How to Add a drupal "page"

This is a little tutorial on how to use drupal to add a page to the MediaShed web site.

First: there are two kinds of pages - a "child page" and a "book page". "child pages" are the children of "book pages" (they're like the "leaves") so they're a bit easier to make so we'll start with them first.


A. Child Pages
A "child page" is easy because its the page that you add when you click on the "add child page" at the foot of a page called a "book page". The new book page is added in the style of a submenu item that you can navigate between. A child page can only be added as additional page to a book page that is already there. You can't use it to create a new thing like a new project or new learning workshop.

Here's how it goes:
1. First log in! Go to the page you want to extend and click on "add child page" at the bottom to take you to "Submit book page".
2. There are only a couple of fields that you needs to fill in here. First the Title. Then go down to "Comment Settings" and decide if you want to allow poeple to add comments to your page ("Read/Write"). Pretty much everything else you can leave to the default setttings.
3. Under "Body" you write your content. By default it is in HTML so if you know HTML you can use it to control formatting, styles and to add images. But that's another story. Otherwise just type normally.
4. When you're ready go down to the bottom and hit "Preview" to check what it looks like and then "Submit".

And that's it! You'll see your new child page appear at the foot of the parent book page and in a menu block on the left. You can always come back and redit it by logging in and clicking on the "edit" tab.


B. Book Pages
If you want to create a new project, learning event like a workshop, research project or event then you need to create a new page. It's a little more involved, but I am sure you will soon wonder how you ever got by without it.

1. First log in and click on "create content" on your left hand account block.
2. There are several kinds of content you can create but we will chose the "book page" as it's the most flexible.
3. In "Submit book page" there are just a couple of fields to fill in. First the Title.
4. Ignore "Parent" and go to "section" under "Categories". Select what heading your page will come under - usually "projects", "learning", "events" or "research". "section" will make sure that your page is included in any listing of all pages in the section, as in "Most recent project posts".
5. Now go down to "Menu Settings". This controls how your page will appear in the block menu of the left. Enter a "Title" and a "Description" (this is what will be read out by text-to-speech aids).
6. Now under "Parent item:" you have to chose your heading again, just like before. This time there will be loads more headings to chose from, so make sure you chose a main heading that is up against the left edge - Projects, Research, Learning or Events.
7. You can also chose a "weighting" here. This controls where your page will appear in the left menu. Larger numbers "weigh" more and move to the bottom (no, you can't see the weightings of all the other pages - you have to guess!).
8. Now go down to "Comment Settings" and decide if you want to allow people to add comments to your page ("Read/Write").
9. When you're ready go down to the bottom and hit "Preview" to check what it looks like and then "Submit".

And that's it! You'll see your new page appear in the menu block on the left on the main heading page you specified. You can always come back and redit it by logging in and clicking on the "edit" tab.
You can also now "add child page" to create a submenu style hierarchy of pages. Just refer back to part A above!


Any problems with this tutorial then please see RQW after class.