COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. Acknowledgments...v Introduction... xxi

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1 Acknowledgments...v Introduction... xxi Part I: Getting Started with Joomla! Chapter 1: Introducing the Joomla! Content Management System...3 Chapter 2: Obtaining and Installing Joomla!...15 Chapter 3: Taking a Look at Joomla!...35 Chapter 4: Getting the Most from Site Configuration...55 Part II: Working with Content and Users Chapter 5: Managing Content...71 Chapter 6: Working with Editors and Media Chapter 7: Employing Advanced Content Management Techniques Chapter 8: Working with the Menu System Chapter 9: Managing the Front Page of Your Site Chapter 10: Working with the User Manager Chapter 11: Working with the Language Manager Part III: Working with Components, Modules, and Plugins Chapter 12: Using the Banner Manager Chapter 13: Working with the Contact Manager Chapter 14: Using the News Feeds Component Chapter 15: Using the Polls Component Chapter 16: Using the Web Links Component Chapter 17: Working with the Site Modules Chapter 18: Working with the Administrator Modules Chapter 19: Working with Plugins COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System Chapter 20: Customizing Joomla! Templates Chapter 21: Customizing Joomla! Functionality Chapter 22: Extending Your Site Chapter 23: Implementing e-commerce with VirtueMart Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial vi

2 Part V: Site Maintenance and Management Chapter 25: Keeping Your Site Secure and Up to Date Chapter 26: Managing Performance and Accessibility Chapter 27: Making a Site Search Engine Friendly Part VI: Appendixes Appendix A: The Directory Structure of a Joomla! Installation Appendix B: A Guide to the Location of Key Files Appendix C: Installing XAMPP Appendix D: Installing MAMP Appendix E: Additional Online Help Resources Index vii

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4 Acknowledgments v Introduction xxi Part I: Getting Started with Joomla! 1 Chapter 1: Introducing the Joomla! Content Management System Discovering Open Source Content Management...3 Deciding to use a CMS...4 Deciding to use open source...5 Discovering Joomla!...7 Deciding to use Joomla!...8 The Joomla! open source license...10 The Joomla! architecture...11 Programming languages used...11 Finding out how the community works...12 Participating in the community...13 Summary...13 Chapter 2: Obtaining and Installing Joomla! Getting the Installation Files...15 Exploring the JoomlaCode site...16 Determining which files you need...17 Technical Requirements...19 Server requirements...20 Site visitor and administrator requirements...21 Installing Joomla!...21 Creating a local development site...21 Installing on a web hosting service...23 Running the Joomla! installer...24 Sample data...33 Summary...34 Chapter 3: Taking a Look at Joomla! Introducing the Front End (The Public Interface)...35 Understanding content organizational structure...36 Understanding menu structure...42 Modules and module positions...42 ix

5 x Introducing the Back End (The Admin Interface)...46 Exploring the admin interfaces...46 The Site menu...50 The Menus menu...51 The Content menu...51 The Components menu...51 The Extensions menu...52 The Tools menu...52 The Help menu...53 Summary...53 Chapter 4: Getting the Most from Site Configuration Exploring the Global Configuration Manager...55 Working with the Site Tab...56 Site settings...57 Metadata settings...58 SEO settings...58 Using the System Tab...60 System settings...60 User settings...61 Media settings...61 Debug settings...63 Cache settings...63 Session settings...63 Managing Server Tab Options...64 Server settings...64 Locale settings...65 FTP settings...65 Database settings...65 Mail settings...66 Summary...67 Part II: Working with Content and Users 69 Chapter 5: Managing Content Understanding the Joomla! Content Hierarchy...71 Creating Content Hierarchies...72 Working with sections and categories...73 Understanding the role of uncategorized content...86 Creating typical content structures...87 Working with Articles...91 Using the Article Manager...91 Creating articles...94 Setting the parameters...96 Controlling intro text Creating multipage articles...105

6 Managing Existing Articles Publishing and unpublishing articles Modifying articles Copying articles Moving articles Deleting articles Archiving articles Global Check-in Summary Chapter 6: Working with Editors and Media Using WYSIWYG Editors Using the TinyMCE editor Using the XStandard editor Working with the No Editor option Overview of the Media Manager Working With Media Files Viewing file information Uploading files Organizing files Adding files to articles Summary Chapter 7: Employing Advanced Content Management Techniques Using Content Display Modules Using the Custom HTML module Using the Newsflash module Placing modules inside articles Bringing External Content into Your Site Using wrappers Displaying syndicated content Managing Content from the Front End Understanding advantages and limitations Enabling user-created content Workflow options Syndicating Your Articles Summary Chapter 8: Working with the Menu System Introducing the Menu Manager Creating and Managing Menus Understanding the relationship between menus and modules Creating a new menu Copying a menu Editing and deleting menus Introducing the Menu Item Manager xi

7 Creating and Managing Menu Items Creating new menu items Menu item types Creating multitiered menus Editing and deleting menu items Controlling Access to Menus and Menu Items Summary Chapter 9: Managing the Front Page of Your Site Controlling Front Page Layout Understanding the default content layout options Using a distinct template for the front page Publishing Articles on the Front Page Working with the Front Page Manager Working without the Front Page Manager Publishing Component Output on the Front Page Publishing Modules on the Front Page Summary Chapter 10: Working with the User Manager Introducing the User Manager Understanding the Joomla! User Hierarchy Classifying public front-end users Classifying public back-end users Adding Users to the System Creating a new user Working with the New User dialogue Managing Users Editing user accounts Deleting users Forcing a user to log out Blocking users Creating User Registration Using the Login module Configuring user registration The Username Reminder function The Password Reset function Creating a Login page Redirecting users after login or logout Controlling Access to Content and Functionalities Default access levels Restricting access to content items Restricting access to menus and menu items Restricting access to components, modules, and plugins Summary xii

8 Chapter 11: Working with the Language Manager The Function of the Language Manager Installing New Language Packs Modifying a Language Pack Editing the default language files Creating a new language pack Specifying the Language Used Changing the default language Setting the language for users Setting the language for specific articles Summary Part III: Working with Components, Modules, and Plugins 279 Chapter 12: Using the Banner Manager Introducing the Banner Manager Understanding Banner Parameters Managing Clients Exploring the Banner Client Manager Creating clients Editing and deleting clients Managing Categories Exploring the Banner Category Manager Creating categories Editing and deleting categories Managing Banners Creating banners Copying banners Editing and deleting banners Using the Banners Module Module parameters Creating additional Banner modules Summary Chapter 13: Working with the Contact Manager Introducing the Contact Manager Setting Contact Parameters Contact parameters Advanced parameters parameters Managing Contacts and Categories Creating a new category Editing and deleting categories Adding a new contact Editing and deleting contacts xiii

9 Creating Contact Forms Summary Chapter 14: Using the News Feeds Component Introducing the News Feeds Manager Understanding News Feed Parameters Managing Feeds and Categories Creating a new category Editing and deleting categories Adding a new feed Editing and deleting feeds Summary Chapter 15: Using the Polls Component Introducing the Poll Manager Creating and Managing Polls Creating polls Editing and deleting polls Displaying Polls Using the Polls module Displaying poll results Summary Chapter 16: Using the Web Links Component Introducing the Web Link Manager Setting Web Links Parameters Managing Links and Categories Creating a new category Editing and deleting categories Adding a new link Editing and deleting Web Links Summary Chapter 17: Working with the Site Modules Reviewing the Module Manager Creating new modules Copying modules Editing and deleting modules Introducing the Site Modules Archived Content module Banner module Breadcrumbs module Custom HTML module Feed Display module Footer module Latest News module xiv

10 Login module The Menu modules Most Read Content module Newsflash Poll Random Image Related Articles Search Sections Statistics Syndicate Who s Online Wrapper Summary Chapter 18: Working with the Administrator Modules Reviewing the Module Manager Creating new modules Copying modules Editing and deleting modules Reviewing the Administrator Modules Admin Menu module Admin submenu Custom HTML module Feed Display module Footer module Item Stats module Latest News module Logged In Users module Login Form module Online Users module Popular Articles module Quick Icons module Title module Toolbar module Unread Messages module User Status module Summary Chapter 19: Working with Plugins Introducing the Plugin Manager Editing and deleting plugins Reviewing the Default Plugins Authentication plugins Content plugins Editor plugins xv

11 Editors XTD plugins Search plugins System plugins User - Joomla! plugin XML-RPC plugins Summary Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 495 Chapter 20: Customizing Joomla! Templates Discovering How the Templates Work Exploring the Default Templates Beez JA_Purity RHUK_Milkyway Khepri Knowing the Parts of a Template Directory structure The key files Introducing the Template Manager Editing templates Setting the default template Assigning templates Customizing Templates Working with template parameters Changing the logo Modifying the CSS Controlling the Appearance of Menus Using the default options Creating drop-down menus Working with Module Chrome Overriding Pagination Formatting Creating a New Template Creating the structure Creating the index.php file Creating the template.css file Creating the templatedetails.xml file Creating the component.php file Packaging the template files Working With the Admin Template Summary xvi

12 Chapter 21: Customizing Joomla! Functionality Understanding Basic Principles Using the Right Tools Tools you need to customize a Joomla! site Useful extensions that aid customization Discovering the Joomla! API Working with Components Knowing the elements of a component The anatomy of a typical component Overriding component output Creating a new component Working with Modules Understanding the elements of a typical module Overriding module output Creating a new module Working with Plugins Plugin architecture Creating a new plugin Summary Chapter 22: Extending Your Site Finding Extensions Working with the Extension Manager Introducing the Extension Installer Going over the Extension Packages dialogue Installing extensions Uninstalling extensions Finding the Right Extension for the Job Improving content management Improving administration Enhancing search Enhancing menus and navigation Building complex forms Adding a gallery Adding a directory Adding a forum Adding a file exchange Managing multilingual content Enhancing SEO Extending user management Adding Web 2.0 functionality Improving Ad Management Summary xvii

13 Chapter 23: Implementing e-commerce with VirtueMart Introducing VirtueMart Features Finding an appropriate use for VirtueMart Obtaining and Installing VirtueMart Creating a fresh installation Integration with an existing site Reviewing the VirtueMart Control Panel Configuring VirtueMart Global Store configuration Setting the Store Information Working with products and categories Administering the Store Tracking orders Generating reports Summary Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial Introducing JomSocial Figuring out features for visitors Features for site administrators Installing the JomSocial component Installing the JomSocial modules Installing the JomSocial apps Overview of the JomSocial Control Panel Configuring JomSocial The Site tab The Media tab The Layout tab The Network tab The Facebook Connect tab Administering the Community Working with users Working with groups Summary Part V: Site Maintenance and Management 683 Chapter 25: Keeping Your Site Secure and Up to Date Security Best Practices Securing the Joomla! core Securing third-party extensions xviii

14 Keeping Up With Security Notices Managing Site Maintenance Taking a site offline Backing up your site Restoring from a backup Regaining access to your admin account Upgrading a Joomla! Installation Summary Chapter 26: Managing Performance and Accessibility Understanding Cache Management Setting the Site cache Setting the System cache Setting the module cache Cleaning the cache Purging the expired cache Improving Content Performance Avoid large files Save images in the right format Don t resize images Keep your code clean Avoid tables Use image rotators conservatively Use wrappers (iframes) reluctantly Limit use of animation Limit use of flash Don t stream video until requested Tuning Joomla! Performance Use server-side compression If you don t use it, disable it Minify your CSS and JavaScript Be careful with Google Analytics Be selective about your template Be selective about extensions Skip live stat reporting Disable SEF URLs Optimize your database Enhancing Accessibility Joomla! and accessibility Improving template accessibility Creating accessible content Summary xix

15 Chapter 27: Making a Site Search Engine Friendly Creating Search Engine Friendly URLs Creating Custom Error Pages Working with Metadata and Page Titles Setting the metadata Setting the page titles Summary Part VI: Appendixes 729 Appendix A: The Directory Structure of a Joomla! Installation Appendix B: A Guide to the Location of Key Files Appendix C: Installing XAMPP Appendix D: Installing MAMP Appendix E: Additional Online Help Resources Index xx