Joomla! 1.6 A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla! Powered Website 3rd Edition

Description

Joomla!: A User's Guide

A complete guide to the powerful features of Joomla! 1.5, this book takes a holistic approach to building a Joomla!-powered website - from the CMS itself to its many extensions, search engine optimization, and even building your own tableless template. The novice reader is eased into the subject and confidently guided through the basic principles and on to the more advanced features. This guide empowers the user not only to build a professional website but to also to make it a success.

Russell Walker, CEO, Netshine Software Limited (Joomla! Development Consultancy)

If you've been using or following Joomla! in the past years, you've most likely seen the name Barrie North or Joomlashack. Barrie has been a member of the community for a long time and, as such, my expectations for this book were pretty high. Besides explaining how Joomla! works from a usability point of view, there is valuable information for people who want to learn serious template building, and readers can stand out of the crowd by using Barrie's steps to make their (X)HTML and CSS optimized for accessibility and SEO. All in all, this book is a great guide that comes at the right time for newcomers and more experienced Joomla! users and developers alike. Well done, Barrie!

Arno Zijlstra, Joomla! cofounder, custom template specialist, www.alvaana.com

In a time when solid, real-life Joomla! 1.5 information is rarely available, this book is a thirst-quenching oasis of knowledge. The abundant and clear examples in the book make Joomla! 1.5 websites within anyone's reach. I heartily recommend Joomla! 1.5: A User's Guide by Barrie North.

Tom Canavan, author of Dodging the Bullets: A Disaster Preparation Guide for Joomla! Based Web Sites

Refreshing! After reading many how-to books, this one is a step beyond the rest because of its focus on examples based on live sites. This book is well crafted for beginners to advanced users with a well-organized overview that walks you through the entire Joomla! CMS.

Steven Pignataro, corePHP, www.corephp.com

As a long-time Joomla! end-user and developer, I had low expectations for anything new I might learn from this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it a great refresher course, especially since the book is logically organized, leading beginners from the most basic Joomla! concepts and continuing through to more complex ones, such as tableless template design and how to write a template for Joomla! 1.5. In summary, Barrie North has produced the gold-standard print reference for Joomla! 1.5. I highly recommend this book for novice and intermediate users if you want to make the most of Joomla!

Vicor Drover, http://dev.anything-digital.com

The Best Easy-to-Use Guide to Joomla!™-The World's #1 Open Source Content Management System

<P style="MARGIN: 0px

<P style="MARGIN: 0px If 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.

<P style="MARGIN: 0px

<P style="MARGIN: 0px 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 1.6 reference content.

<P style="MARGIN: 0px
* Understand content management, what Joomla does, and how its components fit together

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Build Joomla sites from scratch and systematically customize them to your needs

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Create modern, pure CSS Joomla 1.6 templates using popular grid frameworks

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Use Joomla 1.6's nested categories to organize content and articles

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Create dynamic pages and effective navigation

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Work with Joomla modules and components

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Learn how to optimize your Joomla sites for search engines

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Follow three start-to-finish case studies: building a school website, a small business site, and a blog

<P style="MARGIN: 0px * Identify the most valuable Joomla extensions and add-ons: find them and use them

CONTENTS:

Preface xvii

Acknowledgments xxv

About the Author xxvi

Chapter 1: Content Management Systems and an Introduction to Joomla! 1

What Is a Content Management System? 2

      Static Web Pages 2

      Web Pages with CSS 3

      Dynamic Web Pages 4

Open Source Software 7

History of Joomla! 8

      The Joomla! Community 9

      Third-Party Extensions Development 9

Joomla!'s Features 9

Elements of a Joomla! Website 11

      Content 11

      Templates 13

      Modules 14

Summary 14

Chapter 2: Downloading and Installing Joomla! 17

How to Install Joomla! 18

Obtaining the Latest Joomla! File Package 18

      Joomla! Package Naming Conventions 20

Creating a MySQL Database 21

Unpacking the Joomla! Package 21

      Unpacking Joomla! on a Local Desktop Computer 21

      Unpacking Joomla! on a Hosting Account 25

Running the Joomla! Installation Wizard 26

      Getting to the Joomla! Installer 26

      Step 1: Language 26

      Step 2: Pre-Installation Check 27

      Step 3: License 28

      Step 4: Database Configuration 29

      Step 5: FTP Configuration 30

      Step 6: Main Configuration 30

      Step 7: Finish 33

Summary 34

Chapter 3: Joomla! Administration Basics 35

What Are the Frontend and Backend of a Joomla!-Powered Website? 36

      The Menu Bar 38

      The Toolbar 38

      The Workspace 40

Administrator Functions in the Menu Bar 40

      The Site Submenu 41

      Users Menu 45

      The Menus Menu 48

      The Content Menu 49

      The Components Submenu 53

      The Extensions Menu 54

      The Help Menu 58

      View Site 59

Summary 60

Chapter 4: Content Is King: Organizing Your Content 63

How Does Joomla! Generate Web Pages? 64

How Joomla! Organizes Content Articles 66

      Uncategorized Articles 67

      Categories 67

      A Sample Hierarchy 69

Creating the Widget Inc. Website with Uncategorized Content 70

      Creating Content Articles 72

      Creating Menu Items 75

      The Featured Article Component 80

Creating the Widget Inc. Website with Categories 85

      Creating Categories 86

      Creating Content Article 86

      Creating Menu Items 90

      Linking to Components 92

      Read More Links and Individual Pages 95

Module Content 97

Summary 100

Chapter 5: Creating Menus and Navigation 103

How Menu Modules Work 104

What Menu Items Do 105

      Creating a Menu Item 106

      Where Does a Menu Item Link? 107

      What Does a Page Look Like After a Link Is Followed? 108

Blog Layout 109

      Blog Layout Parameters 110

List Layout for a Blog 114

      Category List Advanced Options 114

Managing Menu Modules in the Module Manager . 116

      Show Title 116

      Position 118

      Access 118

      Menu and Module Class Suffixes (Advanced Options) 118

      Menu Assignment 118

Summary 119

Chapter 6: Extending Joomla! 121

Extensions 122

      Installing Extensions 123

      Managing Extensions 125

Components 126

      Core Component 127

      Third-Party Components 128

Modules 128

      Module Display 128

      Core Modules 130

      Third-Party Modules 132

Plug-ins 133

      Core Plug-ins 133

      Third-Party Plug-ins 134

Templates 134

      Core Templates 134

      Third-Party Templates 134

Summary 135

Chapter 7: Expanding Your Content: Articles and Editors 137

WYSIWYG Editors 138

      Managing WYSIWYG Editors 139

      Other Third-Party Editors 142

Creating and Managing Articles 143

Managing Content Through the Backend 144

      Adding Content from the Backend 146

      Inserting Images into Content 153

      Category Descriptions 156

Managing Content Through the Frontend 159

      Creating a Frontend User Menu 159

      Limiting Access to Menus by User Level 163

      Authors 165

      Editors 167

      Publishers 169

Article Checkin

Summary 171

Chapter 8: Getting Traffic to Your Site 175

Start at the Beginning: Site Goals 176

Organic Traffic (SEO) 177

      Introduction to Google 180

      Creating Keywords 181

      Keywords and Domain Name 184

      Designing Your Site for Organic Traffic 184

      Advanced SEO Techniques 192

Referral Traffic 196

      Google PageRank 196

      Other Link-Building Strategies 198

      Internal Linking 199

Pay Per Click Traffic 202

      How Google AdWords Works 203

      Joomla! and AdWords 205

Email Traffic 207

      Third-Party Hosted Email Solutions 209

Joomla! SEF Extensions 210

Quick Start SEO for Joomla! 210

Summary 210

Chapter 9: Creating Pure CSS Templates 213

What Is a Joomla! Template? 214

The Localhost Design Process 216

      Localhost Server Options 217

W3C and Tableless Design 218

      Semantically Correct Code 219

      Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) 220

Creating a Simple Template: 960TemplateTutorialStep1 220

      Template File Components 221

      The Joomla! Page Body 231

Using CSS to Create a Tableless Layout: CSSTemplateTutorialStep2 234

      Default CSS 239

      Modules in Templates 241

      Menus in Templates 246

      Hiding Columns 250

Making a Real Joomla! 1.6 Template: 960TemplateTutorialStep3 256

      Slicing and Dicing 256

      Header 257

      The Banner/Message Module 257

      Column Backgrounds 258

      Flexible Modules 260

      Typography 261

Summary 263

Chapter 10: Creating a School Site with Joomla! 265

Why Do You Need a School Website? 266

      Students 266

      Teachers and Administrators 267

      Parents 267

      Potential Students and Their Parents 267

What Features Do You Need on a School Site? 268

Downloading and Installing a School Template 268

      Fresh Template Features and Positions 270

      Configuring a Logo 271

      Configuring the Search Box 271

      Configuring the Main Horizontal Drop-Down Menu 272

Organizing Content on a School Website 274

Creating the Menus 279

Building Out Content 283

Creating Subnavigation 284

      The Academics Submenu 285

      Creating News Links for a Section 287

Setting Up the Footer Area 289

Setting Up the Home Page 291

Adding Basic Functionality to a School Website 293

      User Registration 293

      Events Calendar 295

      Downloadable Documents 295

      Staff Directory 295

      Email Newsletter 296

      RSS 297

      Random Image

      Sitemap 298

Extending the School Website Beyond the Basics 298

Summary 300

Chapter 11: Creating a Restaurant Site with Joomla! 301

Why Does a Restaurant Need a Website? 302

What Features Does a Restaurant Website Need? 302

Downloading and Installing a Restaurant Template 304

Organizing the Content on a Restaurant Website 306

Building Content Articles with Lorem Ipsum 309

Setting Up the Home Page 310

      Home Page Alternative to the Featured Article Manager 310

Creating Menus 311

      Creating Footer Content 316

      Creating Module Teaser Blocks 317

Using Stock Imagery 319

Extending a Restaurant Website 321

      Image Gallery: JPG Flash Rotator 2 322

      Email Marketing 323

      Google Maps 323

Summary 323

Chapter 12: Creating a Blog with Joomla! 325

What Is a Blog? 326

Why Have a Blog? 327

      What Options Are There for Blogging? 327

What Features Are Needed on a Blog Site? 328

Downloading and Installing a Blog Template 330

      Optimus Template Features and Positions 331

      Configuring the Logo 332

      Configuring the Main Horizontal Drop-Down Menu 334

Organizing Content on a Blog 335

      Organizing a Blog Within a Larger Site 335

      Organizing a Standalone Blog 336

      About Tagging 338

      Creating the Menus 338

      Adding Dynamic Modules 342

      Adding Static Modules 345

Adding Basic Functionality to a Blog 346

      Flexible Layout 346

      Browser-Based Editing 347

      Automated Publishing 347

      Categories 347

      Search Engine - Friendly URLs 347

      Comment Systems 348

      Syndication Feeds 348

      Email Notification 350

      Search 350

Extending a Blog Website Beyond the Basics 351

      Forums 351

      E-commerce 352

Summary 353

Appendix A: Getting Help 355

Community Forums 355

Help Sites 356

Getting Help from Google 356

Appendix B: A Guide to Joomla! 1.6 ACL 357

Appendix C: A Quick Introduction to SEO 359

Keyword Use in Title Tag 359

Anchor Text of Inbound Link 359

Global Link Popularity of Site (PageRank) 359

Age of Site 360

Link Popularity Within the Site 360

Topical Relevance of Inbound Links and Popularity of Linking Site 360

Link Popularity of Site in Topic Community 361

Keyword Use in Body Text 361

File Size 361

Clean URL 362

Utilize Your Error Pages 362

What's Not Here? 362

Appendix D: Installing WampServer 363

Index 371