Intensive Beginning Theming

This is an intensive crash course geared toward those new to Drupal who are eager to begin theming quickly and correctly in Drupal 7. It is for those already well-versed in HTML/CSS and looking to begin building new themes right away. We will delve very rapidly into the code and structure of the .info and .tpl.php files. We'll construct a simple yet extensible and flexible theme from scratch, using other themes as references and inspiration. In the process we'll delve into how the Drupal theme layer works and, if time permits, how to theme for content types and views. We will move at a speed according to the relative ability level of the room, so get ready to get your hands into code!

Here is the general progression that we'll follow:

• Introducing the Drupal theme layer
• Some terminology: Drupal and theme jargon
• The .info file
• Installing and configuring your theme
• Some quick, painless PHP for themers
• The page.tpl.php file
• What you can do with .tpl.php files
• If time permits: Theming content types and views

This session is catered toward designers already well-versed in HTML/CSS who are itching to get started fast with building a Drupal theme. Please come ready with a text editor on hand and a fresh local installation of Drupal (see Setting up a local development environment) so we can begin straightaway.