Drupal For Dummies®

Chapter 16. Ten Must-Have Drupal Modules

In This Chapter

• Adding Web forms

• Ensuring search engine optimization

• Preventing spam

• Generating a site map

Drupal sites can be extended with hundreds of additional modules available for free download. In this chapter, I point out ten interesting ones.

CAPTCHA

A CAPTCHA is a random question that site visitors are prompted to answer. Most often, a CAPTCHA is a small graphic image that contains a printed word. The word in the image has to be typed into a form before a user can complete some action on a site. CAPTCHAS can also be basic math questions (for example, your visitor has to type in the answer to 10+8). Finally, it can consist of a string of text about which the visitor is asked a question (for example, "What is the first word in the phrase ofomom isulul iki udev uquse?") Using a CAPTCHA keeps spammers from being able to use programs to spam your site with lots of fake comments that are actually advertisements for prescription drugs, online casinos, or other questionable services.

Tip

While using a CAPTCHA is a good idea, it doesn't stop humans from posting spam. It only prevents automated spamming, programs that locate Drupal sites and root through them looking for places to add spammy comments. I highly recommend you moderate all comments in addition to using the CAPTCHA plug-in. This may seem like overkill, but CAPTCHA limits the amount of spam you have to wade through so you have a manageable number of comments to moderate.

After you have ...