Theming from the Ground Up (extended version)

To the uninitiated, Drupal theming may seem like a complete mystery. There are all these different files with strange extensions …. and what in the world are preprocess functions for?

This presentation will cut through the mystery and explain how drupal theming works in a general sense. It will also focus on how Drupal theming differs from other popular content management systems and development frameworks.

• the structure of a Drupal theme, and how it differs from other systems
• separation of content, theming, and functionality
• marriage between site building and theming
• the key elements of a theme, including the .info file, libraries and template files, and what they are used for
• base themes and inheritance

This extended (90 minute) version will also cover:

• overview of templating using twig
• how to use preprocess functions to send variables to templates
• contrib modules to help with theming
• breif review of the many approaches to layout and content placement
• using theme settings to create custom variables

+ more time for questions

This session is intended for front end developers who are new to Drupal but have experience working with other content management systems or frameworks. It may also be useful for people who have different roles but could use some general theming background.