Drupal 6 Panels Cookbook, by Bhavin (Vin) Patel, a newly-published title from Packt Publishing, is a collection of simple useful recipes that gives a very clear understanding from the basics of Panels to complex implementations to generate Web 2.0 layouts.

It begins with the basics and gradually delves deeper into the complexities of Panels. You will learn how to set up CTools and Panels, upgrade from Panels 2 to Panels 3, about page layout, theming, and lots more. The layout of the book is a series of interconnected but distinct recipes that gives a basic understanding of usage of Panels in Drupal and also the advanced settings that makes Panels one of the most powerful modules. You will learn to master the Panels user interface and theme each panel quickly with a series of practical recipes. You will be able to integrate powerful Drupal modules like Organic Views, Advanced Profile Kit, Views, CCK, and many more to create socially connected Web 2.0 websites.

As a reader of drupal.org, you can receive a 20% discount (see below) and benefit the Drupal Association!

What you will learn from this book :

• Develop spectacular Drupal websites by leveraging the power of Panels.
• Make complex and user-friendly front pages for portals and social media websites without coding.
• Theme your Panel pages to generate rich user experience for your websites.
• Create powerful and attractive front pages by combining Panels with Views.
• Clone a page layout and get quick and easy replicate layouts across the site.
• Introduce access permissions for your page and define your own access rules for users.
• Generate a distinctive-looking Web 2.0 design using the powerful combination of Panels UI and custom CSS.
• Create not just custom page layouts but also custom block layout inside the page by using mini panels effectively with Panels.
• Put together fancy user profile pages like those commonly found on social networking sites by using the Advanced Profile Kit.
• Provide extended functionality to Drupal using a killer combination of Panels and other modules.
• Dive into a real complex travel site example. Live Site : Visit Communiqs.com!

Approach

Written in cookbook style, this book offers learning and techniques through recipes. It contains step-by-step instructions for Drupal users to make optimal use of the Panels module. The book is designed in such a way that you can refer to things chapter by chapter, or read them in no particular order.

Get 20% off!

I have secured an exclusive 20% discount for you when you buy through PacktPub.com, just enter the discount code Drupal6panels20 (case sensitive), to the shopping cart. As with all of Packt’s Drupal books, Packt will be donating a percentage of its sales to the Drupal Association.

About the Author

Bhavin (Vin) Patel is a result-oriented lead Web architect with a focus on delivering high-quality code and products in high traffic environments. He is enthusiastic about building new products and services. He has nine years of experience in the Internet industry, and specializes in Drupal. He has hands-on experience with all aspects of building large-scale, high-availability applications: application development, n-tier architecture, frameworks, data interchange, security, online commerce, database administration, replication, optimization, server administration, open source software, and quality assurance. He stays up-to-date with best practices and is always finding himself learning new technologies.

Drupal version: Drupal 6.x