Blog | Modules Unraveled
New Series: Search API
The Search API series is underway!
A while back, I asked everyone on the newsletter what they wanted to learn. The #2 request was Search. It seems there are people out there not happy with the default search capabilities of Drupal. They wanted to know how to use Search API as a replacement to utilize Facets and Solr. They specifically wanted to know how to search word parts, file contents, and display results with Views.
101 Building an ePublishing Platform Using Drupal Modules with Liang Shen - Modules Unraveled Podcast
Yes. But pdf and epub modules are the second generation. Fileviewer module was the first generation. It uses Poppler, the popular pdf lib in Linux, to convert pdf file into png images and display them in browser.
After several years, the Mozilla Foundation created pdf.js which allow browsers use HTML5 and JavaScript to display PDF file. Today pdf.js has become the default PDF plugin in Firefox. I wrote PDF module to integrate it into Drupal.
- So, this just integrates pdf.js into Drupal?
- Can you create pdfs with the module?
ePub
Since Amazon launched Kindle, ebook market was getting hot. Google and Apple joined the battle soon. Epub format as an open standard chosen by many new competitors in this market became popular. Thanks to Jake Hartnell the author of epub.js, an open source Javascript epub lib, we can display epub file in the browser as well. So I wrote epub module to integrate it into Drupal.
Google Book Search has been renamed into Google Books and become a part of Play Books. Both Google and Amazon have HTML5 online reader now. Although epub.js is not as good as them, it has gotten most features for a online ebook reader.
- Do either of these provide search functionality?
Apachesolr_file
- How does Apachesolr_file fit into this?
It’s always easy to use Ctrl-F to search in one book. If you have thousands of books or even more, you need a full-text search engine to index them all. Apachesolr_file module uses Solr, Apache Foundation’s popular full text search engine, to index files.
We already have apachesolr module and apachesolr_attachments module. The difference between apachesolr_attachments and apachesolr_file is - apachesolr_attachments was designed to index the files with nodes and apachesolr_file was designed to index file entity (the new conception since Drupal 7) for purely file management.
Not only pdf and epub but also other popular file formats like MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint… can be indexed by Solr (https://tika.apache.org/1.5/formats.html all the formats supported by Tika - the file parser used by Solr). So you can also use this module on intranet for companies, schools and other organizations.
Application
- Do you know of any sites that are using these now?
- What are some other applications you can see for these modules?
NodeSquirrel Ad
Have you heard of/used NodeSquirrel?
Use "StartToGrow" it's a 12-month free upgrade from the Start plan to the Grow plan. So, using it means that the Grow plan will cost $5/month for the first year instead of $10. (10 GB storage on up to 5 sites)
Final Views Video - Importing and Exporting Views (Also, Search API is next!)
Final Views Video
Exporting and Importing Views
When working with multiple views or sites, creating every view from scratch can be dull, repetitive and error prone. To avoid this, views provides a way to copy views from one site to another or from one environment (like local) to another (like staging). This final video in the Views series will show you how to do that.
100 Starting a New User Group with Micah Godbolt - Modules Unraveled Podcast
PDXSass
- What is PDXSass?
- Why did you decide to start the meetup?
- What does a typical meetup look like?
- How did you decide on a location? (And time?)
- Do you have sponsors?
- How did you get them?
- If someone wanted to start a meetup, what advice would you give them?
- What’s the first thing they should do?
- Where do you get speakers?
SassBites
- I really enjoy SassBites, so I wanted to plug that here. For anyone that doesn’t know, tell us what SassBites is.
- What are some of the topics that you’ve covered?
- How much work is involved in producing a SassBite?
- If someone listening wanted to start doing short screencasts, what would you tell them?
NodeSquirrel Ad
Have you heard of/used NodeSquirrel?
Use "StartToGrow" it's a 12-month free upgrade from the Start plan to the Grow plan. So, using it means that the Grow plan will cost $5/month for the first year instead of $10. (10 GB storage on up to 5 sites)
New videos will be free for a full week!
Hey guys,
I just wanted to let you know about a small change that's being made around here. Basically, all new videos will be free for a full week after they are posted!
I really want to make sure that people have a good idea of what to expect from the site before they sign up, and this is one way I thought I could do that. While I would absolutely love to be able to release all of my videos for free forever, I've got to feed the family too. :)
099 The Core Mentoring Experience With Marc Drummond - Modules Unraveled Podcast
Drupal Core Mentoring
- For someone who’s not familiar with it, what is it? Or how would you describe core mentoring?
- How long have you been taking part in core mentoring?
- Do you remember what your first experience was like? Was it scary?
- What are some of the way’s you’ve helped in core mentoring?
Questions from Twitter
- Cathy Theys
- After contributing once, what made him keep goin?
- Has he ever done something that didn’t get feedback, reviews or moved forward in some way?
- How did he deal with that practically to get it moving, or mentally to not get him down.
- What would he say to people who were frustrated by trying to help?
- What are his goals?
- What improvements to d.o would make it easier for him in his daily (or weekly) contributing tasks?
- How much time per week does he estimate is on contributing?
- Is it interest driven, or a byproduct of projects at work or contracts?
- What ways does Marc contribute beyond writing patches?
- Is Marc happy with the amount of contributing he does? If not, what barriers does he face?
- Lots of people share that feeling: of wanting to do more, and see things fixed. Why? Is it that much fun? Addictive?
Your Experience
- Do you have anything you’d like to say to someone who’s heard of core mentoring but not gotten involved?
NodeSquirrel Ad
Have you heard of/used NodeSquirrel?
Use "StartToGrow" it's a 12-month free upgrade from the Start plan to the Grow plan. So, using it means that the Grow plan will cost $5/month for the first year instead of $10. (10 GB storage on up to 5 sites)
Views Series - Advanced Settings, Exposed Forms, Caching, Theming and AJAX
No Results Behavior and Exposed Forms
In this video, we configure what our view should do when the view returns no results. Then we take a look at how to separate our exposed form from the View and put it in a block that we can position anywhere on the page, just like we would with any other block.
How to use multiple logos in responsive design
When re-designing my site, I needed to make the logo responsive so that it could stay out of the way, and not take up more screen real estate than needed. Here's my (debatably hacky) solution to creating a responsive logo using css and display:none.
098 Indivizo - A SaaS App Built With Drupal with Bálint Kléri - Modules Unraveled Podcast
Indivizo
- First off, what is Indivizo?
- Why is it a good approach to use video interviews in the selection process?
- Where did the idea come from?
- What is your target group?
- Switching to the technology side… What’s the biggest architectural decision when building a Saas app?
- What are the pros and cons for these two?
- Which direction was taken with Indivizo? Why?
- What is the server infrastructure behind Indivizo?
- What are the key modules of the installation profile of Indivizo?
- How are the videos recorded?
- You mentioned a question databank. How does that work?
- Big organizations often have existing systems in place. Can you integrate with those?
- What is it like to build a product with Drupal
- Where are you at with Indivizo?
NodeSquirrel Ad
Have you heard of/used NodeSquirrel?
Use "StartToGrow" it's a 12-month free upgrade from the Start plan to the Grow plan. So, using it means that the Grow plan will cost $5/month for the first year instead of $10. (10 GB storage on up to 5 sites)