Joomla! For Dummies

From Joomla! For Dummies by Steve Holzner, Ph.D., Nancy Conner

Joomla! lets you create interactive Web pages without using code, taking the hyper out of using HTML tags. With Joomla! modules, you can create articles and menu items, install extensions, and generally build engaging Web pages without engaging in writing code.

Common Joomla! Tasks

As you build interactive Web sites with Joomla!, it helps to know how to navigate within Joomla! itself so that you get to spend your time designing discussion forums or shopping sites instead of finding your way through the design app. Use these tips while you design Web sites with Joomla!:

To navigate to the control panel: Choose Site→Control Panel.
To get a preview of the front end while logged into the back end: Click the Preview link in the top-right corner of any page.
To take your site offline: Choose Site→Global Configuration to open the Global Configuration page, and select the Yes radio button in the Site Offline section.
To put your site back online: Choose Site→Global Configuration to open the Global Configuration page, and select the No radio button in the Site Offline section.
To switch templates: Choose Extensions→Template Manager to open Template Manager; select the radio button for the template you want to use; and click the Default button.
To direct Joomla to use search-engine-friendly URLs: Choose Site→Global Configuration to open the Global Configuration page, and select the Yes radio button in the Search Engine Friendly URLs section.

How to Access Joomla! Managers

The managers built into Joomla! let you create an interactive Web site without having to write a lot of code. You use a Joomla! module, which you access through various managers. The table shows the commands you use to open the many managers:

To Open This Manager . . .	. . . Choose This Command
Article Manager	Content→Article Manager
Category Manager	Content→Category Manager
Front Page Manager	Content→Front Page Manager
Language Manager	Extensions→Language Manager
Menu Manager	Menus→Menu Manager
Module Manager	Extensions→Module Manager
Plugin Manager	Extensions→Plugin Manager
Section Manager	Content→Section Manager
Template Manager	Extensions→Template Manager
User Manager	Site→User Manager

How to Create a New Article with Joomla!

The interactive Web sites you create with Joomla! probably contain articles, as well as user-input areas for polls, discussions, or shopping. Publish articles in Joomla! with these easy steps:

Click the Add a New Article icon in the control panel, or choose Content→Article Manager to open Article Manager and then click the New button.
Enter the contents of the article in the article-editor window.
Click Apply to publish the new article or Save to publish the new article and close Article Editor.

How to Create a New Menu Item with Joomla!

Don't stress if you need to create a menu item on your interactive Web page — it's easy when using the Joomla! Menu Manager. To add menu items to an existing site, simply use these steps:

Choose Menus→Menu Manager to open Menu Manager.
Click the icon in the Menu Item(s) column of the menu to which you want to add a new menu item.

Menu Item Manager opens.
Click the New button to open the New Menu Item tree page.
Click the layout of the article you want the menu item to point to.

The Edit New Menu Item page opens.
Configure the menu item.
Click Apply to publish the menu item or Save to publish the menu item and close the Edit New Menu Item page.

How to Install an Extension with Joomla!

You can easily enrich the interactive Web sites you create with Joomla! with extensions. With menu-driven steps to follow, you can install extensions with Joomla! by initiating this simple routine:

Download the extension’s compressed file.
Choose Extensions→Install/Uninstall to open the Install/Uninstall page.
Click the Browse button to browse to and select the extension’s compressed file on your computer.
Click the Upload File & Install button.

Joomla! Features

Joomla! is full of features and functions that make it easy to create interactive Web sites without writing code. You just use the pre-coded Joomla! modules to design shopping pages, newsflashes, polls, and more. This table shows the main features of Joomla! and their functions:

Feature	Function
Template	Sets the layout of individual pages.
Module	Usually appears around the periphery of a page. Consists of elements such as search boxes, newsflashes, and polls; can also include menus.
Component	Displays Web-page content (text and media), usually in the center of the browser page.
Plugin	Code extension that augments Joomla. Examples include editors.

How to Place Joomla! Modules

The pre-coded modules of Joomla! let you build dynamic Web sites without writing code. You can place Joomla! modules wherever you like, and you can even move a module around, if you want. Follow these steps to place and replace Joomla! modules:

To specify what pages a module appears on:

Choose Extensions→Module Manager to open Module Manager.
Click the module’s name to open the Edit Module page.
In the Menu Selection list, select the pages on which you want the module to appear.
Click Save.

To reposition a module on a page:

Choose Extensions→Module Manager to open Module Manager.
Click the module’s name to open the Edit Module page.
Choose the position of the module from the Position drop-down menu and the order of the module from the Order drop-down menu.
Click Save.