Joomla! 1.5 a user's guide: building a successful Joomla! powered website. - Description based on print version record. - Includes index

✍ Scribed by North, Barrie M

• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 480
• Edition: 2nd ed
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The Best Easy-to-Use Guide to Joomla!TM--The World's #1 Open Source Content Management SystemIf you want to build sophisticated websites that can be easily edited and updated, you need to master Joomla. Now there's an easy-to-read, easy-to-use guide to Joomla! for every site manager, administrator, and developer. Leading Joomla! consultant Barrie North covers all you need to get results: installation, administration, site organization, template development, content updates, and a whole lot more. You'll find tips, tricks, and troubleshooting solutions, as well as three start-to-finish case studies. New to Joomla? No problem! This book starts with the simplest design and system concepts and builds your expertise step-by-step. You'll rapidly master Joomla!'s power, even if you have no content management, scripting, or CSS expertise. Experienced with Joomla!? You'll turn to this book constantly for its authoritative, plain-English, example-rich Joomla! 1.5 reference content.
Understand content management, what Joomla! does, and how its components fit together Build Joomla! sites from scratch and systematically customize them to your needs Organize content with sections, categories, blogs, and tables Create dynamic pages and effective navigation Work with Joomla! modules and components Learn how to optimize your Joomla! sites for search engines Follow three start-to-finish case studies: building a school website, a small business site, and a blog Identify the most valuable Joomla! extensions and add-ons: find them and use themAbout the WebsiteThe accompanying site,www.joomlabook.com, provides five fully functional Joomla! sites with live follow-along examples from the book and up-to-date information on Joomla!.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 10
Preface......Page 22
Acknowledgments......Page 30
About the Author......Page 32
Chapter 1: Content Management Systems and an Introduction to Joomla!......Page 34
Static Web Pages......Page 35
Web Pages with CSS......Page 36
Dynamic Web Pages......Page 37
Open Source Software......Page 40
History of Joomla!......Page 41
Joomla!’s Features......Page 42
Elements of a Joomla! Website......Page 44
Content......Page 46
Templates......Page 47
Summary......Page 48
Chapter 2: Downloading and Installing Joomla!......Page 50
Obtaining the Latest Joomla! File Package......Page 51
Joomla! Package Naming Conventions......Page 52
Unpacking the Joomla! Package......Page 53
Unpacking Joomla! on a Local Desktop Computer......Page 54
Unpacking Joomla! on a Hosting Account......Page 57
Step 1: Language......Page 59
Step 3: License......Page 60
Step 4: Database Configuration......Page 61
Step 6: Main Configuration......Page 63
Step 7: Finish......Page 65
Summary......Page 66
Chapter 3: Joomla! Administration Basics......Page 68
What Are the Frontend and Backend of a Joomla! Powered Website?......Page 69
The Menu Bar......Page 71
The Workspace......Page 72
The Site Submenu......Page 73
The Menus Menu......Page 81
The Content Menu......Page 83
The Components Menu......Page 85
The Extensions Menu......Page 87
The Tools Menu......Page 92
Site Preview......Page 93
Summary......Page 95
Chapter 4: Content Is King: Organizing Your Content......Page 96
How Does Joomla! Generate Web Pages?......Page 97
Uncategorized Articles......Page 99
Sections and Categories......Page 100
A Sample Hierarchy......Page 102
Creating the Widget Inc. Website with Uncategorized Content......Page 103
Creating Content Articles......Page 104
Creating Menu Items......Page 108
The Front Page Component......Page 114
Creating the Widget Inc. Website with Sections and Categories......Page 118
Creating Sections......Page 120
Creating Categories......Page 121
Creating Content Articles......Page 123
Creating Menu Items......Page 125
“Read More” Links and Individual Pages......Page 132
Module Content......Page 135
Summary......Page 138
Chapter 5: Creating Menus and Navigation......Page 140
How Menu Modules Work......Page 141
What Menu Items Do......Page 143
Creating a Menu Item......Page 144
Where Does a Menu Item Link To?......Page 146
What Does a Page Look Like After a Link Is Followed?......Page 147
Blog Layout......Page 149
Blog Layout Parameters......Page 150
List Layout for a Section......Page 155
Section List Layout Parameters......Page 156
Category List Layout Parameters......Page 157
Managing Menu Modules in the Module Manager......Page 159
Position......Page 161
Module Parameters......Page 162
Submenus......Page 163
Summary......Page 165
Chapter 6: Extending Joomla!......Page 166
Extensions......Page 167
Installing Extensions......Page 168
Managing Extensions......Page 170
Components......Page 172
Core Components......Page 173
Module Display......Page 174
Core Modules......Page 176
Core Plugins......Page 178
Core Templates......Page 179
Summary......Page 180
Chapter 7: Expanding Your Content: Articles and Editors......Page 182
WYSIWYG Editors......Page 183
Managing WYSIWYG Editors......Page 185
Other Third-Party Editors......Page 187
Creating and Managing Articles......Page 189
Managing Content Through the Backend......Page 190
Adding Content from the Backend......Page 192
Inserting Images into Content......Page 199
Creating an Article Table of Contents......Page 202
Section and Category Descriptions......Page 204
Global Article Parameters......Page 206
Creating a Frontend User Menu......Page 208
Limiting Access to Menus by User Level......Page 212
Authors......Page 213
Editors......Page 218
Article Checkin......Page 220
Summary......Page 222
Chapter 8: Getting Traffic to Your Site......Page 224
Starting at the Beginning: Site Goals......Page 225
Organic Traffic (SEO)......Page 226
Introduction to Google......Page 229
Creating Keywords......Page 230
Keywords and Domain Name......Page 232
Designing Your Site for Organic Traffic......Page 233
Advanced SEO Techniques......Page 241
Google Page Rank......Page 244
Other Link-Building Strategies......Page 247
Internal Linking......Page 248
How Google AdWords Works......Page 251
Joomla! and AdWords......Page 253
Email Traffic......Page 256
Joomla! SEF Extensions......Page 258
Summary......Page 259
Chapter 9: Creating Pure CSS Templates......Page 262
What Is a Joomla! Template?......Page 263
The Localhost Design Process......Page 264
Localhost Server Options......Page 266
W3C and Tableless Design......Page 267
Semantically Correct Code......Page 268
Creating a Simple Template: CSSTemplateTutorialStep1......Page 269
Template File Components......Page 270
The Joomla! Page Body......Page 279
Using CSS to Create a Tableless Layout: CSSTemplateTutorialStep2......Page 282
Default CSS......Page 288
Joomla-Specific CSS......Page 290
Modules in Templates......Page 293
Menus in Templates......Page 299
Hiding Columns......Page 304
Making a Real Joomla! 1.5 Template: CSSTemplateTutorialStep3......Page 309
Slicing and Dicing......Page 310
Header......Page 311
Column Backgrounds......Page 312
Flexible Modules......Page 315
Typography......Page 316
Advanced Templating Features: CSSTemplateTutorialStep4......Page 321
Template Parameters......Page 322
Template Overrides......Page 324
Tableless Joomla!......Page 328
The Completed Template......Page 329
Summary......Page 330
Chapter 10: Creating a School Site with Joomla!......Page 332
Students......Page 333
Potential Students and Their Parents......Page 334
Downloading and Installing a School Template......Page 335
Education Template Features and Positions......Page 337
Configuring the Search Box......Page 338
Configuring the Main Horizontal Drop-Down Menu......Page 339
Organizing Content on a School Website......Page 341
Creating the Menus......Page 345
Building Out Content......Page 349
Creating Subnavigation......Page 350
The Academics Submenu......Page 351
Creating News Links for a Section......Page 352
Setting Up the Footer......Page 355
Setting Up the Homepage......Page 356
User Registration......Page 359
Downloadable Documents......Page 361
Staff Directory......Page 362
RSS......Page 363
Sitemap......Page 364
Summary......Page 366
Chapter 11: Creating a Restaurant Site with Joomla!......Page 368
What Features Does a Restaurant Website Need?......Page 369
Downloading and Installing a Restaurant Template......Page 371
Organizing the Content on a Restaurant Website......Page 373
Building Content Articles with Lorem Ipsum......Page 376
Creating Menus......Page 377
Homepage Alternative to the Front Page Manager......Page 382
Creating Module Teaser Blocks......Page 385
Using Stock Imagery......Page 391
Extending a Restaurant Website......Page 393
Google Maps......Page 394
Summary......Page 395
Chapter 12: Creating a Blog with Joomla!......Page 398
What Is a Blog?......Page 399
What Options Are There for Blogging?......Page 400
What Features Are Needed on a Blog Site?......Page 401
Downloading and Installing a Blog Template......Page 403
Optimus Template Features and Positions......Page 404
Configuring the Logo......Page 406
Configuring the Main Horizontal Drop-Down Menu......Page 407
Organizing a Blog Within a Larger Site......Page 408
Organizing a Standalone Blog......Page 409
About Tagging......Page 411
Creating the Menus......Page 412
Adding Dynamic Modules......Page 415
Adding Static Modules......Page 418
Categories......Page 420
Comment Systems......Page 421
Syndication Feeds......Page 422
Email Notification......Page 425
TrackBack......Page 426
Extending a Blog Website Beyond the Basics......Page 427
Summary......Page 428
Community Forums......Page 430
Getting Help from Google......Page 431
Appendix B: Joomla! Case Studies......Page 432
Interview with John Paoloni, Owner of Welcome to Your Wedding......Page 433
www.longwoodfl.org (City of Longwood, Florida)......Page 436
Interview with Ryan I. Spinella, Executive Assistant at the City of Longwood, Florida......Page 437
Interview with Eric Hayes, Technology Specialist, Royal Oak Public Library......Page 438
Interview with Philip Roy, Webmaster, NZMac.com......Page 441
Interview with Christopher Meinck, Everything Treo......Page 444
Summary......Page 447
Anchor Text of an Inbound Link......Page 448
Topical Relevance of Inbound Links and Popularity of the Linking Site......Page 449
File Size......Page 450
What’s Not Here?......Page 451
Appendix D: Installing WampServer......Page 452
B......Page 462
C......Page 463
E......Page 466
H......Page 467
L......Page 468
M......Page 469
N......Page 470
Q-R......Page 471
S......Page 472
T......Page 474
V-W......Page 475
X-Y-Z......Page 476

✦ Subjects

Science;Technology;Nonfiction;Computer Science;Computers