Dave Cohen - Advanced Website Engineering

Drupal authentication with Facebook credentials

dave — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:42:12 +0000

Just a few days ago, Facebook unveiled Facebook Connect. If you're not sure what that is, here's how they describe it: "Facebook Connect lets users log in to a site using their Facebook account, bring their profile with them, easily find friends also using the website, and share information and experiences using the same features as they would on a Facebook application."

That first feature, log in to a site using a Facebook account, means users can access a Drupal-powered website using their Facebook username and password. Similar to OpenId, this can save a user the extra effort of registering with a Drupal site. It goes even further, in fact. If a user is logged into Facebook (or any Facebook Connect enabled site), that user can automatically be logged into any other Facebook Connect enabled site, without even providing a username and password. It's like a single sign on across the internet. To see what I mean, visit www.drupalforfacebook.org. If your browser is logged into Facebook, you should be logged in automatically; and if not you can click the "Connect" button on the right then provide your Facebook credentials.

Drupal for Facebook Wins Prize at f8 Conference

dave — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:56:36 +0000

Yesterday's f8 developers conference included a hackathon, where those of us who attended discussed our work with Facebook's own developers. I'm proud to report that Drupal for Facebook was selected as one of the best, and I came home with a "sweet prize" (a Sony PS3).

Even without the prize, the conference was well worth attending. Facebook presented a lot of information about upcoming changes to the platform. And Thievery Corporation put on a great performance.

Drupal for Facebook is an add-on module for Drupal which allows Drupal sites to integrate with Facebook, and cutting-edge Facebook Applications to be built on top of Drupal. Please take a moment to help the project...

If you're attending DrupalCon Szeged, vote in favor of my proposed session. It needs more votes to be included in the schedule.
If you're a Drupal user, please review this grant proposal. Your vote could help fund Drupal for Facebook. It takes a lot of work to keep up with the latest changes to the Facebook platform and receiving this grant would be a big help.

Positive experience with new menu API for Drupal

dave — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:34:51 +0000

If, like me, you develop modules for Drupal, then you know the Pain. The Pain happens once or twice a year. The Pain has another name: upgrading your modules to the next version of Drupal.

Before the Pain, someone shows you a hot new feature - perhaps coolest thing in the world - and you think, "I want that." Ah yes, but what must you do to get it? There's a page on the web to answer that question. You know where to find it. The browser wheel spins... the answer is about to appear... and you hope the list is not long. You hope in vain. The Pain has begun.

For Drupal's latest release, that list of changes begins with "entirely new menu system." Those four words mean you're about to change every module you've ever written. Recently I've been doing just that. And despite the Pain I'm pleased to report this new menu api has nice features. To illustrate, here's a problem that has nagged me in the past and a solution using the new menu API.

Drupal "versus" WordPress

dave — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:43:40 +0000

I watched this video at a recent lugradio event.

I was expecting a live talk, so at first I was disappointed that the presentation was a video, and neither Selena or Andy (who made the video) were actually there. But the video has some amusing moments, so I warmed up to it.

If you're in the Drupal community, I recommend watching. It nicely presents some of the mystery and complexity that users have to go though to get started. The best parts are about 5 minutes into the video, IMHO.

Screencast of Drupal for Facebook

dave — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:12:44 +0000

At the recent Bay Area Drupal Camp, I presented Drupal for Facebook. I built a small Facebook Application and walked through how I used Drupal to create it. Now the details of this presentation are available in two screencasts.

If you're curious about what Drupal for Facebook is, or if you've downloaded it but are having trouble setting it up, these screencasts are for you.

Drupal Configuration from Development to Production

dave — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:09:03 +0000

At the recent DrupalCon, a recurring topic of conversation centered around the challenges of developing sites on one or more development machines, then later integrating those changes to a production environment. I've had to deal with this for every one of my sites, and have come up with my own approach, which I've written about previously.

Drupal for Facebook

dave — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:56:07 +0000

Recently, I´ve been working to make Drupal the premiere framework for developing Facebook Applications. I´m calling the effort Drupal for Facebook and I recently presented it at DrupalCon 2007.

Using Drupal's Workflow and Revision Moderation Modules Together

dave — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:31:50 +0000

Recently a client requested this relatively simple publishing model:

Some users are Editors. They may add and edit pages.
Other users are Publishers. Publishers may review the changes made by editors, and if acceptable, make them visible to the public.
Editors cannot publish content, and Publishers cannot edit. This important rule means that no single user can (maliciously or accidentally) add erroneous content to the site.
Published content may be edited (by Editors). The changes are not visible the public until a Publisher approves them.

As an experienced Drupal developer, and I thought this model would be easy to build. I would use Drupal's roles and permissions to enforce the first three rules above, and the Revision Moderation module to enforce the fourth. I'd also use the Workflow module to facilitate communication between Editors and Publishers, and the Actions module to make publishing a one-step operation. Easy, right? If only it were, I wouldn't be writing this now.

How to Hire a Website Developer (if you're not technically inclined)

dave — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:47:52 +0000

Perhaps you're looking to upgrade a website. Maybe build a brand new one. Chances are, you don't know how this work is done. It's like choosing a car mechanic when you can't tell a rotor from a piston. How do you find someone trustworthy?

When my car needs repair, I cross my fingers. But software development I know something about. This advice should take some guesswork out of your decision. Here's what you do...

Hovertips - easy and elegant tooltips

dave — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 07:40:59 +0000

The text shown in italics are examples of hovertips. Move your mouse over the italic text to see what happens.

Text like this appears when you hover. And disappears after you move your mouse away.

This is an example of a hovertip.

What's a hovertip?

A hovertip is a kind of "tooltip" that appears when the mouse rests above something.

I call them "hover" tips to distinguish them from clicktips. Click your mouse over underlined italics to see a clicktip.

What's a clicktip?

A clicktip is also a tooltip. But unlike a hovertip, the user must press the mouse button to see one.

The clicktip text appears on the page, rather than floating beneath the mouse.

And the text remains visible until unti the user clicks a second time.

A single page can have any number of these things.