JOOMLA 101Rodger Fields

What is Joomla!The short answer:- Software for building powerful Web sites and online applications- Open Source and free- A global community

Joomla.Org

How Easy Is It To Start?Register at demo.joomla.org for a live Joomla! site: - 90 day free Joomla! demo account - Installed and activated for you - No need to purchase a domain name - Full-featured Joomla! Front & Back End - Easy video tutorials provided - 24/7 support team

What’s the Catch?The Demo is a 90-day trial site.

There’s no obligation to go with Joomla!

If you do want to continue with Joomla!, you’ll need to pick a host. SiteGround offers a beginner package for $3.95/month

My Humble Opinion?The demo is a great way to start.

Wish they had it when I started.

www.inmotion

Joomla Needs Host Services

Apache or IIS

DBMS

PHP

Host System Pick A Host

… Or “Host” on your Desktop

Refer to Supplemental Materials at back

SiteGround, Rochen and inmotionhosting

all specialize in Joomla.Other hosts offer

Joomla! as well but avoid bargain basement hosts.

… To Work with Joomla

Apache or IIS

DBMS

Joomla Files

PHP

Database

Host System These are specific to your Joomla! site

Installing Joomla! - Just for a test spin: demo.joomla.org

- Most hosts offer “One Click Installs”

- Do it manually. Refer to host instructions or refer to docs.joomla.org

- Install on your own computer (see Supplemental Materials at back)

Joomla - Front EndThe Front-End is what the USER sees

Joomla - Front-EndChanging as they move around the site

Joomla - Back-EndProviding access to tools for configuring the site.

Media ManagerThe Media Manager provides a repository for images used in articles, modules, etc.

Joomla Templates

★ Define how a web site LOOKS ★ Front-end and back-end templates provided ★ Vendors provide both free & paid templates ★ OR ... You can build your own

Installing a Template1) Download the Template Package(s)

2) Load the file(s) with Extension Manager

Choose File - then click Upload & Install

Now Make It Your Default1) Extensions/Template Manager

2) Click the star icon in the Default column for the Template

3) Verify - Go to the Front-end to see the template applied.

Template PositionsAbout Positions

★ Specific to a given template

★ The unnamed position used for components (e.g. content)

★ Positions determine where Modules appear

Positions Are Named Page Regions

topcenter

midleft midright

left right

footer

Template PositionsViewing PositionsPositions Are Named

Page Regionstopcenter

midleft midright

left right

footer

Enable Preview Module Position in Template Manager Options

Append /?tp=1 to front-end URL

ModulesModules can be:

★ Menus

★ Login Forms

★ Custom HTML

★ Breadcrumbs

★ Random Images

★ ... and Much More

Functionality to display in a Page Position

topcenter

midleft midright

left right

footer

ModulesWhere & When?Functionality to display

in a Page Position

topcenter

midleft midright

left right

footer

WHERE A Module is assigned to

One-and-Only-One Position ALWAYS

WHEN A Module appears ONLY on assigned Menu Items

Content ComponentWeb Page ContentDisplays in the Main Part

of the Web Page

topcenter

midleft midright

left rightMain

Part of the Web Page

footer

★ ONE component per page

★ Web content is managed via CAM:

✦ Categories

✦ Articles

✦ Menus

Manage Content with CAM

Categories

CAM Paradigm Managing Categories

★ Used to structure your site overall

★ Content/Category Manager

★ Nest categories using parents

★ PLAN your categories

Category/Article/Menu

Categories

Articles

CAM Paradigm Managing Articles

★ Creates content within the categories

★ Content/Article Manager

★ An article can belong to only one category

★ Articles aren’t visible until menus defined (with 1 exception)

Category/Article/Menu

Categories

Menus

Articles

CAM Paradigm Managing Menus

★ Menu items make articles visible

★ Manage menu items within a specific menu - NOT the Menu Mgr

★ Individual articles

★ Category lists or blogs

Category/Article/Menu

Categories

Menus

Articles

CAM Paradigm CAM Order is Important!Follow CAM order

when creatingReverse CAM

(i.e. MAC) when deleting

User GroupsSelect Users/Groups to see the default User Groups:

Default User Groups - Front-end

★ Public - users who just browse the front-end ★ Guest - hides items from users who are logged in ★ Registered - log on to the front-end and get special

functionality (e.g. see something, comment, etc.) ★ Authors - allowed to create articles for the web site ★ Editors - Create and edit articles ★ Publishers - Create, edit, and publish articles

These groups operate solely from the front-end

Default User Groups - Back-end

★ Managers - Create/Edit/Publish & Link to Menus - but can’t manage Users, Templates, or Modules

★ Administrators - can do almost everything except configure Option Configurations (e.g. Article Manager Options)

★ Super Users - can do everything

These groups access the back-end of the site

Add UsersUsers/User Manager/Add New User:

Extending Joomla

Over 8,700 Extensions available at extensions.joomla.org

Extensions - Things to Look For

★ General description of the extension ★ What Joomla versions it supports ★ Review score and number of votes ★ Makeup: Component, Module, Plug-In

Adding an ExtensionWith Joomla! 3 - Install from Web directly!

First Extensions to Get

★ Akeeba Backup - Making your site easy to backup and restore

★ JCE (Editor) - use in place of Tiny MCE which is Joomla’s default editor

★ Fabrik - allows you to connect to the backend database with your own custom data

★ ALL of the above have free versions - so start with that

Consider these extensions to start:

Backing Up Your SiteThis should be your #1 Priority - Install Akeeba Backup - Make a Backup using Akeeba - Copy Your Backup to Safe Places - Test Your Backup by Restoring it

A Backup That Hasn’t Been Tested ISN’T A BACKUP!

Backing Up Your SiteBEFORE You Back Up

IMPORTANT FOR ACTIVE PRODUCTION

SITES!

Place site Offline in Global Configuration

AFTER You Back UpPlace site Online in

Global Configuration

Restoring From Backup - Akeeba creates a .jpa backup file

- Get Kickstart from AkeebaBackup.com

- Delete all the files at your web site

- Upload the .jpa file and kickstart.php

- In browser go to mysite.com/kickstart.php

Updating Joomla

★ ALWAYS backup your site before updating ★ Check your extensions - will they work?

(particularly with major version upgrades) ★ The Maintenance area of the Joomla Control

Panel will check to see if updates are available - and give you the capability to update

Joomla is More than just an Open Source CMS ...

... Joomla is a Community.

Become a part of it - Join HoustonJUG.Com!

Questions?

Personal Website: JudyAndRodger.Com Business Website: CraftedData.Com Email: Rodger@JudyAndRodger.Com

Hosted by: inmotionhosting.com

Supplemental Materials

For You To ConsiderAt YourLeisure

Desktop Versions of AMP★ AMP stands for Apache/MySQL/PHP

★ Rather than downloading the AMP components individually, it is easiest to use:

✦ WAMP - for Windows PCs - find directions and downloads at www.wampserver.com/en/

✦ MAMP - AMP for the Mac - find directions and downloads at www.mamp.info/en/index.html

★ Installation is relatively straight-forward but, for more help, David Gassner has a video named Installing Apache, MySQL, and PHP at lynda.com

Desktop Document Root

★ For Desktop installations, you’ll end up with a Document Root (i.e. where you’ll set up your Joomla folders):

✦ WAMP: C:\wamp\www

✦ MAMP: Applications/MAMP/htdocs

✦ Create a folder for your Joomla site beneath that root: ✦ WAMP: C:\wamp\www\mysite

✦ MAMP: Application/MAMP/htdocs/mysite

Installing Joomla on Desktop

1. Go to Joomla.org and download the installation zip file 2. Copy that file into your Mysite folder and extract all the

files there 3. Create a new blank database in PHPMyAdmin 4. In your browser, go to localhost/mysite 5. The Joomla installation script will lead you through the

process

Other Joomla Components

★ Banners - for advertising banners ★ Contacts - creates contact forms ★ Search - allow users to search your site ★ News Feeds - pull news from other sites ★ Web Links - links to other sites

Access Control Lists

★ Joomla uses Access Control Lists to manage sophisticated permissions

★ ACL is beyond Joomla 101 ★ Suggest you attend training for ACL or

view training videos (e.g. @lynda.com)

Viewing With /?tp=1

Bending Display RulesBending the RulesNormal Display Rules:

topcenter

midleft midright

left rightMain

Part of the Web Page

footer

★ Display Modules in Articles using {loadposition positionname}

★ Some Components work together with Modules to display them in Positions (e.g. Banners)

Modules in PositionsComponents in Main Part