Preface

Drupal is a highly successful open-source Content Management System (CMS). It is well‑respected for its robustness, its flexible and immaculate code, and its seemingly infinite capacity for extension and customization.

Drupal 6, released early in 2008, represents a significant evolution in this already mature CMS. In this book, we build extensions for Drupal 6, focusing on the important APIs and libraries. We also highlight the new features introduced in version 6, making this book appropriate not only for those new to Drupal, but also those who are transitioning from version 5.

This book provides a practical, hands-on approach to developing Drupal modules. We also take a developer-centered look at themes and installation profiles—two other facets of Drupal that the developer should be familiar with. Each chapter focuses on the creation of a custom extension. Using this approach we develop a handful of modules, a theme, and an installation profile. However, more importantly, we get a practical perspective on how to make the most of Drupal.

By the end of the book, you will have a solid understanding of how to build modules for Drupal. With the knowledge of foundational APIs and libraries, you will be able to develop production‑quality code that fully exploits the power and potential of Drupal 6.