Publication Name: Using Drupal
Authors: Angela Byron, Addison Berry, Nathan Haug, Jeff Eaton, James Walker, and Jeff Robbins
Publisher: O'Reilly
Street Price: $45 US
Discounts: O'Reilly offers CEBUG members a 20% discount. Members should check the CEBUG Mailbox section of this site for more details.
The reviewer has given this software a rating of 5 out of 5 stars!
Those with a good familiarity with the Drupal CMS system interested in saving time during the planning process will love this book! The majority of its chapters are case studies where a given set of requirements on how a site should perform is matched to a collection of modules. How to install the named modules is then covered along with any specialized customization needed to fulfill those requirements. While the book does not cover all of the possible options that could be used in different situations, the authors do often mention alternative or additional items.
What really impressed me was the depth of coverage given within each chapter. The chapter explaining how the Views and CCK modules alone justifies the cost of the book, as the step-by-step example of their use is so clear. Those unfamiliar with the planning process of building an information system will gain insight from these real life examples. Not that the workings of Drupal in itself are ignored. For example, the explanations on how to build and manage roles and permissions were the best I have read yet.
Another area of particular interest for me was in how well the book documents the new features found in Drupal 6. Although none of the sites I am managing are ready for that transition yet, the advice offered will most certainly help me in managing that change. I cannot help but hope that the authors will provide a revised edition of this book as each major upgrade of Drupal is released.
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