cuz in another video by a colleague of you i saw him showing off a like-genie effect in hos windows vista ;))
also please talk about some external programs that could be used to create amazing things for drupal sites like the outstanding Bannerzest, also please recommend some external apps that allows people make their sites work.. for example a Logo Creator/designer app.. Gif banners..
im very happy to be able to talk to my teacher from another continent thanks to drupal and "Comunitisme"
Thank You.
------------------------------------------
Abbas "El Drupalista" from Morocco.
left handed / right minded

tgeller’s picture

tgeller commented

Thanks for your kind comments! For the record, I'm on Mac OS 10.5 ("Leopard"). I haven't made the leap to Snow Leopard yet. :)

Cheers,

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Tom Geller * tomgeller.com * Oberlin, Ohio
See my lynda.com videos about Drupal