Problem
You have multiple (multisite) Drupal sites and you would like to manage the content for all of these sites through a single interface. Depending on the nature of a given piece of content, you may want the content published on one, several or all of your subsites, but you do not want to have to create copies of the same content for each site.
Solution
Taxonomy plus MySQL5 views. (NOTE: this solution will not work with versions of MySQL prior to 5.)
Assumming you have your subsites properly set up and running, the first step is to create a special vocabulary which you will use to target content.
Go to [your site's baseurl]/admin/taxonomy/add/vocabulary and create a vocabulary. We'll call it simply "sites".
Next, go back to your taxonomy page (/admin/taxonomy) and select "edit vocabulary" for the "sites" vocabulary.
Add a name for each of the subsites you would like to manage. For our example, we'll have two subsites, "foo" and "bar", and one master site, "master".
Now add at least three pieces of test content. Target one piece of content for each of foo, bar and both.
Next, we're going to create a node view for each of our subsites that we'll use to replace the actual node table.
The SQL is as follows:
CREATE VIEW [subsite, eg. "foo"]_node AS
SELECT n.* FROM node n, term_data td, term_node tn, vocabulary v
WHERE v.name = '[vocabulary name, eg. "sites"]'
AND td.vid = v.vid
AND td.name = '[subsite vocab term, eg. "foo"]'
AND td.tid = tn.tid
AND n.nid = tn.nid
;Because the terms that serve as our subsite labels may very well exist within other vocabularies, we also need to join on the vocabulary table to ensure our solution works reliabley.
Finally, we need to have our subsites use the views we have created instead of our master nodes table, which only the "master" site will have access to directly.
In your drupal's sites directory, you should have directories that correspond to each of your drupal sites (both master and subsites). Edit the settings.php file for each of your subsites, and use the db_prefix variable to point the site to your view. So sites/foo.example.com/settings.php would contain the following:
$db_prefix = array(
'node' => 'foo_',
);At this point, you'll want to disable creation of content from within each of your subsites. You can do this in the from the admin/access page. If you attempt to create content from within the subsites, you'll likely get a 'duplicate key' error.
I hope that explanation is clear. These articles are written rather hastily. If you questions or suggestions regarding this solution, please leave a comment.
Is there any way of doing this without using MySQL5 Views?
You can share content between sites using table prefixing. But you can't apply the approach here (to hide some certain content from one or more of your sites) without using views.
Upgrade!
Your best bet is to update to MySQL5 or better. You're just missing out on too many conveniences and features to not do it.
Anna Richard
So, does this work only for subdomains or could it also work for seperate domains? I have a laptop reviews website whereby I'd like to setup sub-niche sites that I can post to from the main domain according to the taxonomy term the review belongs to. Can I do this using the technique you've outlined?
I can't get the vocabulary tables to join, is there some trick to that?
You don't need to do any JOINs in the sql above.
I summarizing what i have done and pls tell me which part i did wrong :
1) created vocab "sites"
2) created term "foo", "bar" & "master"
3)created content targeting each sites. when adding story/page, just select from the pulldown menu since I enabled this "sites" vocab for this page/story content type.
4) created view. there's 2 database: master and subsites1. Run SQL query/queries on database "subsites1". I edited the original, since all SELECT are from different database, "master"
CREATE VIEW foo_node ASSELECT n.* FROM master.node n, master.term_data td, master.term_node tn, master.vocabulary v
WHERE v.name = 'sites'
AND td.vid = v.vid
AND td.name = 'foo'
AND td.tid = tn.tid
AND n.nid = tn.nid
;
5. This created a new "foo_node" table in "subsite1" database with the content which was created earlier. I also notice any new content will be added in the "foo_node" table automatically. any content created from master site that is tagged/targeted with "foo" will be captured there. this is what VIEW all about ...isn't.
6. In the subsite settings.php add this. Since I want to share users info, I also put it there. note that, for node it will get from default database, but with prefix "foo_".
$db_prefix = array('default' => 'subsite1.',
'users' => 'master.',
'sessions' => 'master.',
'profile_fields' => 'master.',
'profile_values' => 'master.',
'role' => 'master.',
'authmap' => 'master.',
'sequences' => 'master.',
'node' => 'foo_',
);
6. So now moment of truth. Check in the mastersite, all content created earlier listed. But, when I go to subsite, it show's n/a?? What's wrong here? The content is there in the "foo_node" table in "subsite1" database.
8. Now, If I were to create content from subsite, yes, I get - duplicate error message. What if I want this capability. How to avoid duplication? That mean content can be either master of subsite, but of course, if content created from subsite, it will be automatically stored this their respective database and shown in it's domain. If content created from master, it must be tagged accordingly.
I also checkout Drupal. how can OG be a help? Any comparison?
pls advice.
Hi najibx,
I try same thing for my site and I also get stopped at same point with “n/a” problem…
I try lots of debug for this issue and I come up with below listed solution to avoid this problem…
You need to follow same steps as you mention over here, just one minor change in step # 6……
In drupal when ever we add new content in our site it stores data in two tables “node” and “node_revisions” to store node type, title, status, etc. and uses “node_revisions” table for teaser, body, format, etc. so as per our situation when we try to display node data from “subsites1” it tries to get data from subsites1’s “node_revisions” table. So instead of subsites1’s “node_revisions” table we need to share “master.node_revisions” table.
Replace the code:
$db_prefix = array(
'default' => 'subsite1.',
'users' => 'master.',
'sessions' => 'master.',
'profile_fields' => 'master.',
'profile_values' => 'master.',
'role' => 'master.',
'authmap' => 'master.',
'sequences' => 'master.',
'node' => 'foo_',
);
With
$db_prefix = array(
'default' => 'subsite1.',
'users' => 'master.',
'sessions' => 'master.',
'profile_fields' => 'master.',
'profile_values' => 'master.',
'role' => 'master.',
'authmap' => 'master.',
'sequences' => 'master.',
'node' => 'foo_',
'node_revisions' => 'master.'
);
Enjoy !!!
for step # 8
I am working on it...
when ever i get solution i will get back here....
These problems were solved in the latest release of drupal, FYI - along with many computer security issues such as preventing trojan horses, etc.
the substitution issues should no longer be a problem
I've been using this technique to power three very similar websites that target different geolocations. Very helpful write up .. thanks very much.
Ranger Marcoux
That's where this technique can really reach it's maximum potential. Sub-Niching of existing sites.
Secured Loan Options
thanks for this,
Work great !
This is damn interesting. It sure opens up other possiblities for site management.
Thanks for the info.
I can't thank you enough for sharing this. It worked flawlessly for me and the directions were easy to follow.
You rock!
Greg
Harry, I Don't mean to be such a noob but as powerful as all this is and an interesting, there is just one problem. Most all of it is over my head. On a scale of 1-10, me being probably a 2 with this where do I need to be in order to be able to apply it? Where do I go to expedite the process or is there really no hope and should I stick with learning incrmentially and giveup hope of catching up? Sorry for all the questions but I am hoping against hope you have some guideance for those of us that are way behind. If there is no hope we will just admire from afar...
Thanks crept almost over all sites on Drupal, the decision has found only here. It is difficult Drupal for beginners.
Altaj
This is awesome! I wonder, has anybody done this with CCK tables too or made a list of all the tables that one would need in order to use this to manage keeping content "synced" for a dev and production site?
This seems to me like a potentially great way to handle the problem of needing to have users working on the live production site, adding content, comments, etc. while development happens on another site. Anybody have thoughts about that?
Wow!
This is a great write up. Thank you Harry!
I am curious to know a sammos, if this view can be created based on a CCK field as opposed to a taxonomy vocab?
What about the move to 6.x? should everything work the same?
Once again, thank you for this awesome tutorial.
I am a Drupal/CMS newbie - basically an HTML/CSS/JS/Flash guy - but I got a gig administering a setup where there are multiple sites, with content being authored by multiple users, some content to appear on more than one site, some on just one. So I picked Drupal, got a multi-site, multi-db setup working locally, and now, thanks to this tutorial, a way to author content on the "master" site to appear in one or many sub-sites. I did a bit of floundering before I got it working - for instance, I did need to implement the 'node_revisions' line in $db_prefix, even though I'm on 6.4 - but it's working fine now.
I am intrigued by the line in the tutorial, "Disable content creation in the subsites," as I don't know how that can be achieved. But I figure if I only give content authors a login on the master site, and don't share users between sites, then they can't create content on the subsites.
Now I need to figure out how to let the authors decide where on the subsites the content will appear, but I imagine that's standard Drupal functionality.
So, thanks for the tut. It is valuable enough that you should consider revising it to include some of the comments.
Dale
Can this be used on multiple blogs on multiple ip's? I am looking for a solution for entering data on numerous blogs simultaniously.eg, muliple blogs on different ip's / domain names
Secured Loan
A great demonstration of what is possible with drupal!
Over the historic 18 months the lincoln has been shift the age of its outer coat web proximity to Drupal. We've exhausted through a plumping symbol of iterations, of plans, of perspectives and bed slow honed our way to a convexity where we jazz several signified of what we require to do, of what activity in our environments and how to flake drupal out across our university campus. We bed created a enumerate of modules, put excursus our whole best set of cipher and plans and jazz write and modules? We currently somebody 130 multi-site installations, change uppercase hopes of getting under 60 at few amount, but as our initial guidance was a mind-bogglingly immense 300 installations, we're pretty blissful to be where we are. As umteen of the anaesthetic sites were improved ad hoc from the showtime and acquire yet to be fully upgraded, we console hump unary installations lengthways a fact module or added, or hanging on to a especially superannuated philosophy. In the synoptic period of clip, modules hit washy from prominence (Tinymce has not, any say, been upgraded for 17 months) and we've revealed any merchandise of another entropy system+) into our website. We are now healthy to intend courses (via XML) directly from the database and are working towards the integrating of another noesis in status to relocation to a azygous seed iconic modelling of message direction. We are only real at the commencement of this but with the superior assist of our machine services assemble, we should get there by the end of close assemblage. This does, of instruction, meanspirited that we gift be dealing with outdated volume on umteen sites that instrument condition to be updated. And, as we've decided to do our newest developments in drupal 6 the invitable close that we bang uprise to is that an raise to drupal 6 testament writing the maximal number..READ FULLY lOVABLE motor trade cv...!!!!!