While Drupal has become a strong contender in the open-source CMS world, it still faces its share of criticism.  And while some of these complaints may be valid, I take issue with one in particular - the argument that Drupal is not well-suited for quick site builds.  On the contrary, as with so many other things, it's all about workflow.  

Now, I'm not saying there isn't a learning curve to Drupal, because there definitely is.  But as with any learning curve, the investment pays off.  Because once you wrap your head around the fundamentals of Drupal - it's core components and key contributed modules, the path to building sites of all sizes can become very quick indeed

WORKFLOW

So, let's cut to the chase.  Here's the workflow I've come to use for building a custom site in Drupal:

1. Page.tpl.php and .info file templates - The foundation of any Drupal site, most of these files contain very similar information and architecture.  Having one (or more) on hand is an excellent starting point for quick builds.  This way, only a few minutes are spent tweaking what's there for a specific site's needs, and then the foundational HTML/PHP document that powers your site is done.  After awhile, you'll probably start gathering other templated files (node.tpl.php, etc.) as well, but the basic page template and info file are the essentials.

2. Site Information - Under Site Configuration in the Admin section, this piece takes literally seconds to update, but the name and email address sections in particular are key here.

So this entry's a bit techy, but it's something I know I would have found very useful a few months ago.  I'm going to attempt to explain the general idea behind combining a jQuery library such as jQuery Tools with the dynamic goodness of Drupal Views.  And I say the "general idea" because this will not be a traditional tutorial detailing the a step-by-step walkthrough of a particular project.  I may include something like that on down the line as a screencast (which it would probably require), but for now, I'm interested in covering the concept behind combining these two powerful tools.

For starters, you will want to have at least a basic knowledge of both Drupal Views and jQuery Tools before attempting to use them together.  Resources on both can be found in the links provided.

GETTING STARTED

EvanWillhite.com is HERE!!  I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new online home.  Not only do I now have a place to house my seemingly-artistic endeavors, but I have a lovely location to chat with you about them!  And following in the grand tradition of all those who came before offering their web design knowledge freely through blogs, vlogs, tutorials, etc., I hope to now give back to that conversation in my own little way.  So without further ado, let's talk about the building of this site!

First off, this site was, as they say, hand-coded from the ground up.  No surprise for you seasoned designers out there, but there's nothing quite like blank templates/stylesheets to make you feel right at home (or give you complete designer's block).  But I will say, the tabula rasa didn't last long, because I knew I wanted to use a grid system and a CMS.

GRID/CMS