Learning Drupal 6 Module Development Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Preface

• Chapter 1: Introduction to Drupal Modules
• Drupal's Architecture
• Module Architecture
• Core Modules
• Hooks
• Themes
• Crucial Drupal Concepts
• Nodes
• Comments Are Not Nodes
• Users
• Access and Security
• Blocks and Page Rendering
• Menus
• Forms
• Database and Schema APIs
• Developers' Tools
• Developer Module
• Coder Module
• A Word on Our Demonstration Site
• Summary

• Chapter 2: Creating Our First Module
• Starting Out
• A Place for the Module
• Creating a .info File
• A Basic .module File
• Our Goal: A Block Hook
• Starting the .module
• The hook_block() Implementation
• The t() Function
• A view Operation
• Installing a Module
• Step 1: Copying the Module
• Step 2: Enabling the Module
• Step 3: Displaying the Module's Content
• Using Goodreads Data
• Modifying the Block Hook
• Retrieving XML Content over HTTP
• The watchdog() Function
• Processing the HTTP Results
• Formatting the Block's Contents
• Finishing Touches: hook_help()
• Summary

• Chapter 3: The Theme System
• The Theme System's Architecture
• Theme Templates
• Theme Engines
• Theme Hooks
• Creating a Custom Theme
• Organization of Themes
• Sub-themes (Derivative Themes)
• How Each Theme Functions
• Creating a Theme
• Creating the Theme Directory
• A .info File
• A CSS Stylesheet
• A PHPTemplate Theme
• Template Structure
• A Page Template for Descartes
• Using PHP to Override Theme Behavior
• template.php Gotchas
• Creating a Screenshot
• From Here to a Full Theme
• Summary

• Chapter 4: Theming Modules
• Our Target Module: What We Want
• Creating a Custom Content Type
• Using the Administration Interface to Create a Content Type
• Content and Nodes
• The Foundations of the Module
• A Simple Database Lookup
• Getting the Node ID
• Getting the Node's Content
• Theming Inside a Module
• Registering a Theme
• Creating a Theme Hook Function
• Adding a Stylesheet
• Overriding the Default Theme from a Theme
• A Quick Clarification
• Overriding the Default Theme's CSS
• Overriding Layout with Templates
• Summary

• Chapter 5: Using JavaScript and AJAX/JSON in Modules
• Picking up Where We Left Off
• Introducing jQuery
• Modifying HTML with jQuery
• Checking for JavaScript Support with Drupal
• Namespaces in JavaScript
• Drupal's Namespace
• A Drupal Function: Drupal.jsEnabled()
• Delaying JavaScript Execution with jQuery
• Including JavaScript from the Module's Theme
• Writing a Drupal AJAX/JSON Service
• The JSON Format
• Our Module Roadmap
• Server Side: Defining a New Page
• Creating a JSON Message
• Mapping a Function to a URL
• Passing PHP Settings to JavaScript
• Client Side: AJAX Handlers
• A JavaScript Function to Get JSON Content
• Adding an Event Handler
• Summary

• Chapter 6: An Administration Module
• The emailusers Module
• The Beginning of the Module
• Mail Configuration
• Registering an Administration Page
• A Detailed Look at the Path
• Marking the Path as an Administration Page
• Path Registration Parameters
• Defining the Callback Function
• Handling Forms with the Forms API (FAPI)
• Loading a Form with drupal_get_form()
• A Form Constructor
• Handling Form Results
• The Form Submissions Callback
• Sending Mail with the Mail API
• Formatting Mail with hook_mail()
• Altering Messages with hook_mail_alter()
• Altering Hooks
• Adding a Mail Footer
• Incorporating the Module into Administration
• Modifying the User Profile with hook_user()
• Constructing the Content
• Summary

• Chapter 7: Building a Content Type
• The biography Module
• The Content Creation Kit
• The Starting Point
• The Module Installation Script
• The Schema API: Defining Database Structures
• A First Look at the Table Definition
• Defining Fields (Columns)
• Defining Keys and Indexes
• Correlating the New Table with Nodes
• The Content Creation Form
• Overriding hook_form() Defaults
• Adding New hook_form() Form Elements

• Access Controls
• Database Hooks
• Database Inserts with hook_insert()
• Updating and Deleting Database Records

• Hooks for Getting Data
• Loading a Node with hook_load()
• Preparing the Node for Display with hook_view()

• Theming Biography Content
• Registering a Theme
• The biography_info.tpl.php Template
• The Results

• Summary

• Chapter 8: Filters, Actions, and Hooks
• The sitenews Module
• Getting Started
• Citing Dependencies in the .info File
• The Beginning of the .module File
• A Simple Content Type, Defined in Code
• Creating Filters and an Input Format
• The Second Filter: Remove All Tags
• Adding an Input Format

• The Beginning of an Action
• Implementing hook_action_info()
• The Action Callback

• Defining a Hook
• Invoking a Custom Hook
• So What Is a Hook?
• Creating a hook_sitenews() Function
• Implementing hook_sitenews() in Other Modules
• In the philquotes Module
• In the biography Module

• Completing the Action: Theming and Mailing
• Theme Functions
• The hook_mail() Implementation

• Adding a Trigger
• Summary

• Chapter 9: An Installation Profile
• Introducing Installation Profiles
• Why Use Installation Profiles?
• Setting up a Distribution
• Creating a Profile Directory
• Programming Profiles
• The .profile Script
• The Details Function
• The Modules List
• The Installation Task System
• The Profile Task
• A Basic Profile Task
• A Complex Profile Task
• Moving to the Next Task
• Registering a New Task
• The Theme Selection Form
• Returning to the philosopherbios_pick_theme Task
• The Submission Handler
• Finishing the Installation Profile
• Packaging the Distribution
• Summary

• Index