CMS Add-Ons and Libraries

CMS packages come initially in a stripped down form containing the very minimum of functionality. At first sight this seems a little inconvenient but the alternative is for the sponsors to decree a one-size-fits-all policy pre-determining what you may or may not have on your site. This and some of the default settings, may seem a little odd to the newcomer but beggars can't be choosers so best is to grin and bear it.

To get from this stripped down form to a working site involves downloading various add-ons:

Modules, additional software extending the functionality of the sitePlug-ins that work in the background to enable modules to functionThemes or Templates that change the appearance of your site.

Downloading add-ons couldn't be simpler, just 'Google' the CMS you want to use, normally either 'Drupal' or 'Joomla' and the module and theme libraries relating to your CMS. Make sure you are entering through the one of the official sites. There are many unofficial sites trading on the success of the main sites.

So

Choose your module and then download it onto your own computer.Then enter your new CMS site, find the 'Modules' button and click on it. Find 'Install New Module' then 'Browse'. The software will show you the file structure of your home computer,Locate the module and click on it. Then click on 'Install". The software will do the unzipping and uploading for you.>When the screen clears from the uploading your new module all you have to do is scroll down the list of installed modules and 'enable' your new one.

Libraries

Some open source software like the TinyMCE is developed totally separately from the CMSs, but made to integrate with any and all of them. These are normally stored - in a Drupal CMS - in a directory called www.yoursite/sites/all/libraries

You will need to create this directory, so here are the steps:

Log into your account with your internet host.Work through the log-on procedure to your 'Control Panel'.Look for a link to 'WebspaceExplorer' and click on it..This should take you through to the index of your files on the remote site (ie on your host's server).Scroll down to 'sites' and then 'all'.Click on 'file' and a bubble comes up asking for the name of your new file. Type in 'libraries'.Click on OK and the job's done.

The Drupal Libraries Module
The libraries module allows shared usage of external libraries like TinyMCE.

Some Drupal Modules like 'Superfish' will store external open source directly into the libraries directory provided that you have downloaded and enabled the 'Libraries' module as shown above. Others like WYSIWYG do not, probably because -as in this case - there is more than one external open source package you might use.

The module that requires the external library should provide a link to the homepage of that library or, even better, directly to that library's download page. Sometimes the module will specify a version for you to download, otherwise just download the latest version.

Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.

In retirement he has devoted most of his energies in developing a group of wiki sites devoted to helping others to set up eBusinesses. His current sites http://computer-virgin.net/ for new-starters and http://mywebtrade.net/ for those further along the trail are just part of those efforts.

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