Vancouver League of Drupallers - Remembering the User (August 2008)

Remembering the User A few simple things you can do to enhance the Drupal experience for your users

Introduction
Hello my name is Oliver Walker
Using Drupal for a year or two
Develop websites for small businesses
http://www.ventureweb.net
Front end developer/themer
Themeing
Build Small ‘helper’ modules

Who am I enhancing it for?
My ‘user group’ might not be your ‘user group’
Lots of different types of drupal users
Module Developers
Site Administrators
Content Writers
People who leave comments
People who just look at your website
… and more…

So who then?
1 - 3 people who ‘administer’
And by administer I mean…
Change content anywhere from daily to weekly
Add/edit content
Moderate comments
Moderate revisions
Basic user administration
Business areas
(Local) Government
Tourism Industry
Small Business

4 things… …I have done to improve the experience of drupal for the users defined previously.

#1) Menu Settings
Ordering Pages with the Menu System:
Default
Intuitive
Drawbacks:
Menu Settings on content authoring form has all the links in there
Have to grant ‘administer menus’ permissions

#1) How to:
If you don’t want to write your own module!..
Go: Admin > Site Building > Menus > Settings
Drupal 6
“ Default Menu for content”
Drupal 5:
“ Content authoring form settings”
However
Drupal 5 restricts access totally
Drupal 6 defines initial ‘starting point’

#1) Links and Resources
Some resources
http://drupal.org/node/270273

#2) User Profile Page
Consider the sites and the users
No social media (buddy lists, alerts, favorites etc.)
What does the user page have on it?
“ Member for x days…”
Can it be more usable?
Blocks, custom layouts to add useful content e.g.
Links to create content
(copy node_add() from node.module)
Lists of user’s content
Comments requiring administration
Revisions that need approval

#2) User Profile Page - D5 code:
/*** USER PAGE ***/
function _phptemplate_variables($hook, $vars) {
$vars = array();
if ($hook == 'page') {
global $user;
if (arg(0) == 'user' && arg(1) == $user->name){
$suggestions[] = ’page-user';
$vars['template_files'] = $suggestions;
}
}
return $vars;
}
/*** USER PAGE CONTENT ***/
function phptemplate_user_profile($user, $fields = array()) {
return _phptemplate_callback('user-profile, array('user' => $user, 'fields' => $fields));
}
Add to your template.php file

#2) User Profile Page - D6
Just create the template files
user-profile.tpl.php
page-user.tpl.php
… and remember to clear the cache!
Admin > Site configuration > Performance
http://ww.example.com/admin/settings/performance
or use Devel Module

#2) User Profile Page
You can then theme the new template files as you would any other template file:
user-profile.tpl.php
page-user.tpl.php

“ Add Blocks to your User Profile page in Drupal 5 and 6”
http://stevekrueger.com/

#3) Content authoring forms
Sometimes Content authoring form can get long.
Theme the form so that, for example, it:
Looks more like the node itself
Provides further instruction to the user
Looks like an administrative theme

#3) Content Authoring forms
You can go a long way with just css.
Creating specific template files gives you full control
Better use of space
Add extra help text, links for user assistance etc.
Whatever you can think of

#3) Content Authoring forms - D5
/*** ADD NEW ***/
if ((arg(0) == 'node') && (arg(1) == 'add')){
if(arg(2) == ’ yourNodeType '){
function phptemplate_node_form($form) {
return _phptemplate_callback('node- yourNodeType -edit', array('user' => $user, 'form' => $form));
}
}
}
/*** EDIT EXISTING ***/
if ((arg(0) == 'node') && (arg(2) == 'edit')){
$node = node_load(array('nid' => arg(1)));
if($node->type == ' yourNodeType '){
return _phptemplate_callback('node- yourNodeType -edit', array('user' => $user, 'form' => $form));
}
}
}

#3) Content Authoring Forms - D6
… and remember to clear the cache!
function yourThemeName _theme(){ return array( ’ yourNodeType _node_form' => array( 'arguments' => array('form' => NULL), 'template' => 'node- yourNodeType -edit', ), ); } Add to your template.php file

node- yourNodeType -edit.tpl.php
drupal_render($form[‘title’])
Will render the form title
drupal_render($form[‘field_xxxxx’])
Will render field_xxxxx
drupal_render($form)
Will render the form
Will render what is remaining of the form after other fields have been rendered
How do I find out what form values there are for me to render?
print ‘<pre>’;
print_r($form);
print ‘</pre>’;

#3) You can also alter default form values
For example
Number of rows in a textarea
Size of a specific text field
Making things collapsible or not
Value of a button (submit, edit, delete)
Remove a form component altogether.

#3) Drupal 5 - form value overrride
/**
* add
*/
if ((arg(0) == 'node') && (arg(1) == 'add')){
if(arg(2) == 'listing'){
$form['body_filter']['body']['#rows'] = 30;
$form['field_sq_foot'][0]['value']['#size'] = 5;
$form['preview']['#value'] = “Preview the listing”;
$form['submit']['#value'] = Create!";
unset($form['menu']);
return _phptemplate_callback('node-listing-edit', array('user' => $user, 'form' => $form));
…

#3) Drupal 6 - form value override
function vwtheme_preprocess_listing_node_form(&$vars) {
$vars['form']['buttons']['submit']['#value'] = "Cowabunga";
$vars['form'][ 'field_sq_foot'][0]['value']['#size'] = 5;
…
…
}
Add to your template.php file … and remember to clear the cache!

http://www.drupal.org/101092
Lullabot tutorial (modifying forms in general)
Covers how to alter using a module and hook_form_alter
http://www.lullabot.com/articles/modifying-forms-5-and-6
Template suggestions

#4) Video Content as bonus to README
Readme files are important
Who doesn’t like to watch video!
Tailored video makes people feel warm and special
Easy to make
Screen capture software
e.g. iShowU @ shineywhitebox.com for $20 US
Product Placement as a possible revenue stream??

Vancouver League of Drupallers - Remembering the User (August 2008)

by baronmunchowsen on Sep 03, 2008

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Vancouver League of Drupallers - Remembering the User (August 2008) — Presentation Transcript