INSTALLING ACQUIA DEV DESKTOP

Task for Google Code In |      Date:2 Dec 2017|      BLOG BY KARTIK GOEL

WHAT IS ACQUIA DEV DESKTOP?

Acquia Dev Desktop is a free app that allows you to run and develop Drupal sites locally on your computer and optionally host them using Acquia Cloud. Use Acquia Dev Desktop to evaluate Drupal, add and test other Drupal modules, and develop sites while on a plane or away from an internet connection

SETTING UP ACQUIA DEV DESKTOP

1. First go to https://dev.acquia.com/downloads and download Acquia Dev Desktop for your system (Windows/Mac).

2.Then, download the file and run the installer.

3.So , the Acquia Dev Desktop has been successfully installed. Then , just select a Drupal distribution , I have selected Drupal v8.4.1. You can select any of your choice.  

4.Now , just click on the local site link which is there in the above screenshot and it will direct you to the browser where we will install Drupal. There you just need to fill your basic details for site and rest it will do itself. 

5. Welcome to your Drupal Site!

Adding Modules

1. To install a module just go and click on Extend in the toolbar on the top and install any module of your choice from the listed modules by clicking on checkbox against it and then go down and click install. For example, here I have installed Actions module.

2. You can install any other new module apart from these by going on to Install New Module (button shown in screenshot too) and then entering the url of the module or browsing it from your system.

Adding Themes

1. To install a theme click on Appearance in the toolbar on the top where you will see that Bartik theme has been set as the default theme.So, I am going to change the theme and will set Seven 8.4.1 theme as default. The theme will be successfully installed and when you will go back to our site (home page), you will see that the theme has been applied.

      ADDING CUSTOM THEMES- 

      2.You can install a custom theme by dowloading it from drupal.org and then putting it into your local drupal directory drupal/themes/ and then going to Appearance section and installing your theme and setting it as default. You can also add a url of the theme (can be found on drupal.org website).So, here I am going to show "How to add custom themes(here Bootstrap) by method of adding url".

HOSTING DRUPAL SITE ON ACQUIA SITE

1. To host drupal site on acquia site, click on dashboard of Acquia Dev Desktop (as shown in the screenshot).
2. Then you need to enter your login credentials.If you don't have an account , you can make one.
3.You will also need an Acquia Cloud Subscription which you can get by clicking on "get one free" link.
4.Then you need to select the environment to overwrite. In most cases, you should select the Dev environment to overwrite.

                                

5.Enter the location of your private key file, enter suitable password for your key and then save key pair on your system and then import it.

6.Then, you just need to enter that password to host your site after the password has been authenticated.

7. Lastly, you just need to give your local site a name and click OK and the site will be hosted!

So Acquia Dev Desktop is easy to install as you don't need to install MYSQL,PHP,Server or anything else. 

And yes, it was a nice experience as working on Acquia Dev Desktop is pretty simple and this dev desktop is much interactive , I didn't need to search before installing themes, I explored myself , all the sections like Appearance and all. So ,overall it is a good app to run the sites locally and especially for the beginners like me.