On Feb 4, 2007, at 11:20 AM, cl@isbd.net wrote:
Yes, you're exactly right, I'm after creating something that isn't Drupal's main raison d'être, however there don't seem to be many (any) tools around which are aimed squarely at what I want. ... and I don't think what I'm after is all *that* unusual.
It wasn't unusual, especially in the 1990s. However, the most effective websites these days are not so much brochures as they are conversations. Static pages are still possible using core modules, but Drupal is designed to be the framework for much much more powerful uses.
There are some concepts in Drupal that might help:
1) Each post does retain its url.
2) A post can serve as a static page.
3) You can also create pages that are defined by parameters you define. (See the Views module.) This way you can have a page like http://sampledomain.com/specials that displays in reverse chronological order each and every post you create that is about a special pricing or offer, so that people will always see the latest.
4) Taxonomy allows you to create navigation that goes sideways through your content. Example: You have an hierarchy of pages about motor vehicles. The top level is divided by manufacturer. The user can drill down into Chevrolet and finds pages on Chevy pick-ups. But now the person wants to look at other makes of pick-ups. You can either create manual links cross-referencing all similar models of cars across all makes, or force the user to go back up to the top level and drill down under each make they might be interested in, or you can use taxonomy to define new pages, dynamically generated, that show the user what he or she wants to see. (There are many many other modules that provide similar kinds of sideways slicing through content.)
5) Other ways of creating sitemaps exist, including the, um, sitemap module. :)
In other words, websites are alive, and less like books than they used to be in the days of yore. If all this seems like overkill for you, then Drupal might simply be too powerful and you might be better off creating a static site using Dreamweaver or a shareware/freeware facsimile.
Laura