Rodger Fields' slideshow for Joomla 101! at JoomlaDay Houston 2013.

1. JOOMLA 101
Rodger Fields

2. Joomla.Org

3. ... But Joomla is More than
just an Open Source CMS ...
!
... Joomla is a Community.
!
Become a part of it Join HoustonJUG.Com!

4. Joomla Needs Host Services
Host System
Check Requirements
Go to Joomla.Org
Apache
or IIS
About/The Soft ware/
Technical Requirements
Pick A Host
PHP
Confirm host support
www.inmotion
Rochen, SiteGround,
and inmotionhosting
all specialize in Joomla.
For Desktop Versions
DBMS
Refer to Supplemental
Materials at back

5. Installing Joomla
Host Versions
Apache
or IIS
Joomla Installation Follow Host Instructions
Joomla Files
PHP
DBMS
Database

6. Surgical Efficiencies

7. Joomla - Front and Back
The Front-End is what the USER sees

8. Joomla - Front and Back
Changing as they move around the site

9. Joomla - Front and Back
The Back-End is what the Administrator sees.

10. Joomla - Front and Back
Providing access to tools for configuring the site.

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

12. 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

13. Installing a Template
1) Download the Template Package(s)
2) Load the file(s) with Extension Manager
Choose File - then click Upload & Install

14. Now Make It Your Default
1) 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.

15. Template Positions
About Positions
Positions Are Named
Page Regions
★
★
midleft
The unnamed position
used for components
(e.g. content)
★
topcenter
Specific to a given
template
Positions determine
where Modules
appear
midright
left
right
footer

16. Template Positions
Positions Are Named
Page Regions
topcenter
midleft
midright
left
Viewing Positions
Enable Preview Module
Position in Template
Manager Options
right
footer
Append /?tp=1 to
front-end URL

17. Viewing With /?tp=1

18. Modules
Functionality to display
in a Page Position
Modules can be:
★
★
midright
left
right
footer
Custom HTML
★
Breadcrumbs
★
midleft
Login Forms
★
topcenter
Menus
Random Images
★
... and Much More

19. Modules
Functionality to display
in a Page Position
WHERE
A Module is assigned to
One-and-Only-One
Position ALWAYS
topcenter
midleft
midright
left
right
footer
Where & When?
WHEN
A Module appears ONLY
on assigned Menu Items

20. Content Component
Displays in the Main Part
of the Web Page
Web Page Content
★
ONE component per
page
★
Web content is
managed via CAM:
topcenter
midleft
left
midright
Main
Part of the
Web Page
right
✦ Categories
✦ Articles
footer
✦ Menus

21. Manage Content with CAM
CAM Paradigm
Categories
Managing Categories
★
Used to structure
your site overall
★
Content/Category
Manager
★
Nest categories using
parents
★
PLAN your categories

22. Category/Article/Menu
CAM Paradigm
Managing Articles
Articles
Creates content
within the categories
★
Categories
★
Content/Article
Manager
★
An article can belong
to only one category
★
Articles aren’t visible
until menus defined
(with 1 exception)

23. Category/Article/Menu
CAM Paradigm
Managing Menus
Menu items make
articles visible
★
Manage menu items
within a specific menu
- NOT the Menu Mgr
★
Individual articles
★
Categories
★
Category lists or blogs
Articles
Menus

24. Category/Article/Menu
CAM Paradigm
Categories
Articles
Menus
CAM Order is Important!
Follow CAM order
when creating
Reverse CAM
(i.e. MAC)
when deleting

25. User Groups
Select Users/Groups to see the default User Groups:

26. Default User Groups - Front-end
These groups operate solely from the front-end
★
★
Public - users who just browse the front-end
★
★
★
Authors - allowed to create articles for the web site
Registered - log on to the front-end and get special
functionality (e.g. see something, comment, etc.)
Editors - Create and edit articles
Publishers - Create, edit, and publish articles

27. Default User Groups - Back-end
These groups access the back-end of the site
★
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

28. Add Users
Users/User Manager/Add New User:

29. Extending Joomla
Over 7,000 Extensions available at extensions.joomla.org

30. 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

31. Adding an Extension
1) Download the Extension from the JED
2) Load the file with Extension Manager
Choose File - then click Upload & Install
3) Follow any specific configuration instructions

32. Backing Up Your Site
DON’T Backup This
DO Backup This
Apache
or IIS
Joomla Files
PHP
DBMS
Database

33. Backing Up Your Site
BEFORE You Back Up
IMPORTANT
FOR ACTIVE
PRODUCTION
SITES!
Place site Offline in
Global Configuration
AFTER You Back Up
Place site Online in
Global Configuration

34. Backing Up Your Site
Back Up Your
Joomla Files
1. Compress the
entire directory
into a file
DO Backup This
Joomla Files
2. Download it and
name it
3. Make an add’l
backup copy
Database

35. Backing Up Your Site
Back Up Your
Joomla Database
1. Select the database
in PHPMyAdmin
2. Click Export and
accept defaults
3. Download the SQL
file and name it
4. Make an add’l
backup copy
DO Backup This
Joomla Files
Database

36. Restoring Your Site
Restore the
Joomla Files
To Your Site Folder
1. Delete all the
existing files
Using Your Backups
Joomla Files
2. Upload the
compressed backup
file
3. Extract the files in
the folder
Database

37. Restoring Your Site
Restore your
database
1. Drop old database
2. Create a new
empty database
with same name*
3. Import data from
your .SQL file
* If you change the db name, then
update config.php accordingly.
Using Your Backups
Joomla Files
Database

38. Upgrading Joomla
★
★
ALWAYS backup your site before updating
★
Go to Components/Joomla Update - Joomla will
tell you if an update is available
★
Click Install The Upgrade
Check your extensions - will they work?
(particularly with major version upgrades)
TIP! When upgrading has completed:
refresh your screen or empty your browser cache
to adjust for template CSS changes.

39. Power the Joomla Community
at HoustonJUG.Com
!
Join Today!

40. Questions?
Personal Website: JudyAndRodger.Com
Email: Rodger@JudyAndRodger.Com
Hosted by: inmotionhosting.com

41. Supplemental Materials
For You To
Consider!
At Your!
Leisure

42. 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.wampser ver.com/en/
✦ MAMP - AMP for the Mac - find directions and
downloads at www.mamp.info/en/index.html
★ Installation is relatively straight-for ward but, for more
help, David Gassner has a video named Installing Apache,
MySQL, and PHP at lynda.com

43. 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:wampwww
✦
MAMP: Applications/MAMP/htdocs
✦
Create a folder for your Joomla site beneath that root:
✦
WAMP: C:wampwwwmysite
✦
MAMP: Application/MAMP/htdocs/mysite

44. 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

45. 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

46. 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)

47. Bending Display Rules
Normal Display Rules:
Modules in Positions
Bending the Rules
Display Modules in
Articles using
{loadposition
positionname}
★
Components in Main Part
★
Some Components
work together with
Modules to display
them in Positions
(e.g. Banners)
topcenter
midleft
left
midright
Main
Part of the
Web Page
footer
right