SECTION EIGHT
8. Extending, Expanding, or Changing Your Website
There is a couple ways you can expand your site further. You can pay to have it done or you can do it yourself. Any company or individual with an understanding of Postnuke can do the work for you. You are not required to rehire the original designers. Of course it is far cheaper to do it yourself, but this requires you to learn some things. If you choose to pursue this latter path, I suggest the following resources.
First, make sure you have learned how to FTP files up and down from your server. This capability is required to add anything to your site. Some sites require you to use SFTP or SCP to transfer files instead of FTP for security reasons. You can search for clients (programs) to perform this task for you online. There are many free applications to do so.
Second, become a member at http://www.postnuke.com/ and participate in the forums. It is a great place to get your questions answered. Once there, you can also search the forums and the various sub-sites for ways to add functionality to your site. Modules and Blocks are often listen in the news portion of the site. You can download any module or block and add it to your own site.
To install a new module follow the general steps below. Read Section 7.2.1 before proceeding.
1) Download the module from the developer's site. You may need to register on their site in order to download.
2) Unzip or unpack the archive that you received to a location on your hard drive. You may discard the archive.
3) Find the README and/or INSTALL document that is contained in the new folder(s) you have just unpacked and read them (both) completely. If the directions vary from these directions in any way, make sure you follow those directions and not these!
4) Launch your FTP/SFTP client and connect to your site. Navigate to your /modules directory.
5) Transfer the entire new module from your home computer to your host.
6) Perform any other directions listed in the INSTALL/README (like changing permissions of some directories).
7) Launch your browser and go to your site.
8) Click Administration -> Modules
9) Click "regenerate."
10) Find your new module listed and click "Initialize."
11) After it has reloaded, click "activate."
12) The module should now be activated and working. There may be a new item in your administration menu for the new module.
13) You may also need to add an item to your main menu in order to allow your users to access it. Most modules are linked in the menu like so: "[modulename]" or "{modulename}". It should indicate how to do so in the modules documentation.
To install a new block follow the general steps below. Read Section 7.2.2 before proceeding.
1) Download the block from the developer's site. You may need to register on their site in order to download.
2) Unzip or unpack the archive that you received to a location on your hard drive. You may discard the archive.
3) Find the README and/or INSTALL document that is contained in the new folder(s) you have just unpacked and read them (both) completely. If the directions vary from these directions in any way, make sure you follow those directions and not these!
4) Launch your FTP/SFTP client and connect to your site. Navigate to your /includes/blocks directory.
5) Transfer the block file from your home computer to your host.
6) Perform any other directions listed in the INSTALL/README (like changing permissions of some directories). Blocks will often have language definition files that must also be uploaded to another directory as well.
NOTE: Modules can also contain blocks that may be used. You do not need to upload these separately from the module directions. Once the module is uploaded and working, you can begin here at step 7.
7) Launch your browser and go to your site.
8) Click Administration -> Blocks
9) Click New Block.
10) In the Select box, find and select the block you wish to create. Give the block a title and select a position and language. Click "Commit Changes."
11) You have now created the block, but you must finalize the process by editing the contents of the block. This will be different with each block and so cannot be fully explained here. When finished, click the "Commit Changes" button.
While there are many blocks and modules available to expand your site, it is possible that you cannot find one that meets your needs. Both Blocks and Modules can be custom developed for you. Occasionally, you can find a developer that will create a module for you at no charge, but this is rare. As they say, time is money, and custom development takes time and therefore usually costs money. Anyone who understands Postnuke can create new modules and blocks for it. If you do not wish to work with whomever set up your original site, you can contact new developers through the forums at Postnuke.com.