Drupal Modules: Be Smart To Make Future Proof Choice
Drupal is used world-wide as the SEO-friendly, content management framework for developing secure websites such as single or multi-user blog, corporate, government or political ones. It forms the flexible and scalable foundation for e-commerce websites. Moreover, the Drupal websites can be upgraded to new levels with Drupal modules. (A module is a collection of functions that link into Drupal, providing additional functionality. It is referred as 'plug-ins' or 'extensions' in other CMS's). One can add and display products, manage orders, establish payment methods through a variety of gateways, support tax and VAT calculation, offer discounted pricing, and more through a module. The contributed modules extend further to include coupons, invoicing, PayPal integration, a physical locator, and more. Thousands of add-on modules are available meeting the essential needs of any website. In addition, the existing modules can be customized, or new ones can be built as per the requirements. In brief, a Drupal site has three kinds of modules: 1) core modules, developed by core developers. 2) contributed modules, written by community and 3) custom modules, created by the developer. The likely choices between the available, modified or new ones depend upon the situation. The selection of the appropriate ones for a particular website is one of the most important, challenging and difficult task. Of course, in several cases, one can easily choose with clarity. However, choice becomes difficult when there are numerous alternatives. In order to choose a module, One has to be aware of his requirements such as purpose and integration; necessity of a module; and filtration by core compatibility. Thus, one can rule out several modules in the first step itself. It is advantageous that all modules are available in one resource (Drupal.org site). One can browse the relevant module for the topic and discuss with his fellow members to have a knowledge of the most popularly used modules. It is better to study and review the available cases in the community and if necessary can cross verify with the community members (most of the time they respond generously). An actively maintained module implies that the site is secure and bug-free. An experienced Drupal developer can carry out the initial evaluation within a short span of time. One has to judiciously hire an experienced, efficient developer from the best Drupal web development company in India or across the globe to do the task in a much easier way. However, in general, the evaluation criteria includes reputation, reach and issues related to it. It is sensible to avoid hacking modules with the help of module maintainer. A few of the top rated modules are menu breadcrumb, vertical tabs, back-up and migrate, Facebook connect, administration menu, and so on. Can choose either free or paid ones. In addition, it is advisable to take care of the unsupported modules and clear the environment off from the old or unused modules. Drupal though a simple CMS, stand out as the most powerful and easiest one, with its ever expansible options in the form of modules .