Drupal: Template Files, Modules and Content Types for Advanced Theme
- by theandym
Intro
I am in the process of trying to convert my first HTML/CSS design into a theme for Drupal. I have used ModX for quite a few designs and appreciate the ability to create different page templates and custom variables to be assigned to those templates. However I seem to be having some issues making the transition.
The site I am working on theming in Drupal is for a real estate agent. Each page/section will have a different set of content associated with it and will need to display only that content. For example, there will be a page for current listings, each of which will be formatted by a custom content type. However, when I call the content on the home page (or on other pages) I do not want to see this listing data.
Layout
The layout of the site and the regions associated with each page/section is as follows:
Home
Spotlight
Featured 1
Featured 2
About
Spotlight
Bios - Profiles of each agent (each will be a node with name, contact info, pic, etc) listed on the page; multiple nodes listed
Sidebar
Listings
Spotlight
Listings - Profiles of properties (each will be a node with locations, basic info, pic, etc) listed on the page; multiple nodes listed
Sidebar
Services
Spotlight
Content - general paragraph text area
Sidebar
News/Blog
News/Blog Items - List of stories with summaries and links to full article
Sidebar
Each page/section will use the same header and footer.
Issue
I have done some reading on Drupal, custom content types (and CCK), Views, and Pathauto. However I have not been able to get a clear picture of how to put it all together to accomplish what I am attempting. What I really would like to know is which modules to use, how best to use them, which elements I need to use where, and what template files I should be using to theme the elements I need to use. Any help or reference to useful resources would be much appreciated.