Site administrator

Overview

Now that we have SimpleTest in core, the obvious step still remains: writing thousands of tests to completely cover Drupal core. But writing automated tests can take time, and with the sheer quantity of tests that need to be written, writing them manually is not altogether practical. The SimpleTest automator module aims at speeding up the test-writing process by allowing you to create tests entirely through the user interface.

Agenda

* What is this ugly SimpleTest thing doing in my Drupal core?
* How do you write a SimpleTest?
* What is SimpleTest Automator?
* What's the point of using it?
* What are its limitations (if it even has any)?
* Everyone will create and submit a test using the SimpleTest Automator.

Goals

By the end of this session, you should have basic knowledge of what testing is, feel comfortable using the SimpleTest Automator module to assist you in writing automated tests, and have already contributed one or more tests created using the SimpleTest Automator module.

Resources

http://drupal.org/simpletest
http://drupal.org/project/simpletest_automator

Overview

At Drupal for NGOs in London, UK, strong interest was expressed in sharing development practices for Drupal development.

So let's do it!

We'd like to share some of our experiences and ideas with you, and find out how you guys deal with things like auto-deployment, developmen-staging-live syncing issues and the use of version control systems to protect and distribute your work.

Agenda

* We'll share with you our workflow and development best practices
* Hopefully you guys will share yours!

Goals

We hope everyone will walk away with more tools and techniques for deploying, and maybe come to some kind of agreement on best practices for Drupal workflow.

All in all I think this could be a very productive session.

Resources

We require no resources, but we might print out a little write-up regarding our experiences and techniques to hand out during the session.

Recap of the conference, farewell until the next Drupalcon.

UPDATE: Never mind, there is still a chance.

Overview

Drupal's bot module is an IRC bot that is pretty awesome, but it can always get better. This session will walk you through setting up a bot to run on your channel, and then coding for your bot to make it better.

Agenda

* What is bot module?
* Installing bot module on your site, and configuring it for your needs.
* Running your bot
* An introduction to developing modules based on bot.module - bot.module's hooks.
* I'll build a sample bot module.
* Bot_autenticate: user authentication with the bot module: how to use it and why to use it.

Goals

The participants should walk away ready to provide patches to the bot module to make it even awesomer!!!!!!

Or at least know how to set up their own bot.

Resources

It is recommended that you know how to build modules, unless you just want to know about installing and running bots.

Some 40 Indymedia sites worldwide are now using Drupal, with different approaches to solve some of the general and specific requirements of their sites and collectives.
Other collectives are currently migrating their sites from other CMSs to Drupal.

Agenda:
* exchange ideas and updates face-to-face, sharing what's done
* Discuss and develop the survey
* discuss ideas for a basic install profile

http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Devel/ImcDrupalDevUsingList
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Devel/ImcDrupalDevModules#How_IMCs_use_Dr...

Overview

Web design is hard. I am not at all a designer or graphic magician, but would like to see great themes on my Drupal sites, so I am continuously on the lookout for great templates to adapt to Drupal. Whoever professional you ask will tell you that building a website on an existing template is a bad idea and of course you should architect the look and feel and interaction of the website for the specific need at hand. Unfortunately lots of people just lack the professional resources. And starting from an existing template still allows you to tweak it further (if the license grants you to do so).

Therefore this session is about picking a template (the Modern World template from Solucija) and converting it to a fully functional Drupal 6 theme with blocks, menus, a screenshot for the theme selector and all live from the ground up in 45 minutes, instructions included. Make sure to drink some coffee so you can grok every part of this quick flowing live tutorial!

Agenda

* Starting from template vs. custom research/process/architecture/design
* Template licensing, what should you consider
* Downloading and starting off with the theme
* Several steps, while the theme will be horribly broken, but we keep going
* A glamourous end result
* More on licensing, how to contribute the theme to drupal.org or elsewhere if drupal.org is not applicable

Goals

Attendees will leave with a recipe to port existing templates to Drupal 6 and hopefully even contributing them to Drupal.org (but this last item will not be obligatory).

Resources

Also check out my blog post: http://hojtsy.hu/blog/2008-jul-22/i-will-teach-you-port-templates-drupal...

Overview

Running a Drupal business, especially with responsibility for staff and balance sheet, requires a shift in the way you support Drupal open-source.

There is less opportunity to focus on drupal.org, and the result is that SME Drupal enterprises are often in the dark about is happening in similar businesses - even though the attitude towards open-source (knowledge sharing) has not changed.

To be effective, a company must make compromises: the move to D6 will come later, employees are not always open-source enthusiasts, and the lead developers need to justify what they consider best-practice (and document it) rather than 'just doing it'.

This session is based on a review of Em Space's current practices. We seek up to 2 additional companies (5+ employees) who are willing to share and compare.

Agenda

* Preferred contrib modules
* Using a code repository
* Managing live sites
* Ready for Drupal 6?
* Design and theming best practices
* Working with Design and Advertising companies
* Support and training
* Contributing back to Drupal

Goals

To get a clear sense of how other Drupal houses are using Drupal, to un-earth many varied and successful techniques.

Fleshing out the plans is here: http://groups.drupal.org/node/12972

Looking for co-hosts!

example:
- do a card sort on the admin categories
- discuss the different 'dashboard' approaches people already use
- choose 2 options we want to compare / test

another example:
- let's pick a nice chunk of core interface text: labels, descriptions, help
- rework them for clarity, consistency and brevity.

BoF Usability Sprint Day 2

build prototypes: on paper, in photoshop and/or code
or: further work on interface copy, start documenting the copywriting guidelines we find.

BoF Usability Sprint Day 3

Test conceptcode with the Usability Testing Suite
Or work on concept some more, take it to the Code Sprint.
or: create patch for interface copy and start the guidelines handbook page on drupal.org

Fleshing out the plans is here: http://groups.drupal.org/node/12972

Looking for co-hosts!

example:
- do a card sort on the admin categories
- discuss the different 'dashboard' approaches people already use
- choose 2 options we want to compare / test

another example:
- let's pick a nice chunk of core interface text: labels, descriptions, help
- rework them for clarity, consistency and brevity.

BoF Usability Sprint Day 2

build prototypes: on paper, in photoshop and/or code
or: further work on interface copy, start documenting the copywriting guidelines we find.

Fleshing out the plans is here: http://groups.drupal.org/node/12972

BoF Usability Sprint Day 1

* zoom in on 1 or 2 issues we already decided upon before the conference
(redo admin categories, modules page, permissions page…)
* bring your ideas and proposals
* discuss the options, decide on 1 or 2 things we can work on.

example:
- do a card sort on the admin categories
- discuss the different 'dashboard' approaches people already use
- choose 2 options we want to compare / test

another example:
- let's pick a nice chunk of core interface text: labels, descriptions, help
- rework them for clarity, consistency and brevity.