Tutorials

Understanding Input Formats

Jody — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:14:43 -0600

Yesterday I had to do some major filter debugging, causing me to learn a lot about Drupal's filter system. Here are some basic and less basic observations on Drupal's format and filter system:

Formats vs Filters

The basic relationship between formats and filters is confusing in Drupal, partly because the two words are similar. An input format is made up of one or more filters. For example, the 'Full HTML' format includes several filters by default ('Html corrector', 'Line break converter', and 'URL filter'). Clicking on Admin: Site Configuration: Input Formats takes you to /admin/settings/filters where you can administer formats and their filters.

Input Formats vs. Output Filters

Though formats are sometimes called 'Input Formats', filtering actually takes place upon display of the text rather than input. Input format is an accurate term because text is given a choice of format when added and is saved with that format information. The raw text is saved into Drupal's database and is not filtered until it is displayed.

Filters and Security

Any format which does not contain the HTML filter (for example, Full HTML format) or evaluates PHP (PHP format) is a security risk when untrusted users have access to it. We actually are pushing a patch for D7 which will automatically remind admins of this fact if they set their site up insecurely.

Filter Cache

The filter cache serves cached filtered content to anonymous and authenticated users alike. The more complex your filters are, the greater the performance gain from this cache. (I have been working on a site which does extensive xsl transformations to turn xml in node bodies into html on the page, making filter caching critical.) Cached filtered content gets cleared out on cron

Taking control of your 'My Account' page

Jody — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:43:24 -0600

Some modules add sections to your 'My Account' page. For example, the user module adds content like 'Member for: 4 days.' Blog module, profile module as well as many contributed modules add in their own content. Some modules provide a configuration option to decide if such content is shown, but many do not. If you want to change that default My Account page, here are some ideas for both coders and non-coders.

Coders

Learning how to use the Drupal Views and CCK modules

Alex UA — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Some of the most useful modules in Drupal are also the most intimidating, mainly because they get into a deeper level of understanding Drupal, which can be akin to learning a new language. This post will feature tutorials and such about two of the most vital modules, Views and CCK, and I'll try to update it as I find new and useful information that I think can help people who are just giving it a go.