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Introduction to Site Building

What is Site Building?

Site building refers to the process of creating and configuring a website using a content management system (CMS). In this tutorial, we will focus on Drupal, a popular open-source CMS. Site builders are responsible for building the structure of the site, managing content types, and ensuring that the website meets the needs of its users.

Understanding Drupal

Drupal is a flexible and powerful CMS that allows users to create and manage websites of all sizes. It is built using PHP and utilizes a modular architecture, which means you can add or remove functionalities as needed. Drupal is known for its scalability, security, and customizable features, making it suitable for both small blogs and large enterprise websites.

Key Concepts in Site Building

Before diving into site building, it’s essential to understand several key concepts:

  • Content Types: These are different types of content that your site will manage, such as articles, pages, or events.
  • Fields: Fields are used to store additional information for content types. For example, a blog post may have a body field, an image field, and a tags field.
  • Views: Views allow you to create customized lists and displays of content. You can filter, sort, and format content according to your needs.
  • Blocks: Blocks are containers that can hold content and can be placed in various regions of your site layout.
  • Menus: Menus help navigate your site and can be configured to link to various pages or content types.

Getting Started with Site Building

To start building your site in Drupal, follow these steps:

  1. Installation: Download and install Drupal on your web server. You can find the latest version on the Drupal website.
  2. Create a New Content Type: Navigate to Structure > Content types and click on Add content type. Name it "Blog Post" and add relevant fields.

    3. Example of adding a field:

    Field Name: Body
    Field Type: Text (formatted, long)

  3. Build Your First View: Go to Structure > Views and click Add new view. Create a view that displays your blog posts.

    4. Example of view settings:

    View Name: Blog Posts
    Display Format: Unformatted list

  4. Add Blocks: Go to Structure > Block layout to place your blocks in the desired regions of your theme.
  5. Configure Menus: Navigate to Structure > Menus to create and configure your site’s navigation.

Conclusion

Site building in Drupal involves understanding its core concepts and utilizing its features to create a functional website. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can start building your Drupal site and customize it to meet your needs. Remember, practice is key, and exploring the various modules and configurations will enhance your site building skills.