I'm starting a build of a Drupal based online store, using Ubercart etc. It is likely my client will turn over a lot of sales on the site, so it must be secure.
Of course I will want to create a unique theme for this, so is Zen a good place to start or should I avoid it and start from scratch?
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Zen is the ultimate starting theme for Drupal. If you are building your own standards-compliant theme, you will find it much easier to start with Zen than to start with Garland or Bluemarine
The Zen theme is designed to do some of the basic setup for you, in terms of creating a content-first layout, and building some commonly needed variables for you. If you're starting with an existing XHTML design and want to convert it to Drupal, you may be better off skipping zen and building a theme from scratch.
Zen is idiosyncratic and has its own pros and cons, a bit like using a CSS framework. Security is less of a concern than the additional conceptual complexity that it adds to Drupal theming. It's a useful power tool if you're used to it and are cranking out themes, otherwise it can add confusion. Security, though, isn't a concern: it's good on that front.
This is the most complete/brilliant review of the starter themes to date:
http://www.chapterthree.com/blog/review-drupal-6-starter-themes
It came into existence before http://drupal.org/project/studio so consider studio in addition to those.
That said, whenever I have a choice I choose Zen.
In my experience yes, it's easier to start with some basic template that has all required stuff in place (rather than starting from scratch). Zen is as simple as it gets with Drupal.
I found framework theme much better and simpler .
Zen theme is more like library for developing theme.
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This is a serious question, specifically relating to the many frameworks out there for Wordpress and Joomla - Warp, T3, Gantry etc. What I dont understand is how they are different to a starter template and what exactly you are supposed to do with them - simply child theme them or is it a whole other codex to learn? I mean, all of the native codex is there with Joomla and WP anyway to construct a theme simple enough so what good does a whole proprietary app do between your design and the CMS? Are they faster to develop with?
What confuses me is that people seem to love them and claim that they make life easier but I dont get how adding another technology to learn can make things easier. Like I say, it is a serious question, not one for effect to make a point.
Can anybody define the difference between a framework and a starter template? I ask in part because I am one of those anxious developers who always feels like I am somehow missing a trick or doing things the "wrong" way - what am I missing?
This is definitely mostly an issue of definition, and I can guarantee that some cases will not follow what I outline below. Obviously, anyone is free to call the template/framework by whatever they want.
Generally though, a template is comprised of basic HTML and CSS that works with the platform (Wordpress, Joomla, etc) that is used to build the output to the page. In Wordpress, this contains the loop and other constructs to get all the content for the page. In Joomla, it outlines all the module positions available and such.
Typically when you purchase a higher end theme, you will have significant choices on the backend to customize the theme without having to actually code. These parameters let you typically change colors and such.
Some of the theme developers and others have taken this parameter settings system to the next level and made it into a framework. In all the cases that I've seen, "framework" is really the basis for the template parameter system. In this way, you can have consistency between different themes and expect the same settings and features between different themes. This is why they use a different word, because it really isn't a "theme" any more. It really is like a "theme engine" in that it is a backend system for changing things in the theme.
Yes, many platforms offer some basic options for editing the theme out of the box, so in most cases, the framework is really an improvement on the base platform's theme engine.
It's been my experience that a theme will be a visual style along with a set of theme options available in the admin (in addition to Customize if it's supported).
Theme Frameworks on the other hand, like Thesis, are installed just like a theme but have a very vanilla visual style that you build your theme on top of. Usually the framework provides many added features that aren't available in WP core.
tl;dr - Themes frameworks aren't installed and used right away, they are installed and built upon to deliver a site.
First of all i don't have any experience on wordpress.. So please forgive my ignorance.. I've found a theme on themeforest. Unfortunately it's a wordpress theme. I want to develop my own admin panel. I don't want to use wordress. Is it possible?
Anything is possible, however this is a gum in hair scenario. Ask the theme author if there is an HTML version which is common on ThemeForest. If you do try to "extract" the layout:
Begin with the stylesheet and match up the styles with each page template's markup.
Also, why not use WordPress? The Redux theme options framework is very easy to use.
Since a wordpress theme is just a bunch of html/css/js/php files, yes, it is possible. Depending on what language/framework will used backend side, the easiest way would be to extract the html/css/js parts of the theme and than add your own "content-placeholders" which will be used by your own backend.
But: Think twice about doing this. First, there could be a conflict with the license of the theme (depending on what type of license is used by the author of the theme). And more important, second, you should think twice about building your own backend.
For the case this isn't an experiment and you're building a productive website, building you're own backend is a lot of work. Unless you need some special functionalities (or you would like to keep it very slim and basic), I would suggest using a ready made CMS for this - like wordpress.
My opinion: 95% of self-made backends for basic cms features I've seen (and was forced to work with) are very messy and far beyond available open source cms. It seems like many people don't balance the pros and cons of building an own CMS-backend and undervalue the effort to build a state-of-the-art CMS.
I am working in Drupal. My friend is a designer and he does not know Drupal. If he designs in the usual way and then I convert his traditional HTML into Drupal then will that work? Or does he have to know Drupal also?
One of you will need to learn at least the basics of Drupal theming; however, most any design can be adapted to be a Drupal theme. I've adapted plenty of basic HTML themes, WordPress themes, Joomla themes, and others into Drupal themes.
The more experimental or cutting edge the design, the more effort it will take to make it work with Drupal. For instance, Mega Menus are not easy to implement in Drupal because of the way Drupal's menu system works.
Apart from avoiding stuff like Flash, the designer doesn't need to know a lot about Drupal. I've taken numerous designs from non-Drupal designers, and they tend to fall into two categories.
HTML designs. These tend to be the easiest by just turning a bog standard HTML file into a tpl file and replacing the content with print statements for Drupal regions and other bits. There can be some work needed for thing actual content, but the basics can usually be done in a couple of hours.
Photoshop designs. In this case the designer knows little about web design, but knows how to draw pretty pictures. As long as the designer puts everything on separate layers, these can work well. I start with the Zen theme, slice up the Photoshop file, and insert the graphics and add colours to the CSS. Generally more work than 1, but I can usually produce a basic theme in about a day.
Of course, the less the designer knows about Drupal, the more expert the developer needs to be.
Totally not. I (as the Drupal developer) have worked with someone who had CSS/HTML chops like few others ( not just wrote books on it but actually knew what he is doing :) ) he gave me HTML and I made Drupal emit that HTML.
Drupal is very flexible. If the person implementing the theme is relatively acquainted with the Drupal theming system, the designer should not need to know a great deal about Drupal. The vast majority of designs can be implemented effectively with the Drupal theming system.
It is best if he works with a starter theme such as Zen http://drupal.org/project/zen
Zen is very easy to build with for designers, and they do not need to know much about Drupal to work with it. When they are finished, they will have a theme that works with any Drupal install.
In answer to your question then, the answer is no.
I think you should give him a short run-down so he understands how Drupal works, so he can assure his designs don't 'fight' with the undelying framework. But I don't think he needs to know how it's done step by step (it wouldn't hurt though, is my guess).
I'm developing a web site for a further education college in the UK, using Drupal (6.19). The site won't contain a huge volume of content and the structure is fairly simple.
I understand HTML and I have an reasonable understanding of PHP, SQL and CSS. I've created a sub-theme based on Genesis, but I'm feeling a bit out of my depth.
In your opinion, based on my level of skill, is it best to create a theme from scratch, or should I continue to develop my Genesis sub-theme?
Thanks,
Mike
As a general rule it makes sense to build on top of a starter theme such as Zen, ninesixty, or genesis. Those themes provide considerable functionality that is not worth rewriting. I'm not that familiar with genesis, but the other two provide a CSS reset, skiplinks to navigation for accessibility, SEO-sensitive content ordering, inline edit controls, and much more. Also, as with any piece of Drupal, when problems are discovered and corrected, you can update the base of your subtheme and get the fixes for free. Unless you have specific requirements that can't be met by subtheming, I recommend using a base theme.
I will create a LMS site. But I don't know Is it possible in drupal? or in Joomla?
I want only these system core, And I don't need to a portal (I need to some page with my special theme, for admin, teachers and students and I don't need to these CMS pages).
Can I do my idea with Drupal? or with Joomla? Or I must start a new project from base??
(Sorry for my bad English)
Thanks ...
What do you need from the LMS and what CMS features do you need? Drupal or Joomla may be a stretch if you need full SCORM functionality and/or sophisticated LMS features. Moodle may be a better fit in that case.
It's very possible in either Drupal or Joomla. I personally like Drupal more than Joomla, and would encourage you to look in that direction. There is an actual tool called JoomlaLMS, which would probably give you a better out of the box solution, but you will have to shell out quite a bit of cash.
If you're willing to spend quite a bit of time building your own system in Drupal, you could have a very good free solution. You could also end up with a huge mess if you don't know your way around Drupal.
I'd go with Joomla. The reason is that Joomla is a much bigger project with many more people involved, so developers build many more addons, as Jimmy said. I was able to put together an impressive website, www.shattergames.com with a very limited amount of work, just because so much has been done with Joomla. That said, why not just use Moodle?