Friday, June 22, 2012

Drupal Empowers Multilingual Websites

Drupal is an open source content management system written in PHP language and a powerful tool for creating web applications. With Drupal, developers can build web applications of any scale. Ranging from small basic applications to extensive sophisticated web applications, Drupal programmers are able to develop with ease using Drupal.
 
Many web application developers opt for Drupal for its extensive and versatile features. Being a content management system, Drupal satisfies all extensibility needs in a very fast way which helps Drupal developers to be ahead of other developers using other content management systems.
 
A database is a definite requirement for its function as the application has to be built on a platform acting as a foundation and it is very useful in developing dynamic web apps. Drupal has become irreplaceable as it provides unique tools for web development. Certain functions which are so indispensable are provided only in Drupal which are vital for efficient web development.
 
The core file system of Drupal can be extended according the drupal developer’s requirements using UI, modules and themes. User information, logging information, site settings, module settings, content, and content related data can be tracked using Drupal database.
 
Primary language being used to develop web applications by Drupal developers is English but with the new updates from Drupal it has become possible for developers to use the language they are proficient in and then translate it to Drupal friendly language. The two major translation tools provided to Drupal developers are: 
 
Location Component: This tool can be used for changing the in-built components of the program such as products, choice brands such as ‘Login’, ‘Logout’, ‘View’, ‘Edit’ etc. 
 
Content Translation: If the Drupal developer of the web page has developed the site in a native language then this option can be utilized to translate it into English which is a Drupal friendly language.
 
Content, configuration, and user interface are the important information which has to be converted. To be able to develop in the way the Drupal developer has to be proficient in two important aspects: 
 
Internationalization: This is a process of developing web/software applications which adjusts to various diverse locations and its languages without every Drupal developer making complicated technical changes. This is a framework which enables a developer to develop a unique web page in 17 different languages and then direct them to other pages of the website according to the user’s choice of location. 
 
Localization: Using this process Drupal developers convert an international Drupal product into a Local product which is comprehended by a selected group of users in a location using locale-specific components or translating text. To change the content of the website Localization can be used. Factors to be taken into consideration are:
 
According to each language to which the content has been translated the design and overall appearance of the website may vary. For example when content is translated from English to Japanese, the way the content is presented may change from the number of words to the way the sentence is arranged.
 
Dialects of languages have to be chosen wisely. The chosen dialect should be the most commonly used one.
Numbers and figures like date, time, and currencies should be specifically translated to match each region.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

An Insight about Drupal Layers and 2012 Predictions For Drupal

The  Flow of drupal through the system layers:- 
  •  At the base of the system is the collection of node it is the data pool. Before anything can be displayed on the site, it must be input as data.
  • The next layer up is where modules live. Modules are functional plugins. Modules build on Drupal's core functionality. There are thousands of different options within the fast-growing repository of contributed Drupal modules. They represent the innovation and collaborative effort of everyone from individuals to large corporations.
  • At the next layer found are blocks and menus. Blocks often provide the output from a module or can be created to display whatever developer wants.
  • Next are user permissions. This is where settings are configured to determine what different kinds of users are allowed to do and see. Permissions are defined for various roles, and in turn, users are assigned to these roles in order to grant them the defined permissions.
  •  On the top layer is the site theme -the "skin". This is made up predominantly of XHTML and CSS, with some PHP variables intermixed, so Drupal-generated content can go in the appropriate spotsThe original creator and project lead for the Drupal open source web publishing and collaboration platform, Dries Buytaert was full of optimism and enthusiasm for the coming year.
Here are some of the predictions on Drupal this 2012.
  •  As Drupal gains in popularity, the number of developers/shops getting involved will increase, and the Drupal ecosystem on the whole will expand greatly. However, there could be a danger that individual companies who don't invest in marketing may actually see fewer clients as a result. Marketing will be a much larger focus of the business community in 2012.
  • 2012 will be the year of the Drupal entrepreneur. Drupal companies who specialize in one particular aspect, such as Pantheon, Drupal Commerce, and Tag1 Consulting have seen a lot of success or promise in 2011, but there are many more niches to fill, and many niches that have plenty of room for multiple companies.
  • Drupal, with a revamped administrative interface, is well suited for web applications of any kind from web logs (blogs) and micro sites to collaborative social communities. Drupal sports a new user interface, accessibility improvements, better image handling capabilities, support for rich content metadata, security features, scalability and database interoperability enhancements and automated tests to ensure stability.
  •  Drupal developers might experiment with more of a client/server model. That is, people will use distributions as a way to sell different kinds of hosted services.
  • Usability is still the number one reason people choose competing solutions to Drupal. Not because the existing features are hard to use — usability of Drupal was vastly improved in Drupal 7 — but because of lack of out-of-the-box features, such as content workflow and content staging tools, accurate content previews, WYSIWYG, media handling, and scheduling.
  • Expert team of Drupal developer can provide end-to-end services in
    Web development using Drupal software for professional and large scale applications.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Drupal Security Team update - June 2012

This post aims to share information about the Drupal Security Team in 2011 and midway through 2012. The team processed a significant number of security advisories, added a few members, improved the free education materials in the handbooks, presented at dozens of camps and user groups, and made several improvements to our workflow (including some user facing changes, see below).
Some quick numbers:
You may notice that for the calendar year of 2011 there were fewer SAs than there were issues created. There are lots of reasons why that happens (mostly invalid issues or issues that affect versions not supported by our policy).

Improved security issue reporting process
This change is so exciting that it deserves its own section in addition to being listed below. The "Report a Security Issue" link on project pages now links directly to the security.drupal.org issue queue for that project. Using that link instead of sending an e-mail removes one of the final "copy/paste" jobs from the security team’s workflow.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

CKEDITOR 3.6.3 FOR DRUPAL AND ITS FEATURES

Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) and content management framework (CMF) written in PHP. It is also used for knowledge management and business collaboration.
 
The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features common to content management systems. These include user account registration and maintenance, menu management, RSS-feeds, page layout customization, and system administration. CKEditor 3.6.3 was released by Drupal is a unique solution that integrates the online editor into the Drupal content management system which is reliable for drupal developers. This release brings CKEditor version to 3.6.3, introduces CKFinder version 2.2.1, and includes some fixes specific for the Drupal integration.
 
CKEditor 3.6.3 is a maintenance release that contains few bug fixes and few new features like including a new image and table alignment option and some accessibility enhancements for the color picker dialog window as well as enhanced Esc key support. Starting from this version the editor now makes it possible to align images just by using the Align toolbar buttons. Various issues with the editor content scrolling to the top in Internet Explorer have been fixed.
 
CKFinder is the file browser that is included in the CKEditor for Drupal package is now updated to version 2.2.1. This version contains new features like HTML5 multiple file uploads, drag and drop uploads, read-only mode, and the lightbox plug-in, as well as numerous enhancements and bug fixes like improved detection and support for Android and iOS tablets or improvements of the Upload feature. This release fixes a Chrome 18 bug that makes it impossible to display the CKFinder popup in the browser after clicking the "Browse Server" button in the editor.
 
From this release onwards, a new security filters policy that protects user from executing malicious code that is already in your database was introduced. In order to configure the security filters, enter the profile configuration for the CKEditor module and go to the Security section. The CKEditor for Drupal module includes built-in support for security filter modules which needs to be downloaded and installed by users. Detailed information about the security filters policy as well as supported modules is available in the CKEditor module documentation.
 
Apart from the above, CKEditor 3.6.3 for Drupal introduces the Stylesheet Parser plugin with a simplified method of customizing the styles for the document created in CKEditor and populating the Styles drop-down list with style definitions added in an external CSS stylesheet file. Fixes specific for both Drupal 6 and Drupal 7 versions are also added. 
 
DCKAP with its extensive expertise has been at the forefront of offering services in Drupal development. We have experienced Drupal Developers and Drupal Programmers team with onsite and offsite support. Our expert team of Drupal developers provides end-to-end services in Web development.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Business Gets A Competitive Makeover With Apt Drupal Developers

Fremont based global technology services company DCKAP announced today it has up-shifted its Drupal development service keeping in pace with surging market growth and also to have an edge over in the area f web application. 

Drupal is a cost effective CMS solution as it allows Drupal programmers to develop complex websites in minimal time period compared to what it would take using other commercial CMS technologies. There are thousands of community-contributed modules that extend the flexibility of Drupal, so the chances of Drupal supporting almost all the features are high and if a required module could not be found, a Drupal developer can program new modules quickly and efficiently. The versatile platform for Drupal development now comes with a new user interface, accessibility improvements, powerful image handling capabilities, support for rich content metadata, security features, scalability and database interoperability enhancements and automated tests to ensure stability. The advanced version of Drupal has features like better HTML5, Better mobile support, improved multilingual features, setting up Drupal 8 on a modern web development framework. Drupal experts can build the most effective and customized business web applications.
 
DCKAP Drupal developer team, has successfully completed and delivered a diverse range of Drupal web applications for business, for its various clients, our Drupal experts are famous for developing Drupal applications in relatively rapid build time and also for its dynamic nature of the websites designed on this framework. DCKAP’s Drupal programmers now work from the new fully equipped development center and also on client site as required.
 
Drupal is an excellent choice of a Content management system for any business site. Drupal can be used to manage various and every aspects of a website, from adding content and images to updating a product catalogue, processing credit card payments or taking online reservations. Drupal site built by an expert Drupal programmer can easily grow and expand to suit the needs of any business as the business expands. It gives the business owner complete control over content on the site.
 
Developing effective business applications requires specialized expertise in the technologies. For a business considering contracting a Drupal development company or a Drupal developer/ Drupal programmer, it would be of great significance to select the right Drupal developer resources and setting out the specifications with clarity and completeness. 
 
About DCKAP
DCKAP is a Fremont, CA based global technology Services Company delivering technology driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the clients. Founded in 2005, with offices in California & Colorado (USA), the UK, Australia and two development centers in India, DCKAP has earned appreciation from well respected Fortune 100 companies for its competent services.