Installing the required Drupal modules

Before installing Ubercart, we need to install several Drupal modules. These third-party modules are not part of the core and are developed by individual developers or companies. They add new features or enhance existing functionality.

You can view the full list of Drupal modules at http://drupal.org/project/Modules.

In fact, only the Token module is required for Ubercart to function. You can learn more about Tokens on the module’s main page, http://drupal.org/project/token:

Tokens are small pieces of text that can be placed into larger documents via simple placeholders like %site-name or [user].

The Token module provides a central API for modules that use tokens and allows them to define their own token replacements. Note that the Token module doesn’t provide any visible user functionality — it offers token processing services for other modules.

Ubercart uses tokens in several features, such as confirmation messages or email notifications.

The next batch of modules is needed to support images. We want our products to have high-quality images in multiple sizes, and we want customers to be able to enlarge them. Drupal does not support images out of the box, so Ubercart relies on six different modules. Installing all these modules might seem time-consuming and complex, but they significantly enhance Drupal’s capabilities — essential for building a functional online store. The modules required are:

Content Construction Kit (CCK): One of the most important Drupal modules. It lets users create new content types and add custom fields to existing types through the admin interface — no coding required. Download: http://drupal.org/project/cck

FileField: An extension of CCK. It creates a field for file uploads. Download: http://drupal.org/project/filefield

ImageField: Also an extension of CCK. It creates an image upload field. Download: http://drupal.org/project/imagefield

ImageAPI and ImageAPI GD2: Use the GD2 library for image processing in PHP. These modules are essential as they allow basic image operations like resizing, rotating, watermarking, cropping, or converting — directly from the browser without external tools. Download: http://drupal.org/project/imageapi

ImageCache: Allows you to define image presets. Ubercart uses this to manage all product images. When you upload an image, this module dynamically generates versions for the catalog, thumbnails, detailed views, and the cart. Download: http://drupal.org/project/imagecache

Thickbox: This module integrates the jQuery Thickbox plugin (http://jquery.com/demo/thickbox) with Drupal. Clicking an image opens a full-size view in a modal without reloading the page. It works seamlessly with the image modules above. Download: http://drupal.org/project/thickbox

Google Analytics: Adds Google Analytics tracking to your site. It not only collects general stats like page views and visitor counts but also provides e-commerce tracking and insights — valuable for analyzing profitability and planning marketing strategies. Download: http://drupal.org/project/google_analytics

Views: Provides a web interface for administrators to create custom displays of site content. Later we’ll see creative ways to use Views, such as building product listings and cross-selling suggestions. Download: http://drupal.org/project/views

To install all of these modules, first download them. Then create the sites/all/modules folder (if it doesn't exist), extract the module files, and copy them into this folder. Finally, go to http://localhost/admin/build/modules, check the boxes next to the modules you need, and click Save.