Beginning Drupal 8

Abstract

In its relatively short life, Drupal has had a tremendous impact on the landscape of the Internet. As a web content management system (CMS), Drupal has enabled the creation of feature- and content-rich websites for organizations large and small. As a web application framework, Drupal is changing the way that people think about web application development. When I experienced the power of the Drupal platform for the first time, I knew that it was something more than just another content management solution. When I saw how easily and quickly I could build feature-rich websites, I shifted gears and focused my entire career around Drupal. While working with clients, I was often asked, “Where can I go to find information for someone who is new to Drupal?” Unfortunately there wasn’t a comprehensive resource that I could point them to, and thus began my journey of writing Beginning Drupal 7, Pro Drupal 7 Development, and now Beginning Drupal 8. I’m also often asked, “What is Drupal?” The short answer is, “Drupal is an open source web content management system that allows you to quickly and easily create simple to complex sites that span everything from a simple blog to a corporate site, a social networking site, or virtually anything you can dream up.” What you can build with Drupal is only limited by your imagination and the time you have to spend with the platform. As an open source platform, Drupal’s community is constantly improving the platform and extending the functionality of the core platform by creating new and exciting add-on modules. If there’s a new concept created on the Web, it’s likely that there will be a new Drupal module that enables that concept in a matter of days. It’s the community behind the platform that makes Drupal what it is today, and what it will become in the future. I’ll show you how to leverage the features contributed by the community, making it easy for you to build incredible solutions with minimal effort. The very act of picking up this book is the first step in your journey down e path of learning how to use Drupal. If you will walk with me through the entire book, you’ll have the knowledge and experience to build complex and powerful Drupal-based websites. You’ll also have the foundation necessary to move beyond the basics, expanding on the concepts I cover in this book. Learning Drupal is like learning any new technology. There will be bumps and hurdles that cause you to step back and scratch your head. I hope the book helps smooth the bumps and provides you with enough information to easily jump over those hurdles. I look forward to seeing your works on the Web and hope to meet you at an upcoming DrupalCon.