Hi,
It's been a few months that I'm trying to develop a website. I started with basic HTML, CSS and Javascript knowledge and tried to make it with Dreamweaver CS4.
Then I asked on this forum and I learned that it was probably better that I use a CMS, so I bought a mysql server on my web provider and I installed drupal, I saw from a few reviews that it's the most complete and SEO friendly.
I am trying to make a humor website, and for now I intend to put the following:
text, photos, videos, images, flash animations (users should be able to upload them and have them work without my work, something like what youtube does with videos) and AJAX comments (something like what facebook does, without reloading the page, I learned from an IRC conversation that i should probably use this language.
NOW FOR MY PROBLEM:
For learning everything else (HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT) I just did a little search on google for "HTML tutorial" and I found very good documentation.
The problem with drupal is that I'm overwhelmed with information, every site just suggests a new module or a 10 hour video pack to buy. I'm looking for a good tutorial to learn, I have no idea from where to start, from what i can understand Durpal does a million different things, all very useful but not for me, i'm not into developing an estore soon for example. I installed drupal a month ago and I put a few modules, let my friend register and tried a few functions, I tried installing zen as a starting theme but I understood nothing of it.
I would like to know :
1)to find a good drupal tutorial, step by step (ok not with screenshots that show you where the OK button is, i'm not that n00b :D )
2)is it possible to use dreamweaver to write some of the repetitive code? (when i developed the static version i inserted a video by dragging the video on the dreamweaver window, and it wrote the script by itself)
3)I drew this with ms paint as a sketch of what I would like to do with the jokes page http://www.xday.it/it/barzellette/help.png
4)most important of all: on each page you should upload the content of that page and make it go on that page, for example, on the video section you can upload videos, not jpeg images, and they go on the videos page, which is then divided in categories and displays a few results on each page, not the whole video database on one page
Comments
Walk Before You Run
That's a pretty ambitious custom theme you laid out. It might be "too much" for a first time Drupaler.
Here are my thoughts on the above:
1.) I bought and read the O'Reilly Drupal book, Using Drupal. Very useful. http://drupal.org/node/333901
2.) I use Dreamweaver to upload, edit and manager my CSS and page.tpl.php files. But that said, there aren't really as many repetitive tasks to code in Drupal. The idea is, once you create a "container" (content type) you can create 10 or ten thousand of this type. So you are not re-entering code like in plain HTML.
3.) Not impossible, but a challenging theme.
4.) That is the idea behind Drupal. You don't dump everything into a "page" content type. You make content types for each category: Jokes, Videos, Animations, Funny Jpegs. You can further segment these content types by using Taxonomy, which basically allows you to add keywords to each upload. So you could just show funny kid videos or funny office videos.
Good Luck
A list of some of the Drupal sites I have designed and/or developed can be viewed at motioncity.com
I agree with mcfilms
I agree with mcfilms the place to start is the book Using Drupal. It will give an idea of what Drupal can do out of the box with just core and contributed modules and themes. Using Drupal cuts the clutter and that sense of being overwhelmed with information. It tells you which modules are best and why. The exercises are a good starting place in playing and exploring.
Here are some additional thoughts:
1) You might have been better off developing your site on your local desk top computer, instead of using a web host server. You could have used Mamp,(for Mac) or Wamp (for Windows) which are free and not paid for hosting until the site was ready to go. Mamp and Wamp provide mysql, php, and apache server software - everything you need to install Drupal.
2) I think you will find that Drupal will have the functionality you want, without having to write or even modify modules. You will probably get most of what you want by going through the exercises in Using Drupal. But it will probably not look like you want. To do that you will have to learn to write your own theme or modify and existing one. And that is a whole different level.
3) So you might find that you can get the site up and functioning, but not looking like you want. And as you learn theming you can improve the look slowly. As mcfilms says walk first then run.
Since I have just gone through this, these are my thoughts on what you need to know to start theming:
1) A very solid knowledge of HTML and CSS, knowing the basic will not do.
2) Many places it is written that you need java script knowledge but I have not had to use it yet. But that might just be me.
3) On the other hand some knowledge of PHP is critical. You have to be able to read code snippets and know what is going on.
4) I have had good luck starting with the Zen theme. It must be understood the the Zen theme looks like nothing. It is only a scaffolding to build your theme on. But it is a great way to learn the how CSS is used in Drupal.
5) Firebug in Firefox will be your new BFF.
6) More specifically the expanding bubble in your mock-up looks like it might be able to be done using a sliding door technique, The book CSS Mastery - Advanced Web Standards Solutions has an explanation. But others are more qualified to talk on this than I.
Good Luck
thanks!!!
thank you, both Stew-bee and mcfilms. i really appreciate all the info you gave me. i am already searching the sliding doors and i will start to read that book you told me about.
thanks again!!