Landing pages are usually connected to online advertisement campaigns or online target marketing strategies that are instrumental in directing new visitors/prospective leads to a website. Landing Page Optimization in the internet marketing parlance refers to the optimization of a landing page in order to improve the lead conversion rates. The landing pages can also be linked to promotional content on a social media page or an email-marketing campaign for consumer-directed targeting.

Drupal CMS offers a multitude of solutions that can be customized and integrated with your Drupal properties for effective Landing Page Optimization.

# Panels

The Panels module is equipped with a pluggable caching mechanism with options to create customized layouts for multiple uses. It has a drag and drop content manager that lets you create a visual design of a layout and place content in it. You can integrate this module with other systems to create nodes while the layout of a page can be customized with extremely fine-grained permissions.

# Login Destination

This module redirects a user to a specific page after they have logged in or registered onto a website. The destination can vary from being an internal page or an external URL. Login Destination makes it feasible for a user to stay on a page that they have recently visited even after they have logged out.

# Multivariate

The Multivariate module facilitates the setting up of multivariate or A/B style testing studies that can be performed on live sites to check the effectiveness of interfaces. It can be deeply integrated with Drupal to allow for A/B and Multivariate testing. This module has been found to be exceptionally powerful when compared to external solutions. You can run multiple test cases simultaneously while A/B split testing for the best-optimized landing page version.

# Visual Website Optimizer

This module lets you optimize a landing page with minimal coding capabilities. An easy to use A/B testing tool, Visual Website Optimizer is equipped with a WYSIWYG editor and a point and click test designer that helps in creating multiple variations. The tagless integration feature of this module significantly reduces the repeated upload of code snippets during A/B tests.

# Panelizer

This module allows you to attach panels to any node in the system. It further provides you with the options of customizing the content and design while still retaining the Drupal node editing structure. Panelizer is maintainable via Features is managed with Drush and Git at the back end. A highly exportable module, Panelizer can be used to build a landing page with dynamic content structures. It offers key solutions that are instrumental in creating high converting landing pages.

A landing page is an indispensable tool in a digital marketer’s toolkit. A/B split testing has gained a favorable reputation as a landing page optimization technique that helps in streamlining a direct marketing campaign. In addition, the behavioral targeting can be combined with testing to drive higher rates of conversions through effective imagery and calls to action. If you are set to embark on a marketing campaign with a resolve to extract the maximum value from every dollar spent on it, we can help you create Optimized Landing Pages for the same.

We at Valuebound understand your unique business needs to come up with custom enterprise level web solutions using Drupal. For further information on our service offerings, please Contact Us.

Media asset management solutions have added a whole new dimension to how multimedia content and other digital assets are handled on your website. Drupal CMS is well-equipped with a host of Asset and Media Management Modules that make resource intensive tasks involving the updation and regulation of media files,effortlessly easier. Here we have hand-picked some of the best tools that will make managing media on a Drupal website a “plug-and-play” experience.

# Scald

Scald is quite popular with Drupal users as a flexible media management solution that effectively manages social media updates, images, audio, video and flash files. You have the option of using this module along with popular editors like CKEditor and Plupload for multiple uploads along with a user-friendly media library. Scald has a proven ability to scale and is optimized for performance as it uses its own caching system that also

#Asset

The Asset module is a one stop solution for some long-standing issues regarding reusable media files like documents, images and videos. A new entity called Media Asset is provided by this module that helps you in the creation of new types of media assets through the administration UI.

# Media

The Media Module provides an extensible framework that lets you manage files and multimedia assets irrespective of whether they are hosted on your own website or a third party website.It also serves as a drop in replacement for Drupal Core Upload Field which provides a unified user interface to let you upload and manage media files and other multimedia assets. It is equipped with flexible display filters that let you manipulate the images while you can mass import the files by dragging and dropping them with the help of the Plupload module

# YouTube Field

This module provides a simple field that allows you to add a youtube video or a content type or any other Drupal entity. A lightweight alternative to modules like Media and Video Embed Field, YouTube Field is built to add videos from more than one provider. An 8.x-1.x branch and nightly build has been created for the Drupal 8.0.0-beta 3 version.

# Media entity

This module provides a ‘base entity’ for a media element. A basic entity which can establish reference with all kinds of media objects like local files, youtube videos, images, tweets etc. The Media entity module combines D7 solutions like Scald, Mediabox, Asset & Field entity to provide a base module for the D8 media ecosystem.

# Wysiwyg

This module allows the unique feature of using the client side editors to edit content by simplifying the processes of installation and integration of an editor you would prefer. WYSIWYG also provides an abstraction layer that lets you integrate other Drupal modules in a website with relative ease.

# IMCE

An image and file uploader IMCE also doubles up as a browser that supports quotas and personal directories. You can carry out the basic file operations like uploading and deleting files, resizing images and creating thumbnails. It offers multiple features like file sorting, tabbed interface built in support for image insertion in text areas, ajax file operations and the options to create themable layouts with the help of tpl files. This module can be integrated into WYSIWYG editors like FCKeditor and TinyMCE as a plug-in by installing the IMCE Wysiwyg API bridge.

# Vimeo Video Uploader

Another easy way to integrate the Vimeo APIs with a Drupal website, the installation of Vimeo Video Uploader lets you create two fields in the selected content type to facilitate a video upload on Vimeo. After uploading the video you can embed the video URL on a site using the Video Embed Field.

# Video Embed Field

This module makes the task of embedding videos from Youtube and Vimeo easier by creating a single field type called Video Embed. In addition Video Embed Field provides multiple options to customize the configuration of a video for an administrator to decide on its style of appearance on the website. A field formatter which is a part of the module lets you retrieve and display thumbnails for each video.

# Field Slideshow

Field Slideshow module provides you with the unique functionality of building a slideshow from a single node as opposed to the Views slideshows that use multiple nodes for the same. This module gives you a slideshow formatter for image fields that integrates well with other modules like Colorbox, Media and Imagefield Crop.

Media management modules are contributed modules that integrate well with a Drupal website to extend and customize the Drupal functionality. If you are on a lookout for customized solutions to your media handling woes, leave it to our expertise. We at Valuebound understand your enterprise level requirements and craft web solutions based on your specific needs. For more details on our service offerings, please Contact Us.

Valuebound released Axis Bank Payment Gateway Module  to implement the Axis Bank payment processing service on a website based on Drupal Commerce, an incredibly flexible e-commerce platform. This integration will facilitate the acceptance of payments from multiple sources such as credit cards, debit cards and net banking options.

The Axis Bank Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) enables a payment gateway on merchant websites to carry out online transactions 24x7. The payment gateway comes with a 128 bit encryption along with a MasterCard Secure Code and a "Verified by Visa" authentication for safe payment processing.

Requirements

One of the pre-requisites for using this module is opening a merchant account with Axis bank.

Drupal 7.x

# commerce module
# commerce_payment module
# commerce_ui module
# commerce_order module

Installation & Configuration

Step I

You will need to download and install the Commerce Axis Bank Payment Gateway Module to integrate Drupal Commerce with Axis Payment Gateway. The module should be placed in /sites/all/modules to create a path [DRUPAL-ROOT-FOLDER]/sites/all/modules/commerce_axisbank, before enabling it on a Drupal Commerce website

Step II

The module must be enabled before you configure it, at admin/modules>

Step III

Next comes the configuration part wherein you will have to click on the configure link followed by filling out the fields and saving the same.

Step IV

Once the module has been enabled, you have to enable Axis Bank Payment Gateway as your payment method.

Step V

The last step would be to enter your Axis Bank Merchant Account ID and the secret login password to set the payment method to live or test while saving the changes you have made.

You can download the module here. Valuebound is a regular contributor of code to the Drupal Community. We at Valuebound understand your unique business needs and cater to them with our enterprise level web solutions. For more information on our service offerings, please Contact Us.

Disclaimer : The brand names and logos used herein are the sole properties of their respective owners. None of the listings here are intended to imply any endorsement or direct affliation with respective companies.

If you are a digital marketeer in a B2B organization or the CEO of a medium sized business selling directly to a customer, hunting for the best CRM solutions is indeed the need of the hour. The integration of CRM with web technology has come as a breakthrough in business process automation. Now you can monitor and manage your contacts, existing clients and leads generated through marketing campaigns on social media platforms without any hassles. With the conventional "on premise" CRM software giving way to cloud based CRM solutions, data management and sales force automation has become easier than ever before.

An "On-demand" CRM or an SaaS CRM alternative can be smoothly integrated with an automated marketing platform or a CMS based website. Here we look at some of the best enterprise level CRM Integrations for your Drupal website that will help you create a sound CRM strategy for your business.

Webform CiviCRM Integration (CiviCRM)

An open sourced CRM that specializes in Constituency relationship management, CiviCRM is a suite of CRM software specially focused on delivering solutions meant to manage and track online subscriptions and contacts.Webform CiviCRM Integrationis a form building module meant to seamlessly integrate CiviCRM with your Drupal website. This module adds fields of your choice to the webform along with an ability to auto-fill forms for the logged in subscribers and anonymous users.

RedHen CRM

Although a self-contained and customizable CRM software, RedHen CRM also serves as an integration point for other enterprise CRM solutions like Salesforce and Blackbaud. A Drupal Native CRM, RedHen has a structure that resembles Drupal Commerce. This CRM can be configured and customized based on an organization’s unique business needs.

Salesforce Suite

Salesforce CRM is a comprehensive CRM solution meant for tracking customer information and interactions while generating and nurturing more leads. The CRM automates an end-to-end sales process that begins with lead nurturing, moving on to the sales-ready phase where the leads get routed to the sales professionals. The Salesforce Suit of modules allows for a seamless integration of a Drupal website with Salesforce CRM as the Drupal entities like nodes and files get synchronized with Salesforce objects to push Drupal data to Salesforce and to import data from Salesforce.

Webform2Sugar (SugarCRM)

The range of SugarCRM products is meant to create an engaging interface between a client and an employee for better engagement across different platforms. A highly customizable CRM solution, SugarCRM is available in both on-premise and cloud versions. The Webform2Sugar module integrates SugarCRM with a Drupal website as it facilitates the capture of webform results that emerge as leads in SugarCRM. The powerfulautomation tools offered by SugarCRM get integrated with your Drupal website to improve customer experiences, spearhead productivity and reduction of operating costs.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a suite of business applications meant to provide office and project management solutions that include invoicing and recruiting. It lets you capture leads from your website by scanning the visitor data while you create contact strategies. It also lets you streamline your workflow by automatically assigning leads to your sales personnel. The Zoho CRM suite of modules provides for the integration of Drupal with Zoho CRM. Drupal objects like nodes and Ubercart orders can be synchronized effectively with Zoho CRM modules.

The SMEs can benefit from the highly scalable open source CRMs that make the integration of business process automation solutions, an effortless task. In addition to improving the communication process, a CRM software provides a holistic set of solutions based on predictive analysis, where a business gains actionable insights by identifying customer behaviour patterns. In short a CRM has managed to fuse together the customer service and sales processes to help organizations design optimized CRM strategies while reducing costs and huge investments.

If you have decided to opt for a particular web-based CRM solution for your Drupal website, let us guide you through the implementation process that will see the CRM software up and running in no time.We at Valuebound understand your diverse business needs that may range from creating corporate social networks to eCommerce websites or even community portals. Our enterprise level web solutions are crafted to meet your specifications. For further details on our Service offerings pleaseContact Us

A responsive web design has emerged as the mainstay of enterprise level web development as organizations strive to make their presence felt by adapting to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. With smartphones and phablets redefining the internet browsing trends, a responsive design is an intelligent solution to optimize the viewing experience of your website visitors. The idea of a responsive website centers around the premise of the site being accessible from a plethora of devices and mobile platforms with a single URL. Drupal is one of the many Content Management Systems providing this responsive adaptability with the help of various modules, some of which we have discussed here.

# Adaptive Images

This module provides images sourced from the Fields that readily adapt to the screen size of the device they are being viewed on. An easy to implement module that facilitates adaptive imaging, Adaptive Images integrates seamlessly with the built-in image styles to add the “adaptive” effect to the styles.

# Client Side Adaptive Image

Another module based on the adaptive imaging concept, this module lets you display the responsive images from a field formatter. An easy to setup module, it has no dependencies and neither does it require any modifications in the .htacess file. As the option of selecting an image rests with the client’s side, the module has been aptly named “Client-side adaptive image”

# Fences

A convenient tool for specifying an HTML element for each field resulting the Fences module helps you create custom wrappers for fields. It eliminates the need for continuous reconfiguration of the same HTML element every time the field is displayed. This module provides a leaner markup when compared to the Drupal 7 Core while avoiding the extraneous classes.

# Breakpoints

The implementation of the Breakpoints module helps in enabling your theme so that the breakpoints are exposed to the other modules. It standardizes and keeps track of the breakpoints in height, width and resolution for different devices. The Breakpoints Module has a dependency in the Chaos Tool Suite while it works effectively along with the Picture and Breakpoints Panel modules.

# Picture

The Picture module is meant for managing images on a website with a responsive design. Along with optimizing display for both print and screen, this module prevents bandwith wastage while delivering alternate image sources based on the device being used. This module has two dependencies: the Breakpoints module and the other being the Image Styles module which is a part of Drupal Core. So if you are looking to install the Picture module, make sure that you have pre-installed and enabled Breakpoints along with the Image Styles modules.

# Fitvids

This module is meant to help you embed videos from sites like Youtube, Vimeo, Blip.tv, Kickstarter and Dailymotion. This j-Query plug-in helps you in resizing the videos based on the aspect ratio, making the videos fluid and responsive. A responsive theme like Zen, Omega or Adaptive theme along with the Libraries API, are the basic requirements that need to taken care of before enabling Fitvids.

# Flex Slider

The Flex Slider module is meant to integrate the Flex Slider library with a Drupal based website to create slideshows that can be resized to adapt to a particular browser window or mobile device. The module brings in features like touch enabled navigation, the usage of multiple sliders on a single page and configurable slide animations. It integrates with both Fields(flexslider_fields) and Views(flexslider_views).

The fluidity of a responsive web design helps in integrating a website with the advanced web browsing features in different mobile devices to create an optimized user experience. A smart alternative for a separate website for mobile devices, a responsive Drupal website lets you focus on crafting an effective SEO Digital marketing strategy that results in better social engagement and ROI. So it is high time that you considered a responsive web design if you are still stuck with administering an unresponsive website.

We at Valuebound understand your unique business needs to come up with custom enterprise level web solutions. For further information on our service offerings, please Contact Us.

A combination of Linux based operating system and open-source software stack, LEMP provides a LAMP compatible platform for all applications. The acronym LEMP stands for Linux, Nginx (engine-x) HTTP Server, MySQL/MariaDB database and PHP/Perl/Python. A key distinguishing factor between LEMP and its predecessor LAMP is the replacement of the Apache Server with nginx ( pronounced “engine x”) in LEMP , which has made the server more scalable in response to high demand situations. Meanwhile you have an option to replace MySQL with MariaDB, a more scalable and robust SQL server with multiple enhancements.

Here's a look at how I configured a LEMP server on Ubuntu 14.04.

Step 1: Install Nginx

Install nginx using command :

sudo apt-get install nginx

Start Nginx service using the command:

sudo service nginx start

Open up web browser and navigate to http://ip-address/ or http://localhost/. See a screen with message Welcome to Nginx!

# Nginx Configuration:

Open the file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf  and enter the following command in terminal

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Set the worker_processes To see the no. of CPU’s, use the command “lscpu”. In my case it’s “4″. So I set this as ’4′.

worker_processes 4;

After that Restart the Nginx Services :

sudo service nginx restart

The default vhost (server block) is defined in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/default file.

Under the Server section, as shown below add index.php line.

server {
      listen 80 default_server;
      listen [::]:80 default_server ipv6only=on;
      root /usr/share/nginx/html;
      index index.php index.html index.htm;
      # Make site accessible from http://localhost/
      server_name server.unixmen.local
}

Under the section #location ~ \.php$. Uncomment and modify the following lines as shown below.

location ~ \.php$ {
         try_files $uri =404;   ---------> Add this line
         fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
         #       # NOTE: You should have "cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0;" in php.ini
         #
         #       # With php5-cgi alone:
         #         fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
         #       # With php5-fpm:
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php5-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_index index.php;
         include fastcgi.conf;
    }

Added an extra line ‘try_files $uri =404;’ to prevent zero day exploits.

# Test Nginx configuration

Test the nginx configuration for any syntax errors using command:

sudo nginx -t

Sample output:

nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

Finally restart nginx service

sudo service nginx restart

Step 2 : Install MariaDB!

A drop in replacement for MySQL and a reliable SQL server, MariaDB comes with a rich set of enhancements that makes it more robust and scalable.

# For Installing MariaDB enter this command in the terminal.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

During installation set database ‘root’ user password set password.

# Check the MariaDB version using command:

sudo mysql -v -u root -p

# Check if MariaDB is running or not, using the following command:

sudo service mysql status

Step : 3 Install PHP

PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor) is a widely used open-source general purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.

# Install php5-fpm

sudo apt-get install php5 php5-fpm php5-mysql

# Configure PHP

Open php.ini file in any editor:

sudo nano /etc/php5/fpm/php.ini

Find the line ‘cgi.fix_pathinfo=1′, uncomment it and change the value 1 to 0.

cgi.fix_pathinfo=0

Now restart php-fpm service.

sudo service php5-fpm restart

# Test if PHP is running or not.

Create a sample “info.php” file in nginx document root folder.

sudo nano /usr/share/nginx/html/info.php

Add the following lines in it.

Save and exit the file.

PHP-FPM listens on the socket /var/run/php5-fpm.sock by default. To make PHP-FPM use a TCP connection, open the file /etc/php5/fpm/pool.d/www.conf,

 

sudo nano /etc/php5/fpm/pool.d/www.conf

Find the line listen = /var/run/php5-fpm.sock,

;listen = /var/run/php5-fpm.sock

and modify it to listen = 127.0.0.1:9000.

listen = 127.0.0.1:9000

Save and exit the file. Restart php5-fpm service.

sudo service php5-fpm restart

Now open the nginx configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Find the line fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php5-fpm.sock; and change it to fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000; as shown below.

location ~ \.php$ {
        try_files $uri =404;
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
        #         # NOTE: You should have "cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0;" in php.ini
        #
        #         # With php5-cgi alone:
        fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
        #     # With php5-fpm:
        #         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php5-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi.conf;
   }

Save and exit the file.Now Restart nginx service.

sudo service nginx restart

# Manage Databases Using phpMyAdmin 

phpMyAdmin is a free open-source web interface tool used to manage your databases.

Step 4 : Install phpMyAdmin

Install it with command:

sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin

The phpMyAdmin installation has been completed.

Create a symbolic link between phpMyAdmin and the website root directory. Here our website root document directory is /usr/share/nginx/html/.

sudo ln -s /usr/share/phpmyadmin/ /usr/share/nginx/html

Restart nginx server again

sudo service nginx restart

Now manage your databases from phpMyAdmin web interface.

That’s it. LEMP server is now up and ready to use.

We at Valuebound are committed to furthering your business initiatives with our Enterprise level web solutions. For further information on our service offerings, please Contact us.

The Drupal based websites were supposed to be patched within seven hours of the critical security update release on October 15, 2014. The security release carried a clear warning about the security vulnerability (SA-CORE-2014-005 SQL injection), which was exploited by the hackers to write web bots that traced vulnerable sites on the web in no time.The Drupal 7 and Drupal core 8.0.x websites were found to be particularly vulnerable to the SQL injection while Drupal core 6.x websites were relatively safer if not running on the same server that hosted Drupal 7 sites. Here are a few precautionary and remediative measures that you must know as a Drupal site administrator.

# Patch your Installation on time: Take critical security releases seriously

As the popular adage goes a stitch in time indeed saves a lot more than nine. So the best strategy to ward off malicious attacks is to take the impending vulnerabilities into account and implement the solutions available.

Although two highly critical advisories were issued by the Drupal Security team in October this year, it failed to create enough hype about the impending doom. As a result the security of around 900,000 websites was compromised as they became targets of sweeping automated attacks. It affected all the Drupal core 7.x versions as many Drupal 7 websites chose to ignore or were too late to apply the patch release along with the Drupal 7.32 version update.

# Keep Track of your Vulnerabilities : Check for Backdoors

Sometimes there are multiple long standing issues that eventually lead to sites being hacked. But that is not the end of the road as the real challenge lies in resolving the issues by finding out the loopholes that led that security bug in. A vulnerability in the database abstraction API of Drupal 7 allowed attackers to generate requests that led to privilege escalation and arbitrary SQL execution. In short the hackers created backdoors(menu_router entry) to run a PHP code on your site which let them upload any content on it. Once the exploit files are installed to the server, the hacker can send http requests to execute PHP.

# If Hacked: Build a new server/rebuild an existing one

The choice between keeping a site or trashing it, after an attack should be made after considering the kind of efforts you would have to put in to restore it with a backup for all your files. You can replace the site with a static HTML file and take the site offline if it is being used to perpetuate malware. All the active sessions on the site should be put to an end and passwords must be replaced as a precautionary measure if you decide to keep the website. Keep track of the logins from external IP addresses by analysing the sessions table to identify fraudulent users. It will be a fairly easier task to rebuild a site with the help of an older database and file backup. You can check the integrity of your files using the Git status and scan the private file locations for *.php, *.sh or any other dubious files.

# Review the Damage : Follow the Breadcrumbs

While you can begin with examining the exploit files left on the server, a great option to conduct the post-mortem is to reverse engineer the tools that were employed to create these exploit files. Document all your exploited vulnerabilities along with solutions to fix the issues. Make an inventory of useful ideas to counter different vulnerabilities by assessing the damage done.

# Stay Safe: Continue following good security practices

An easy way to keep non-administrators off your site is to use an IP access control list in the Drupal .htaccess file. So the next time someone tries to post unauthorized content on your site, the result will be an error 404. The initial wave of attacks during Drupalgeddon were characterized by unauthorized content upload which could have been prevented if proper Unix File Permissions were set in advance. You must get accustomed to creating regular back-ups for both the database and the files on your web server.

Follow the Drupal community at Drupal.org to keep a tab on the latest developments and get into the habit of evaluating your website, especially in event of security releases and version updates.It is a good practice to notify fellow users about any security breaches on your site through the hosting company,as it may have implications for other websites hosted on the same server.Although every software is prone to vulnerabilities more often than not, the risk of future attacks can be minimized by making the platform write protected.

We at Valuebound understand your unique business needs while we strive to provide you with secure Drupal based Enterprise level Web Solutions. For information on our service offerings, please Contact Us.

Ongoing Support in any sector has a special appeal for the customer as it centers around a promise that the company will “have your back” in case something misfires.Although the introduction of Content Management Systems like Drupal has made it fairly easier for companies to take care of their web properties on their own, there may be technical issues that may need attention from the developer's end after the completion of a project. A support strategy is a key selling point that attracts and retains customers in the long run.You can formulate a few strategies of your own or follow the ones listed below to ensure smooth ongoing support, post completion.

# Start with Email Support

Email support is a fairly cost-effective and an interactive way to keep communicating with a client after the completion of a project. It helps you keep track of the support requests and monitor the time spent in attending to them. It also facilitates better support management as you can file in the “closed requests” separately to distinguish between the resolved and the pending support issues. Template responses for recurring issues will be an effective way to counter them provided the responses are kept updated.

# Introduce a cost-effective ticketing system

A ticketing system can be quite effective when combined with all the other forms of ongoing support like phone and email support. A ticketing system helps you monitor your support staff as well, particularly when there are multiple support staff involved in troubleshooting a case. A ticketing system helps you keep track of the support requests simultaneously based on the man-hours spent on resolving the issues.

# Offer real time support to resolve issues

The introduction of a chat option on your website is one of the quickest ways to resolve issues for your client, post-development. The support staff can get in touch with the client in real time to resolve issues or attend to the needs for improvisation. Although the code-related queries may require more time to be resolved, a client can be guided through a confusing process through real time interaction. Meanwhile queries that require detailed attention can be resolved through a ticketing system.

# Include diagnostic information in your documentation

The documentation for a web development project is equally crucial for a client as it is for the developers. The fact that you have put efforts to build in diagnostic information regarding the website and the related web properties like the mobile app will save you time that would be wasted troubleshooting minor issues. An FAQ model for the common queries along with the information will be more engaging and user-friendly for your client.

# Social media : a more responsive mode of support

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have turned out to be a helpful addition to an ongoing support infrastructure. A facebook page dedicated to client support will not only engage your long standing customers but will also help you generate a fan base by resolving some general issues for a broader audience. Likewise tweeting links of online content that resolves a support issue will keep your customers in the loop about the probable issues and solutions as well.

Although ongoing support is a good strategy to help retain customers in the long run, it can be a big drain on your resources if left unregulated. It is important that the levels of support be discussed in detail to clearly distinguish between post-development free support and paid ongoing support in man-hours. A cleverly designed ongoing support strategy is a win-win for both the customer and the web solutions provider as it is a time-saver for both. We at Valuebound understand your unique business needs to provide enterprise level web solutions for the same. For more information on our support service offerings, please Contact Us.

In previous post we have used Drupal views to create block displaying node count values for taxonomy terms. Now I am going to show how we can configure similar block to count number of nodes by content type.

1. Add  “Content: Type (type) under Fields Section.
   
2. Configure field: Content: Type.

 

1. Under Contextual Filter add context “Content: Type”
   
    
2. Configure contextual filter: Content: Type.
   By Selecting Display a Summary  under “When the filter value is NOT available”. By default option was checked for “Display record count with link” & Apply changes.
   
   
   Now the preview should have started showing up.
   
    
3. Saved Configuration to Apply Changes. You are done!
   
   Now just assign view block to specific region. 

In this post I am sharing, how to display node count values for taxonomy terms using views. We have implemented this to quite a few blog site where we had to show number of blogs published in specific categories. In this example I have created one content type "story-Book" & taxonomy as "Book-tag"

Step 1:  Add  the field “Content: Book-tag” available in my “story-Book” Content type.

Step 2:  Add another field "Nid"

Step 3:  Make sure we are counting only published content type, select “Content: Published“ as Yes in Filter Criteria

Step 4: Under Filter Criteria add “Content: Type“ as  “story-book” of which we want to count the number

Step 5:  Under relationships, add taxonomy terms: content with term

Step 6:  Under contextual filter, add taxonomy term: name, choose "Display a summary", "Display record count with link"

 

We are done. Check the updated review to view terms with node count. Do not forget to save the view 

 

Step 7: Now just assigned the view block to region you want to display. I have assigned the block to left sidebar.

This is one of the way we can do this. There are few more options in views which can be used to achieve similar result. Will explore more in next post. Do contact us if you would like us to help you on your next Drupal project.