Wed 6th August, 2008.

These are the steps I have taken to set up a Drupal (version 6.3) installation to drive the prototype BCIMICR website, as opposed to using a pre-defined theme (i.e. "look and feel"):

0. create a fresh install of Drupal

1. created a RudimentaryHomePage and promote it to the front page

2. enable clean URLs via Administer > Site configuration > Clean URLs

3. disable the Color module via Administer > Site building > Modules

4. enable the Path module via Administer > Site building > Modules

5. added a more memorable URL alias for user login via Administer > URL aliases...

...i.e. define http://<server>/bcimicr/login = http://<server>/bcimicr/user

6. disabled the user login block: http://drupal.org/node/13777

7. set up FCK editor: http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/fckeditor-wysiwyg-editor/8648060/

8. show nav only for authenticated users: Administer > Blocks > Navigation > configure

Now for the hard part: theme customisation!

...using this method: http://nerdliness.com/article/2007/09/10/drupal-theming

...and using this example LSBU ESBE web page template from Marketing Services

9. downloaded LSBU ESBE web page template plus css files etc. into sites/all/themes/bcimicr/

10. renamed index.html to page.tpl.php

11. added file bcimicr.info: contents of bcimicr.info

...(?! this worked only after tweaking the theme configuration: Administer > Site building > Themes)

12. inserted this snippet of code to clear Drupal's cache on page (re)loads, just in case it helps!

...at the top (rather than at the bottom) of page.tpl.php

13. added an includes directory to sites/all/themes/bcimicr/ 

...so the latter now contains these files and directories

14. clone page.tpl.php and call it page-front.tpl.php

15. edit page-front.tpl.php to make it into the home page

16. cloned page-front.tpl.php and called it page-node-4.tpl.php (assuming node/4 is the home page)

...to make bcimicr.lsbu.ac.uk/?q=node/4 appear as bcimicr.lsbu.ac.uk/index.php

...ref: http://drupal.org/node/190815

17. added this code snippet to each page template to clearly show when users are logged in