Does learning to develop for Drupal feel hard? Does the sound of building your own modules both scare & excite you? Fear no more! This session will dive into specifics of what skills, technologies, and tools Web Developers need to know so as not to fall behind or feel obsolete when dealing with Drupal. NOTE: This is not a session teaching you how to code a module – other sessions & videos are available for that training. With this session you will walk away feeling focused about what you need to know, what tools to use, and where everything is! Come see what’s left to learn to become a Drupal Pro. Covered in this session: What parts of Drupal do I really need to know? What parts are easy or hard? What skills & tools do I need to be competitive today? How can I generate repeat business? How much JavaScript, CSS, or PHP do I really need to know for Drupal? What modules, software, and tools should I be using? How should I be using my tools? What skills should I have? What should my resume not be missing? What skills do Drupal designers have? How do I work with or within a team? Drupal developer tips How and where do I keep learning Drupal? http://2011.drupalcampla.com/sessions/drupal-developer-skills-2012

1. Drupal Developer Skills
2012
!
!
presented by Chris Charlton
http://xtnd.us

2. Coding Languages &
StuffYou Must Know

3. What languages you
should know today
• XHTML
• XML
• CSS 2
• PHP (intermediate or higher)
• SQL
• JavaScript and/or jQuery

4. What languages you
should know tomorrow
• HTML 5
• More PHP (Classes; OOP)
• JSON

5. What do designers
usually know?
• FTP
• HTML/XHTML
• XML
• CSS

6. Other basic things
to know
• SEO basics (XML Sitemap, META tags)
• File permissions & basic security
• PCI Compliance*

7. Tools

8. What tools you should
have today or soon
• Test/QA, Staging, and Dev environments
• Front-end debugger (Firebug,WebDev Toolbars)
• Drush
• Devel (module)
• SVN & Git

9. What tools you should
learn & use (soon)
• Grasp of “960grid” (for themes)
• Advanced Drush (sync, sql-sync, aliases)
• Coder & Coder Tough Love (modules)
• PHP Debugger & Profiler

10. Drupal Development

11. The order of Drupal
1.Drupal core (bootstrap)
2.Modules (contrib; non-core)
3.Theme
1.theme engine (PHPTemplate)
2.theme (Zen, Omega, Fusion, etc.)
3.sub-theme

12. Drupal Dev parts: Level 1
(beginner; easy)
• Module Files (.info, .module)
• Hooks (hook_form_alter, hook_node_*)
• Themes (Regions,Templates, Sub-Themes)
• FAPI (Form API)
• Menu API

13. Drupal Dev parts: Level 2
(beginner+)
• Themes
• template.php
• Theme Hooks & custom templates/vars
• Drush
• SVN/Git
• Virtual Machines (VM)

14. Drupal Dev parts: Level 2.5
(intermediate)
• Fields API
• Schema API (module *.install file)
• AHAH
• Drush (aliases, rc) & Drush Plugins (Make)
• Apache (plug-ins, config settings)

15. Drupal Dev parts: Level 3
(advanced)
• Caching (Varnish, Memcached,APC)
• Deployment Strategies (SVN/Git/Drush)
• PECL, PEAR, and other things rediscovered
• Drush (policies)

16. Working in a Team

17. Plan together
• What modules will be used? Why?
• Will there be more than one theme? Will
the theme build on top of framework?
• What CSS #ids & .classes will be used or
made (core styles, module styles, custom)
• Any glue or sub-modules need to be made?

18. Split Duties & Code
• DEV
• Code Modules (module hooks)
• Generic markup for anything on screen
• DESIGN
• Detailed markup (templates or theme hooks)
• CSS styling

19. Learn more Drupal
• http://drupal.org
• http://ladrupal.org
• http://drupalcampla.com
• http://lullabot.com