Chapter 6. Front end structure: user view
In this chapter we will occupy ourselves, in detail, with all the functionalities implemented in PHP-Nuke, that is what our portal system can do and how. We will do this from the part of the
visitor, imagining that we are the one who visits our site and uses its functionality.
We will analyze all the preinstalled modules in the PHP-Nuke distribution and will give a look also at some very interesting modules that still have not been
included in the official distribution. We will differentiate between the 6.0 version and its successors, since there have been important changes starting from version 6.5 - the Splatt forum, for example, has been replaced by the phpBB f.orum, this has created changes in other modules,
like Your_Account or Private_Messages, that are now interoperating with phpBB.
Before starting, we should spend two words on how PHP-Nuke is structured; this system is structured as a 3 column portal, the two lateral ones including the
blocks, the central one displaying the function modules. This does not mean to say that the structure of our site cannot be modified completely. The initial skeleton is, favorably, the one to start
from in order to create a super personalized portal. Beyond the 3 columns mentioned we have also a header (top of page) and a footer (bottom of page).
- Blocks:
-
they are present in the left/right columns of our portal and deliver functions that are repeated in all pages of the site
(e.g. the menu, banner and login blocks).
- Modules:
-
They are the heart of the page, they appear in the center column and each one has its own function. For example the news module delivers the articles, the search module makes an internal search of
our site - they should be imagined as independent pages. They are the "heart" of the page that we visit (see Figure 6-1).
