Drupal is complete open source Content Management System (CMS) which can be used to run your website, set up forums, shopping carts etc In this post we will cover the following.

guides you step by step on downloading, installing and setting up the drupal content management system module in your local or remote php supported servers.  Drupal will help you to manage the internet/intranet website contents.

Why should I use Drupal/ Advantages of Drupal

1) User authentication /registration individually (Add FB connect/OpenID)
2) User profiles (they can edit/update/view only their own profile and not the profile of any other users. Let’s call these users agents.
3) Client login
4) Clients can have campaigns. They can have one or more campaigns running at any given time. Campaigns have timeframe
5) When a campaign is available, the admin can send request to join to agents. Agents can choose to accept or decline campaigns.
6) Agents to be chosen for campaign based on target search criteria’s like demographics or any other criteria’s we choose. Number of agents/campaign to be fixed.
7) Agents take part in campaigns. As per of the campaigns they take part in offline activity and then they have to fill out online feedback reports, surveys, questionnaires etc and post campaign poll
8)The results of these campaigns are available to be viewed by the client. Different analytical reports required based on feedback/questionnaires/polls etc available to clients
9) All feedback has to be moderated through admin or campaign manager.
10) Point system for agents. They start with level 0 and each time they engage in feedback or any activity they are assigned points. If they don’t fill up something, points are deducted.
11) Clients can view profiles of agents who are part of their campaign individually and collectively in summarized reports.

Advantages of drupal over other content management

System Requirements:

• Drupal can work with MySQL and Postgres while Joomla is known to support only MySQL
• Drupal can work with Apache or IIS while Joomla is known to support only Apache
• Joomla support SSL logins and SSL pages. Drupal not known to support it.

Site Management:

• Drupal has free add-on for Workflow management. Joomla not known to have one.
• Drupal has inbuilt Translation manager. Joomla has a Free add-on for the same
• Drupal has more granular privilege management

Interoperability:

• Drupal has iCal support [Add on], Joomla not known to have one.
• Drupal is XHTML Complaint. Joomla not known to be one.
• Drupal has excellent versioning and Audit trail which Joomla lack

Drupal vs  Wordpress

This post will help you out in deciding between wordpress or drupal , if there is any confusion on your mind.

Drupal Installation and setup

First we will download “drupal” from www.drupal.org. Download the latest version of the drupal in to your local machine. We are working on Drupal 6.16

• Then copy the folder of “drupal” which consists of files to local server or a remote server.
• Open the folder in browser for installing it.
• The following page will open.

INSTALLATION:

• There will be two links in the above page.

• Click the link “Install Drupal in English” to install the drupal CMS in english language.

• Once you clicked, following page will appear that will have some requirements to install.

• The page will guide to copy the file in drupal directory “sites\default\default.settings.php” and paste it.

Then rename the file as “settings.php” as below.

• After that, browse the link “try again” which is on the page footer side.

DATABASE – Configuration:

• Now we have to create a database to store website content data.

In this page provide the database name, username, and password as below.

• Enter database name, username and password.

• Click “Save and Continue” button. Installing process is will run as shown below.

WEBSITE CONFIGURATION:

• After configuring the database successfully, a page will open for configuring our custom site.

• On this page, enter your website custom name, your e-mail address for account confirmation.
• And also create username, password for admin account to modify contents of your site.
• Then click the button “Save and Continue”.
• Following page will open.

• If you installed in local server an e-mail error will occur, because it will require e-mail confirmation to activate your account which is not needed for local server.
• But email-address is obviously needed for remote server, activation of account is sent to email.  Then only we can create account.
• Please check if you are installing in local server or any remote server.
• If local server, a message will appear “Congratulations, Drupal has been successfully installed.”
• Then click link “your new site”, following page will open.

ADMIN PAGE:

Now your custom website is created successfully. And admin page is logged in.

• Left side menus are available for website building, management, and creating contents.
• Click “Create content” menu for webpage or story creating.

• Please click “Page” for page creation. On this page enter page title, and create body content as you like.

• Here you can set comments, authoring information’s, etc. Then click “Save”.
• Now the page is created successfully as below.

• You can edit body content by clicking button “Edit”. After editing click “Save”.

PERMISSIONS:

You can restrict users from editing content of the site.

• For that first you click, “Administer” menu on left side menu bar. On this menu click “User Management”.
• Then click “Permissions”. Then following page will open.

• On this page click checkbox of “authenticated user” of “node module, access content”.
• Uncheck the checkbox of “anonymous user”.
• Then click “Save Permissions”.
• Then you will get a message “The changes have been saved”.
• On side menu bar you can edit user settings, reports, access rules, permissions, etc.
• By “themes” menu you can change custom themes.
• If you are in local server, click menu “User settings”.
• Uncheck checkbox, and select second options “Visitors can create accounts and no administrator approval is required.”

• Then click “Save configuration”. We should be clear that side menus for editing are only available to admin not for user. User can’t edit it.
• Then logout admin page.

User Account Creation:

• On login page, click “Create Account” link for creating account.
• Here, we can change user password with the help of link “Request new password”.

• After clicking “Create account”, a page will open as you see below.

• Here you enter username, password.
• Then click the button “Create new account”.

Now the account is created. You can view your account. You cannot edit content of the site.

We can edit menus for created pages by “content” menu of “content management” on “Administer

By clicking “Edit” we can create link or any modifications.

Now we are installed “Drupal” successfully. We can set the content as we like dynamic pages.  Drupal has many modules and color themes as per our needs.