How to Change Everything and Hack Nothing

Update: download the slides (pdf and odt below)

New Drupal developers, site-builders, and themers often hear the mantra "Don't Hack Core" and wonder how such a policy could even be possible. I'll show you the best techniques for overriding any part of your Drupal site without hacking core or contributed modules.

• Overriding text
• Overriding templates and theme functions
• Changing forms
• Using Views to override administrative and front-end listings
• Overriding menu paths
• Overriding blocks
• When to 'just say no' to your client's customization
• What to do when all else fails...
• When to submit a patch

I'll show you hands-on how to go about doing these overrides, including the common problem of finding where the code you need to override is even coming from.

I'll leave time for questions on specific things you're having trouble customizing.