The Rate module is a flexible voting framework for Drupal sites. In this series, we're going to explore the ins and outs of the Rate module, and use it to add rating widgets to nodes and comments. We'll explore all of the built-in widgets including: Thumbs up, Thumbs up/down, Number up/down, Fivestar, Emotion, Yes/No and we'll also create a custom widget.

We'll take a look at the voting results tab and install the chart module to visualize recent ratings. And I'll show you the permission that allows other users to view the voting results page. We'll add a Rate widget to a view so that visitors can rate items directly from that View. And we'll also utilize Rate and Views to filter and sort content based on their various ratings.

We'll use the Rate Expiration module to disable the widget when a pre-configured amount of time has elapsed or at a specific date and time. And finally, we'll take a look on how the Rate module can detect bots to provide more accurate ratings.

Let's start out by installing and enabling the Rate module.

Install modules

• Voting API
• Rate

Enable module

• Go to "Modules" (admin/modules) and enable:
  • Rate
  • Voting API (This module is required by Rate module. Voting API module is a framework used by other modules to store, retrieve, and tabulate votes.)
• (Save configuration)

Now that we have installed and enabled modules, we are ready to create our first rating widget.