Teen Zone Project

The next big project is for me to move the Teen Zone into Drupal. I'm not sure exactly what Kaitlin wants but I know it will take a different theme than the rest of ppld.org.

Cheryl found a module called ThemeKey that lets you assign themes to different taxonomy terms, content types, node ids, and much more. Very cool!

Now I just need to draw up a plan...

Adjusti-Search Issues

12:30-ish p.m. Adjusti-Search module starts calling up a random page when a search is executed. The result is an error page. This happens intermittently and I have not been able to isolate the cause yet.

Steps taken and outcome:
1. Run cron - no change
2. Empty cache - page called changes but is still incorrect
3. Disable Adjusti-Search module - no change?
4. Empty cache and/or run cron - website stops calling style sheet
5. Renable Adjusti-Search module and run cron - no change
6. Empty cache - style sheet works but Adjusti-Search still malfunctions.

The chump is stumped.

1:30 p.m. - It's working again. I think it just randomly grabbed the correct URL from the table. It think the Adjusti-Search table may have some corrupt records in it.

Plan: Backup the database and run Update.php when Sharon comes back. Also check the table for corrupt records when Sharon comes back. May consider uninstalling and reinstalling module.

10-20-2010 3:30 p.m.: Ran Update.php, no change.

10-28-2010 1:40 p.m.: Disabled block until yesterday. Still experiencing the same problem.

11/1/2010 3 p.m.: Disabled CSS and Javascript optimizing in "Performance". Adjusti-Search would call temporary css and js files, so I disabled the optimization feature to see if it helps. So far Adjusti-Search is working again. Fingers are crossed.

11/2/2010: It's malfunctioning again.

11/3/2010 10 a.m.: Uninstalled and Reinstalled module on a test server and it worked for awhile. However, around 1 p.m. it started malfunctioning again. Contacted Connor.

11/3/2010 2:30 p.m.: Enabled PPLD Search module (Adjusti-Search prototype) and got the same error. Enabled default Drupal search and it works fine.

11/3/2010 3:30 p.m.: Connor replied with the following suggestion:

1. Open the adjustisearch.module file for editing wherever you have it installed on the server.



2. In the code, find the line that says "function
   adjustisearch_block_form($form_state) {" (this line should be around line 137 or so).



3. Add the following line of code right after the line "$form = array();":
   $form['#action'] = url('');



4. Save the file. Clear your Drupal cache. Then try Adjusti-Search again.

11/10/2010 2 p.m.: Adjusti-Search has been working for the past week. Yay Connor!!

Aftermath

Putting out lots of little and not so little fires. The big one right now is the AdjustiSearch module doesn't always work. Sometimes I get "Accessed Denied" and sometimes I get the "Whoops" page and most of the time it works fine. I'm trying to isolate the problem(s) but no real luck yet.

Here's what I have so far:
-The "Whoops" page happens for anonymous users only, across all browsers.
-No cause has been found yet.
-The default search form works fine.
-Emptying cache does not help.
-Disabling and re-enabling the module does not help.
-It happens intermittently and will start working again without rhyme or reason.
-The search returns the following urls, all of which are "Whoops" pages, when it is malfunctioning:
--http://ppld.org/ieupdate.js?adjs_type=1
--http://ppld.org/sites/default/files/css/css_2206d48491af4b609c7ee4d274aece51.css
--http://ppld.org/aboutyourlibrary/services/ElPomar/default.asp

10/14/10 11 a.m.: After much dinking around, including adding code for the ieupdate.js highlighted here: http://www.amarasoftware.com/flash-problem.htm, removing the code when it caused other problems, and emptying cache multiple times it started working again.

10/14/10 1 p.m.: It's down again. And returning misc URLs. Connor thinks it's somehow pulling the URLs from the database.

10/15/2010 3:35 p.m.: Does running cron fix it?

It's Launched!

The lesson for today is:

If all else fails, empty cache.

It seems to mostly be going smoothly, thank God.

Homestretch

We're launching on Monday! I'm running updates and switching links from new.ppld.org to ppld.org on the new site. It's going to get crazy around here!

Wish us luck.

Final Countdown

I met with the server admin and the network admin and we've decided to launch on or around September 13. The server admin is going to put IIS and the current website on the same server as the new website running Apache. That way we hope to be able to run both websites simultaneously using the same domain name.

I also met with the Website Team and developed a marketing plan involving me sending lots of emails to staff, a promo and tutorial video, posters, and web ads.

Optimization

I'm starting the Drupal optimization process and have come across a very handy checklist:

http://www.drupal-check.org/

I also installed the Boost module.

I meet with the server and network admins tomorrow to make a launch plan.

Final Push

I've finished Tax Information and Microfilm Collection (375 records) and am about to enter the homestretch of the redesign process.

I'll be working with the server admin and the network admin to prepare for the launch. I'm hoping to launch on Labor Day weekend. Wish me luck!

Microfilm Collection and Tax Information

While I'm waiting for the network administrator to fix the DMZ/server problem I made our Tax Information page and am working on our Microfilm Collection page.

Speedbump

Recommended Websites are chugging along fine. However, our web server is having issues with our network, specifically the DMZ. We can't launch until this is fixed. It's very frustrating because we are pretty much ready otherwise.

Faceted Catalog Searches

I'm adding/editing faceted Catalog searches in the Subject Guides. Thanks to Summer Greenville for helping construct the searches!

Recommended Websites Update

I've added all the Vocabularies to the Recommended Websites taxonomy terms so the category and subcategory show up on the subcategory pages. Sound confusing? I know, I just can't think of a better way to explain it.

I've also added all the tabbed menus to the Subject Guide subcategories. Yay!

Now we just have to finish the data entry. We have 1600+ entries, but I think there are 4500+ total to be entered. Sigh.

And They're Off!!

Data entry has officially started on Recommended Websites. This is quite a large task and I'm grateful for the awesome librarians helping me out.

I've created all the Taxonomy and Menus for the Subject Guides, I believe, but I'm still assigning tabbed menus to the subcategory pages.

An interesting aside, according to my timeline, as of June 15 we've been working on this website for two years. Make it stop!!

Fun with Recommended Websites

So yesterday I was entering categories from our Web Picks into Drupal's taxonomy and noticed that Vocabularies with heirarchical values don't display child terms in the Taxonomy Navigator module. Seriously folks...

Anyways, that is a deal-breaker for me so we are not using Taxonomy Navigator. Instead we are doing the following:

1. Create Vocabularies for Recommended Websites categories


2. Hand-make menus for categories containing subcategories (there are quite a few of these)


3. Theme the menus if necessary


4. Add the menus to their corresponding pages


5. Add Subject Guide Tabs to corresponding pages


6. Go over all Subject Guides and cross-reference as necessary


7. Configure Recommended Websites View to display page title as "Vocabulary: Term: SubCategory

Oooof.

Setting Up Recommended Websites Categories

Thanks to Acquia support, I'm using URL Aliases to link Taxonomy Navigation in my Subject Guides for Recommended Websites subcategories.

For any Web Picks category that has subcategories, do the following:

1. Create a vocabulary in taxonomy for that category and populate it with subcategories


2. In blocks, assign the taxonomy navigation block for that vocabulary to the page View for the Recommended Websites category. Put the block in the Content Nav region.


3. In URL Aliases, Create new aliases for each taxonomy term in the vocabulary.




• Existing system path is the Page view URL (ie: research/by-subject/websites/386)


• Path alias is the Taxonomy term URL (ie: taxonomy/term/386)




4. In Blocks, add the Subject Guide tabbed menu to the subcategory pages

I think that's it.

I think it's going to work

I tested the Taxonomy idea I had on Literature and I think it will work. I'll just need to theme the taxonomy display, install and configure Taxonomy Menu module, and make sure Krista is okay with the subject guide just showing the categories, not listing out the websites below. I could still list out the websites, but it would be a lot more work.

I'm cautiously optimistic...

Web Picks craziness

Right now I'm trying to determine the best way to organize Recommended Websites. There are a TON of categories and subcategories and I'm thinking I'll try to make each category with subcategories its own vocabulary and then use Taxonomy menu to list them out. I'm not sure it'll work so I'm going to test it on Literature.

Wish me luck!

Mustard

Once again I neglected to keep up with my progress here. Since the last entry I've done the following:

• Adult Literacy and ESL pages, including a new Tutors section


• Worked with Overdrive and our Network Administrator to change the eBranch to CyberShelf




• Changed all eBranch graphics


• Changed domain name to cybershelf.ppld.org


• Overdrive will update the look and feel of page


• Sirsi administrator will update it in Workflows and replace the URL in the MARC records




• Replaced the word "Branch" with "Library" throughout the new website

Next on the list is the Web Picks conversion. Wish me luck!

Ketchup

It's been awhile since I posted. I can only say I forgot to keep track of my progress here. Blame it on being a new mother...

Anyways, since I last wrote, we've done the following:

• Fixed the authentication on our location-specific databases via EZProxy. Documentation for this is in my email, for future reference. Thanks to BPL!


• Finished the Genealogy and Regional History pages


• Launched new.ppld.org alongside our current website!

So far feedback has been very positive. I just have a handful of things left to do, then hopefully soon we'll do the final launch!

Blog feature on new.ppld.org

I made a new Content Type called "What's New" that will be our blog feature on the new website. Entries can be promoted to the front page and show up in a block on the left Nav Bar. Comments only show up on the full record, but I'm okay with that. I hope the patrons are...

Art Exhibits

I'm working on the Art Exhibits page right now. The slideshow/images are a bit complicated, so here is the documentation:

1. Open the ArtExhibitTemplate.psd in Photoshop


2. Open the artwork you would like to highlight in Photoshop


3. Resize the image to width 500px


4. Copy the image and paste it onto the Template and line it up. Replace the text.


5. Save both images to your desktop. The original (500px) image gets the naming convention "0310ImageName.jpg" where 0310 is month/year. The slideshow image gets the naming convention "0310ArtExhibit1.jpg" where "1" is the slide number.


6. Create the Image Node, using a previous Image Node as an example. You can find one by listing content by Image Type.


7. Change the necessary text and use the node Title for the Alt and Title text for the image.


8. Create the Slideshow Node, using a previous art exhibit slide as an example. You can find one by listing content by Slideshow Type.


9. Change the necessary text and use the node Title for the Alt and Title text for the image.


10. Uncheck the "open in a new window" option


11. Link the slide to its corresponding Image node.

I think that's it...

How to Create a WebForm

I can't believe I never documented how to create a WebForm in Drupal. Well, here goes. I'll use the Art Exhibits Contact form as an example:

1. Open an existing form for an example.


2. Create content, Webform.


3. Using the existing form as an example, fill out the Webform information. Be sure to disable comments.


4. Using the existing form's components for an example, add the necessary components for your form. Be sure to check the component details (click edit on example form's component).


5. Style as needed.


6. Go to User management/Captcha.


7. Add your webform to the list of forms, using the your node id and following the existing examples.


8. Double check the webform mail settings in your form.


9. Add the appropriate menus to the form.

I think that's it...

Literature Recommended Websites and Web Picks in general

I finished adding the Literature recommended websites to the subject guide, but as I'm entering these websites I'm realizing that importing the Web Picks databases is not very feasible. It's too big and complicated. I think we're going to have to enter these by hand.

Ooof.

Find a Good Book

Find a Good Book is finished! I'm still waiting for approval from Adult Services, but we're getting closer!

Find a Good Book

Update

About the Library is done except for Art Exhibits, which I plan to do this month. Now I'm working on Find a Good Book, which is going to be fairly time and labor intensive. I hope to get it done by the end of the month.

Views Rotator

I just changed the home page slideshow on new.ppld.org from a Views Slideshow (which wouldn't link to nodes) to Views Rotator. I'm very happy with the result!

There's an excellent Views Rotator tutorial available here

Presentation

I gave a presentation of new.ppld.org to our staff on Monday. It went well. Everyone seemed okay with the new product, but I guess I won't really know for sure until they start using it.

Updates updates updates

I swear, I'm gone for 8 weeks and there are a ton of updates to be done on new.ppld.org. Of course I did them and now Views Slideshow doesn't work again and I'm not sure why. I hate that module! We need a different slideshow solution...

2/18/10 Update: I added a carriage return to beginning of the code in the Views Slideshow block and it started working again. Go figure...

Diff and Search Files Modules

I just installed the Diff module so I can view the difference between revisions on new.ppld.org. Handy little module, there!

I also installed Search Files module, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get it to work. It takes a day to index, so I'll check back...