Last month, we ran a webinar called 45 Modules in 45 Minutes.

In the webinar we listed 45 of the best Drupal modules in 45 minutes.

One of the modules we mentioned was Webform, which is a module we use in every beginner class.

In the comments on that webinar, someone mentioned Entityforms as a better option than Webform and one that is more tightly integrated to Drupal.



I decided to take Entityforms for a test drive ...

Step #1. Install Entityforms You need to install at least 6 modules to make Entityforms work: Entityform: https://drupal.org/project/entityform

https://drupal.org/project/entityform Entity : https://drupal.org/project/entity

: https://drupal.org/project/entity Views : https://drupal.org/project/views

: https://drupal.org/project/views Entity Rules : https://drupal.org/project/entity_rules

: https://drupal.org/project/entity_rules Entity To Text : https://drupal.org/project/entity2text

: https://drupal.org/project/entity2text Rules: https://drupal.org/project/rules

Step #2. Set up Entityforms Go to Structure > Entityform Types

Click Add entityform type

Enter the Name for your form:

Choose which Roles are allowed to use this form:

Click Save Entityform type.

Step #3. Add fields One of the big advantages of Entityforms over Webforms is that it used all of the normal Drupal field system. Go ahead and add all of the fields you would like on your form:

Step #4. Set up the emails Entityforms uses the Rules module to send emails: Click the Rules tab

Make sure that "Entityform Notification Email Admin" is selected. Click Add.

Enter the Subject for the emails you will receive.

Check the box Show submission.

Enter the To Email address when you want to receive results.

Click Save Changes.

Step #5. Use the form You form will now be ready to use:

Entityform or Webform? It's unlikely that we'll replace Webform in our beginner class any time soon. Webform is just really, really easy to use. However, for more experienced users, Entityform is a really good option. It relies far more on the Drupal core and on key Drupal modules, whereas many features in Webform are not seen anywhere else. One example sums up both of the points I just made. Webform has it's own CSV export feature which is easy to use. Entityform needs Views data export, which reqiures more experience to use, but is undoubtedly more powerful. The Entityform developer has an honest overview of when to use Entityform or other options