Factor 9 is proud to announce development for a new Content Management System utilizing the jQuery UI for listing/directory sites. The CMS is in an early alpha and we have plans to release a public version soon.

We love Wordpress around here and think everyone should use it. That’s why, for the entire month of January, we’ll install wordpress on your server with the theme of your choice, customize that theme with your logo, show you how to use your new site, and give you 1 month of support for only $100. If your interested, get in touch.

*Valid now through February 2, 2009

Before we begin, it helps to have a little background information. Drupal is a robust, open-source Content Management System designed to help you easily build a powerful, flexible website. Drupal is best used when you need to integrate multiple features like blogs, forums, and wiki’s into the same site while maintaining the same look and feel.

There are dozens upon dozens of other Content Management Systems available that could help you achieve the same goal. So, why should you choose Drupal?

• Amazing Support – Drupal is supported by one the largest communities on the web. If you encounter problems with your Drupal installation, the community forums often contain an easy to follow solution.
• Available in Multiple Languages – Along the same lines, the community has translated Drupal into many different languages including German, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
• Numerous Plug-ins – If Drupal does not have a feature you need out of the box, chances are you can find a plug-in that will add that extra functionality.
• An Abundance of Themes - Another remarkable feature of Drupal is its plethora of free, readily available themes.
• PHP based – Despite already possessing extensive functionality, sometimes Drupal just doesn’t do what you need it to. Don’t worry if this is the case, writing your own code for Drupal is incredibly simple because it uses a system of hooks based in PHP.
• Scalable – The greatest thing about Drupal, in my opinion, is that you can use it for nearly any project, no matter how large. You can use Drupal to develop blogs, forums, newsletters, galleries, social networking sites, community portals, and much more.

When deciding what CMS to use, you should always look at the type of sites that are already built on it. Here are some sites that use Drupal.

• The Onion
• Popular Science
• Amnesty International

Where to Download Drupal

Now that we know a little bit about Drupal it’s time to download it from the Drupal homepage. However, before you download, you should make sure your server meets some basic requirements. Your server will need to have the following:

• Apache
• PHP 4.3.5
• MySQL 4.1.1 or PostgreSQL
• Cron

After you confirming your server has the utilities needed to support Drupal, you’ll want to download the latest release from http://drupal.org. Drupal downloads as a tape archive so you may need a program such as WinRar, WinZip, or 7-Zip to extract it.

How to Install Drupal

Now that you have Drupal locally, you’ll need to upload it to your server and install it. But before we do that we need to a make a few changes. Navigate to the Drupal folder, then to sites/default and duplicate default.settings.php. Once you have duplicated the file, rename it to settings.php. Now we need to upload the entire contents of the Drupal folder to your site’s root directory.To do this you will need an FTP manager like Filezilla. Once you have uploaded all the files, open up your browser and navigate to your site. The server should direct you to a screen similar to the one below.

Now, you should select Install Drupal in English. Drupal will then verify that your server meets its requirements. If you encounter any errors or warning, follow the on-screen prompts to resolve them. Once Drupal verifies that you meet its requirements, the server will direct you to the following page:

Here you will need to input the name of your database, your database username, and your database password. If you don’t have this information, check with your web host. After submitting the information, Drupal will take a few seconds to verify again. This time it is checking that your database meets its requirements. If you pass this check, Drupal will automatically install itself on your server. After Drupal is installed, you will need to configure your site’s settings.

In the first field, enter your site’s title, and, in the following field, enter your site’s email address. Be sure to set this to an address that ends in your site’s domain because any automated emails sent by Drupal will by sent by that address. Next you’ll be prompted to set an administrator username and password. I recommend setting it to something easy to remember like admin. After that, you’ll need to set the administrator’s email address and password. Lastly, you’ll need to set the server settings. After all of that is completed, Drupal will have been installed. Congratulations! You just created a website powered by Drupal.

Close

This tutorial was meant to teach you about Drupal and how to install it on your webserver. Depending on demand, in the we may cover how to add themes and plug-ins to Drupal, how to create your own theme, or how to create an e-commerce site with Drupal. Let us know what you want to see in the comments!

We want to wish everyone a happy holiday! and to celebrate we are offering a complete 7 page custom website package with 6 months of support for only $500* Fill out our quote form for more details.

*Valid now through January 5, 2009

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