Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Save more on your purchases now! discount-offer-chevron-icon
Savings automatically calculated. No voucher code required
Arrow left icon
All Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Newsletters
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Drupal 10 Masterclass
Drupal 10 Masterclass

Drupal 10 Masterclass: Build responsive Drupal applications to deliver custom and extensible digital experiences to users

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Adam Bergstein
Arrow right icon
€15.99 €23.99
Book Dec 2023 310 pages 1st Edition
eBook
€15.99 €23.99
Print
€29.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Adam Bergstein
Arrow right icon
€15.99 €23.99
Book Dec 2023 310 pages 1st Edition
eBook
€15.99 €23.99
Print
€29.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m
eBook
€15.99 €23.99
Print
€29.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m

What do you get with eBook?

Product feature icon Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Drupal 10 Masterclass

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a popular content management system (CMS) for building websites, web applications, and digital experiences. With such flexibility, it can be difficult to define exactly what Drupal is. This chapter explores that question in depth to clarify its identity, purpose, and objective.

The goal of this chapter is to provide a solid foundation that we will build upon in the more practical, hands-on chapters found later in this book. Learning basic concepts and understanding the community are essential for anyone who wants to work with Drupal.

In this chapter, we will explore the following topics:

  • What is a CMS?
  • Framework and extensibility
  • Basic concepts
  • Popular case studies

What is a CMS?

A CMS, in its simplest form, is a tool to create, update, maintain, and present content. This was historically for websites, but now, they’re commonly used for digital experiences given the rise of omnichannel content delivery. The foundations of the web started with servers delivering static HTML files over the internet. Tools that abstracted technical complexities in building HTML, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, allowed non-technical audiences to author websites without knowing how to code. HTML files would be modified on someone’s personal computer and subsequently pushed up to a web server through protocols such as FTP or SFTP. A CMS abstracts both the coding and the file-based operations to enhance the capabilities of a system. Many CMSs also handle content delivery given that managing content has evolved to address more complex use cases with specific access controls, editorial reviews, and more.

The modern CMS has evolved to serve several popular use cases. Many eCommerce websites manage products, pricing, and promotions through a CMS where the system manages shopping carts, users, and payment transactions. Social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, harness content management capabilities to deliver user-specific, innovative digital experiences.

Enterprise CMS systems must account for much more than just browser-based content delivery, which explains Drupal’s evolution. Omnichannel capabilities often allow a CMS to serve as a central content store while allowing the same content to be served across any channel from a website, app on your phone, a notification stream, and more. A CMS is now viewed as a major enabler for an effective digital strategy spanning simple websites for small businesses to a highly integrated content store for major corporations. Over time, Drupal has added the features and extensibility necessary to be a platform that enterprises adopt.

CMS systems began by managing content published on basic websites. Today, applications such as Drupal have evolved to be able to dynamically deliver content through many channels and manage data across a vast amount of enterprise capabilities. Recognizing this evolution helps explain Drupal’s position in the space of CMS solutions as an enabler not just for simple website use cases, but far more.

Frameworks and extensibility

I once heard Drupal described as analogous to Lego building blocks in that Lego blocks of all shapes and sizes; what can be created is limited only by your imagination. Many people have attempted to define what Drupal is. While a clear definition may help people understand when and how to adopt Drupal, if Drupal is of interest to them, or if Drupal can help them deliver a specific solution effectively, this is not a constructive way to understand what Drupal is.

Drupal is a tool. What is delivered with the tool can vary drastically. That is why the Lego analogy works. With Lego blocks, you can build a house, a car, a Star Wars figure… practically anything. Lego blocks empower a builder to create what they want to create. Often, people want a clear definition of Drupal. Is it a house, a car, or a Star Wars figure? No – it is a tool that helps you create the digital experiences you want to build. While I understand a desire to define what Drupal can be used for, looking at Drupal in this manner can be significantly limiting.

Drupal grew in popularity as a CMS. Drupal empowered site builders by offering a user interface for configuring structured content and serving that structured content as rendered HTML. Imagine a system that can be used to both create and deliver websites. Drupal offers that. Content is stored persistently by authors and then rendered for site visitors dynamically. Drupal is an application developed in PHP that leverages a database storage backend. Older CMSs simply managed static files, whereas Drupal is a functional system that can be programmed to manage content. Page requests do not correspond to static files; instead, they are dynamically processed by Drupal. The system interprets a URL, parameters, and sessions to deliver a unique, generated result back to the browser at the time the request was made. Some requests get content, others serve the user interface to manage content. Drupal handles all of that.

However, Drupal can do much more than basic content management. Out of the box, the core of Drupal delivers many features that allow it to be configured for conventional content management. This includes structured content, WYSIWYG, media/static file management, caching, rendering content displays, API-based content delivery, and more. However, Drupal also comes with a highly extensible framework that allows for it to be customized. Given Drupal is open source, community members have contributed their customizations back to the open-source community as projects that can be downloaded and installed on any Drupal application.

The goal of this book is to show how Drupal, its out-of-the-box features, and contributed projects can be built and configured to deliver amazing digital experiences. Like a large box of Lego blocks, the aim of this book is not to define exactly what can be built but to show you how to use the tool to accomplish a large number of potential outcomes. What you do is only bound by your imagination.

Basic Drupal concepts

Drupal’s core delivers two fundamental parts of the application: a frontend web application and a backend administrative system. Both are delivered through the Drupal application, which can be accessed from a web browser differentiated based on the request. Common backend paths, such as the user login page “user” and administrative console “admin,” help Drupal differentiate requests.

Drupal’s administrative backend

Conceptually, Drupal’s backend performs tasks and retrieves information about the Drupal system. Tasks change based on the access granted to the user. However, common tasks include performing content updates, configuring Drupal system settings, and managing modules. Useful information, such as Drupal’s system status page, access to Drupal logs, and help pages, can also be accessed from Drupal’s backend. It is useful for content editors and those managing the Drupal system.

The following figure demonstrates Drupal’s administrative backend, which can be found at /admin after logging in:

Figure 1.1 – Drupal’s administrative home page

Figure 1.1 – Drupal’s administrative home page

At the top, Drupal has an administrative menu that helps navigate the entirety of Drupal’s administrative backend. This figure demonstrates the initial, primary administrative page that lists links within Drupal’s backend. Each category has a gray background that represents a core feature or subsystem. Under each category are links to pages that perform administrative actions or configure the behavior of that subsystem.

Drupal’s frontend presentation layer

Since the backend configures Drupal and manages content, the frontend is responsible for serving content. Drupal’s render subsystem is used to correlate a page request to the corresponding response, which is dynamically returned by Drupal. While there is far more complexity, a high-level request flow interprets the path, gathers the relevant structured content from Drupal’s backend, maps the content to HTML templates found in the enabled Drupal theme, and returns rendered markup.

The following figure shows Drupal 10’s default home page rendered by the frontend presentation layer:

Figure 1.2 – Drupal’s default home page

Figure 1.2 – Drupal’s default home page

While this shows simple, basic placeholder content, it differs drastically from Figure 1.1, given that it is presenting content and not configuring Drupal.

Consider authenticated users while using Drupal’s frontend and backend. Drupal can deliver content, but not just for anonymous visitors who visit a Drupal website. During frontend processing, Drupal can render content specific for the user who’s being authenticated. Such a capability allows you to leverage Drupal features to build dashboards with individualized content, create personalized experiences, and even deliver content moderation workflows that pair with Drupal’s frontend. The most common use case for authenticated users is still accessing and using the administrative backend of Drupal, but a user can be configured without permission to access the backend. Given users have an expanded role in Drupal, a user can log into Drupal with no backend access and get content that’s specific and relevant to them. Imagine building a social network where every user only sees content they subscribe to. Drupal can do that.

Popular Drupal case studies

Drupal case studies start with their fundamental content management features, which build off of structured data. Drupal has been commonly used for blogs, websites, or news. Stanford University offers a web content management program that delivers Drupal and various content management features as a service through their IT department. The State of Georgia offers a similar web platform built with Drupal. Other popular Drupal websites include London.gov.uk, home.cern, unicef.org, the Syfy network, the State of Massachusetts, The Weather Channel, Tesla, Entertainment Weekly, NCAA, the Emmy Awards, and NASA.

Distributions in Drupal often represent popular use cases for Drupal, reducing the time and cost of creating multiple sites that have similar requirements. Websites built with the Open Social distribution (getopensocial.com) help create community-based websites with groups, events, private messaging, and enhanced user profiles. Case studies include Local Gov Drupal (drupal.org/project/localgov), The United Nations, The Salvation Army, and The European Commission. Drupal Commerce is a distribution tailored for eCommerce websites, with a series of optional features for payment gateway integrations, promotions/coupons, analytics, shipping, and fulfillment. Case studies include EuroCentres, Open Sesame, and Artellite.

Drupal has countless published case studies and even more undocumented installations that highlight its wide adoption. These case studies demonstrate Drupal’s ability to be used in different industries and verticals, as well as for different implementations.

Summary

This chapter covered introductory concepts regarding CMSs and highlighted how Drupal built a CMS through its high-level features. First, we introduced Drupal’s framework and extensibility value proposition, which enables both its vibrant community and enterprise-level customizations. Next, we reviewed Drupal.org, which introduced you to how to engage with the community, work with community projects, and the purpose of the Drupal Association. Finally, we looked at some case studies that demonstrate Drupal’s capabilities. The next chapter dives deeper into projects by reviewing core, contributed, and custom projects.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • Explore Drupal 10 concepts in depth and discover how you can engage with the Drupal open-source community
  • Build Drupal applications with powerful features such as structured content, media, views, and displays
  • Learn how to create modules and themes with metadata, hooks, and Drupal’s customization plugins
  • Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Description

Learning Drupal can be challenging because of its robust, extensible, and powerful capability for digital experiences, making it difficult for beginners to grasp and use it for application development. If you’re looking to break into Drupal with hands-on knowledge, this Drupal 10 Masterclass is for you. With this book, you’ll gain a thorough knowledge of Drupal by understanding its core concepts, including its technical architecture, frontend, backend, framework, and latest features. Equipped with foundational knowledge, you’ll bootstrap and install your first project with expert guidance on maintaining Drupal applications. Progressively, you’ll build applications using Drupal’s core features such as content structures, multilingual support, users, roles, Views, search, and digital assets. You’ll discover techniques for developing modules and themes and harness Drupal’s robust content management through layout builder, blocks, and content workflows. The book familiarizes you with prominent tools such as Git, Drush, and Composer for code deployments and DevOps practices for Drupal application management. You’ll also explore advanced use cases for content migration and multisite implementation, extending your application’s capabilities. By the end of this book, you’ll not only have learned how to build a successful Drupal application but may also find yourself contributing to the Drupal community.

What you will learn

  • Understand Drupal’s architecture and infrastructure dependencies
  • Bootstrap, install, and configure your first Drupal project
  • Maintain Drupal through updates, automation, and DevOps practices
  • Harness Drupal features like multilingual, search, Views, and content moderation
  • Understand content management and how to effectively put it into action
  • Explore advanced topics such as Git, Drush, DevOps, and Composer
  • Leverage Drupal’s framework for modules and themes
  • Discover advanced use cases for migration and multisite management

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Dec 15, 2023
Length 310 pages
Edition : 1st Edition
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781837633104
Concepts :

What do you get with eBook?

Product feature icon Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

Product Details

Publication date : Dec 15, 2023
Length 310 pages
Edition : 1st Edition
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781837633104
Concepts :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
€18.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
€189.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just €5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
€264.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just €5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Table of Contents

31 Chapters
Preface Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
1. Part 1:Foundational Concepts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Chapter 1: What is Drupal? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Chapter 2: Drupal Core, Modules, and Themes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Chapter 3: Infrastructure and Overview of Technical Architecture Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Chapter 4: Drupal Community Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Chapter 5: What’s New in Drupal 10 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Part 2:Setting up - Installing and Maintaining Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Chapter 6: Bootstrapping, Installing, and Configuring a New Drupal Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Chapter 7: Maintaining Drupal Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Part 3:Building - Features and Configuration Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Chapter 8: Content Structures and Multilingual Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. Chapter 9: Users, Roles, and Permissions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
13. Chapter 10: Drupal Views and Display Modes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
14. Chapter 11: Files, Images, and Media Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
15. Chapter 12: Search Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
16. Chapter 13: Contact Forms Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
17. Part 4:Using - Content Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
18. Chapter 14: Basic Content Authoring Experience Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
19. Chapter 15: Visual Content Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
20. Chapter 16: Content Workflows Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
21. Part 5:Advanced Topics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
22. Chapter 17: Git, Drush, Composer, and DevOps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
23. Chapter 18: Module Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
24. Chapter 19: Theme Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
25. Chapter 20: Delivering Drupal Content through APIs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
26. Chapter 21: Migrating Content into Drupal Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
27. Chapter 22: Multisite Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
28. Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
29. Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Appendix A - Drupal Terminology Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

How do I buy and download an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Where there is an eBook version of a title available, you can buy it from the book details for that title. Add either the standalone eBook or the eBook and print book bundle to your shopping cart. Your eBook will show in your cart as a product on its own. After completing checkout and payment in the normal way, you will receive your receipt on the screen containing a link to a personalised PDF download file. This link will remain active for 30 days. You can download backup copies of the file by logging in to your account at any time.

If you already have Adobe reader installed, then clicking on the link will download and open the PDF file directly. If you don't, then save the PDF file on your machine and download the Reader to view it.

Please Note: Packt eBooks are non-returnable and non-refundable.

Packt eBook and Licensing When you buy an eBook from Packt Publishing, completing your purchase means you accept the terms of our licence agreement. Please read the full text of the agreement. In it we have tried to balance the need for the ebook to be usable for you the reader with our needs to protect the rights of us as Publishers and of our authors. In summary, the agreement says:

  • You may make copies of your eBook for your own use onto any machine
  • You may not pass copies of the eBook on to anyone else
How can I make a purchase on your website? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you want to purchase a video course, eBook or Bundle (Print+eBook) please follow below steps:

  1. Register on our website using your email address and the password.
  2. Search for the title by name or ISBN using the search option.
  3. Select the title you want to purchase.
  4. Choose the format you wish to purchase the title in; if you order the Print Book, you get a free eBook copy of the same title. 
  5. Proceed with the checkout process (payment to be made using Credit Card, Debit Cart, or PayPal)
Where can I access support around an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
  • If you experience a problem with using or installing Adobe Reader, the contact Adobe directly.
  • To view the errata for the book, see www.packtpub.com/support and view the pages for the title you have.
  • To view your account details or to download a new copy of the book go to www.packtpub.com/account
  • To contact us directly if a problem is not resolved, use www.packtpub.com/contact-us
What eBook formats do Packt support? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Our eBooks are currently available in a variety of formats such as PDF and ePubs. In the future, this may well change with trends and development in technology, but please note that our PDFs are not Adobe eBook Reader format, which has greater restrictions on security.

You will need to use Adobe Reader v9 or later in order to read Packt's PDF eBooks.

What are the benefits of eBooks? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
  • You can get the information you need immediately
  • You can easily take them with you on a laptop
  • You can download them an unlimited number of times
  • You can print them out
  • They are copy-paste enabled
  • They are searchable
  • There is no password protection
  • They are lower price than print
  • They save resources and space
What is an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Packt eBooks are a complete electronic version of the print edition, available in PDF and ePub formats. Every piece of content down to the page numbering is the same. Because we save the costs of printing and shipping the book to you, we are able to offer eBooks at a lower cost than print editions.

When you have purchased an eBook, simply login to your account and click on the link in Your Download Area. We recommend you saving the file to your hard drive before opening it.

For optimal viewing of our eBooks, we recommend you download and install the free Adobe Reader version 9.