A Beginners Guide to Drupal

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a content management system (CMS) and software development framework written in PHP. It is used by developers and system administrators to create, manage and deliver content to their audience. Drupal is used by large organizations such as The White House, Harvard University, AOL and The Guardian. Drupal is a popular choice for web development due to its feature set, flexibility, scalability and security.

It is a powerful and popular content management system that can be used for everything from a small blog to a large corporate website. It is open source software that is free to use, and there is a large community of users and developers who support it. Drupal is a good choice for websites that need a lot of flexibility and customizability. How does Drupal work?

Drupal is divided into two parts: the Drupal core and Drupal modules. The Drupal core provides the basic functionality of a content management system, while Drupal modules allow you to add features and functionality to your website. There are thousands of Drupal modules available, and you can find them on the Drupal website or on the module’s website.

Key Features of using Drupal

Drupal 8 is the latest version of the Drupal content management system. It was released in November 2015. Drupal 8 has a number of new features that distinguish it from previous versions of Drupal.

Some of the key features of Drupal are:

1) It is built on the Symfony PHP framework. This makes it easier to develop and extend than previous versions of Drupal. Symfony is a full-stack framework that includes everything you need to develop quality applications, from the database to the template engine.

Drupal 8 is a major release that introduces a wealth of new features, including a new configuration management system, a more powerful theming engine, and an improved API for modules and themes. But what really sets Drupal 8 apart is that it is built on the Symfony framework.

It is also well-tested and well-documented, making it a good choice for developing enterprise-level applications. Symfony integrates well with Drupal, and the two frameworks complement each other well. Symfony provides a robust foundation for building Drupal applications, while Drupal provides a powerful set of tools and APIs for developing Symfony applications.

If you are considering developing a Drupal 8 application, or upgrading an existing Drupal 6 or 7 application, you should consider using the Symfony PHP framework. Symfony is a proven framework that will help you develop high-quality applications quickly and efficiently.

2) It has a new admin interface which is more user-friendly and modern. – In January 2017, Drupal released an update to its core administrative interface. This update, dubbed “Drupal 8.3.0”, includes a new interface that is more user-friendly and modern.

The new interface is intended to make it easier for site administrators to manage their websites. It features a cleaner, more streamlined design, with simplified menus and buttons. Navigation is now performed through tabs, which makes it easier to find the relevant content.

The update also includes a new “Block layout” module, which allows administrators to easily create custom page layouts. This can be used to create custom landing pages, or to change the layout of existing pages.

Overall, the new Drupal 8.3.0 interface is a major improvement over the previous version. It is more user-friendly and better-looking, and it provides more flexibility and control for site administrators. If you are using Drupal 8, we recommend upgrading to the new interface as soon as possible.  After using the new Drupal admin interface, I am convinced that it is more user-friendly and modern. It is a big improvement over the old interface and makes managing a Drupal site much easier.

3) It supports responsive design. It is a credible open-source content management system that you can use to develop responsive websites. All the components of Drupal are designed to respond to various screen sizes. Drupal 8, the latest version, has many features that support responsive design, including Breakpoint, Panelizer, and Media, which means that websites built with Drupal 8 will look good on all devices, from desktop computers to smart phones.

4) It includes built-in support for multilingual websites – Drupal 8, the latest release of the Drupal content management system (CMS), includes built-in support for multilingual websites. This means that Drupal 8 websites can be created, managed, and operated in multiple languages, without having to install any additional software or modules.

Multilingual support is a key feature of Drupal 8, and it has been significantly improved in comparison to Drupal 7. For example, in Drupal 8, a multilingual website can be created simply by installing the Drupal core and specifying the languages that you want to support in the site’s settings. Drupal will take care of everything else, including translating the site’s menus, pages, and other content into the desired languages.

Drupal 8 also includes a number of other features that are helpful for managing multilingual websites. For example, it includes a powerful translation management system that makes it easy to translate Drupal 8 content into multiple languages. It also includes a built-in Internationalization (i18n) system that makes it easy to create and manage multilingual content.

Overall, Drupal 8’s built-in multilingual support makes it an ideal platform for creating and managing multilingual websites. If you need a website that supports multiple languages, then you should consider using Drupal 8.

5) It includes a new module called “Web Services”– It allows Drupal websites to be accessed and managed using RESTful web services. One of the great things about Drupal is the vast number of contributed modules that are available for download and installation. A new module called “Web Services” is one that is worth taking a look at.

This module provides a way to expose Drupal content as a web service. This means that you can access and use Drupal content from other applications, such as a mobile app, or from another web site.

The module provides an easy-to-use interface for creating web services. Services can be created for specific content types, or you can create a global service that can be used by any content type.

Once a service is created, it can be accessed using a variety of methods, including SOAP, XML-RPC, and REST. You can also use the module to create a custom admin interface for managing your web services.

This module provides a great way to extend the reach of your Drupal site, and it can be a valuable tool for exposing your content to a wider audience. The Drupal community has been hard at work creating a new module called “Web Services.”  This module provides an easy way to create and use web services with Drupal. It supports both REST and SOAP web services, making it a powerful tool for integrating Drupal with other systems. 

6) It has a new built-in application called “Drupal Console” – It provides a command-line interface for managing Drupal websites. Drupal Console has been accepted as an official Drupal 8 application. It is similar to the Drush command line interface for Drupal. Drupal Console will help you manage your Drupal site more easily.  Drupal Console is a new built-in application that provides a command-line interface (CLI) to generate boilerplate code, interact with Drupal 8 websites, and manage your Drupal installation.

Drupal Console is based on the Symfony Console Component, which provides a powerful framework for creating command-line applications. While the Drupal Console is still in its early stages of development, it has already proved to be a valuable tool for Drupal developers.

The Drupal Console commands are organized into 12 categories:

catalog: generate entity classes, add fields, and more

config: export and import configurations, manage site settings, and more

database: interact with the database, generate migrations, and more

help: get help for any command, including a list of all commands

install: install and uninstall Drupal, manage various installation settings, and more

kernel: manage the Drupal kernel, generate skeleton code, and more

modules: install, enable, and disable modules, generate module skeletons, and more

profiles: create and manage Drupal 8 profiles

themes: install, enable, and disable themes, generate theme skeletons, and more

toolbar: generate toolbar code, add custom buttons, and more

traversing: cycle through nodes, users, comments, and other types, as well as files and directories

version: check the Drupal, Symfony, and Console versions, and more

The Drupal Console is available now as a standalone application, and it will be included in the next release of Drupal 8. You can download it from the Drupal Console project page on GitHub.

For more information on the Drupal Console, including usage instructions and a list of commands, see the Drupal Console documentation.

Other extra features which we can’t ignore

7. Flexible content model that enables you to create any type of website or blog
8. Content authoring tools that allow you to create and manage content
9. Powerful templating system that enables you to create custom designs for your website
10. Built-in search engine that enables users to search your website content
11. Wide variety of modules that add features and functionality to your website
12. Large and active community of users and developers who can help you with your Drupal website

Conclusion

Drupal is an all-in-one content management system that can handle anything from small personal blogs to large-scale corporate websites. It has a huge community of developers and users who support and extend its functionality, making it one of the most versatile and powerful CMS options available.