[support] Is there any sort of map/overview/tree in Drupal?

[Laura Scott]

On Feb 4, 2007, at 11:20 AM, cl at 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