Joomla! For Dummies

Seamus Bellamy, Steve Holzner

• Éditeur: For Dummies
• Année: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118010716
• Édition: 2
• Sujet: Ciencia de la computación
• Sous-sujet: Programación web

Build template-based web sites without the hassle of writing code!

Joomla! is a free, open source PHP & MySQL-based content management system that allows you to create interactive, community-based Web sites without having to write or program code in PHP or ASP.NET. This fun and friendly introduction to Joomla! shows you how to create a rich, interactive Web site that does not require any code.

No matter your skill level, this easy-to-understand resource demonstrates how to drop preconfigured modules that already contain PHP and MySQL code directly into your Joomla! site. Thanks to the Dummies fun and friendly approach, you'll quickly see how easy to create a rich, interactive Web site with Joomla!

• Demonstrates how to create a business site—complete with shopping cart—quickly and easily
• Walks you through developing Web sites with discussions, RSS feeds, picture submissions, and more
• Includes coverage of the newest version of Joomla!, explains its completely new administrative features, and reviews its ability to provide different levels of access to different users via much-requested access control lists

Find out why Joomla! is the easiest way to build an interactive, community-based Web site!

Part I

Getting Started with Joomla

In this part . . .

This part is where you begin putting Joomla to work. First, we give you an overview of Joomla as it’s used today around the world. Then we show you how to get and install Joomla.

Finally, we dig into Joomla by helping you master the home page of any Joomla site — that’s the front page, in Joomla lingo. You see how to add your own text to the front page, change the front page’s logo, sling the menu items around, and more.

Chapter 1

Essential Joomla

In This Chapter

Discovering Joomla

Viewing some example sites

Knowing what content management systems do

Finding out why Joomla is so popular

Preparing to use Joomla

The head Web designer walks into your sumptuous office and says, “We landed the MegaSuperDuperCo account.”

“That’s good,” you say.

“They want you to design their new Web site.”

“That’s good,” you say.

“They want to use a CMS.”

“That’s bad,” you say.

“What’s the problem?” the head Web designer asks.

You shift uncomfortably. “Well, I have no idea what a CMS is.”

The head Web designer laughs. “That’s no problem. It’s a content management system. You know — like Joomla.”

“Like whomla?” you ask.

The head Web designer tosses a folder on your desk. “Take a look at these sample sites. Joomla provides an easy framework for managing the content of your Web site. You type in the content, and Joomla takes care of displaying it for you.”

You pick up your cup of coffee as the head Web designer leaves and start leafing through the pages. Some of the Web sites are snazzy. Then you turn to your computer and start entering URLs. Welcome to Joomla!

What Joomla Can Do for You

Joomla is a content management system (CMS). Using a CMS means that after you set the site up, you (or your clients) are responsible only for entering text and figures. Joomla arranges the content, makes it searchable, displays it, and generally manages the site, so you need little or no technical expertise to create and operate it.

This isn’t to say that no skill is involved in putting a Joomla site together — far from it! But after you set up your Joomla site, daily maintenance and updates are a breeze, and can be as easy as copying and pasting content into Joomla’s Article Manager. With the click of a few options the stories are published — no fuss, no muss. Sounds pretty good, hmm?

Sample Joomla Sites

A great way to get to know Joomla is to take a look at what it’s capable of doing, which means taking a look at some Joomla-powered sites. The following sections introduce a few examples.

Oklahoma State University

First, check out the Oklahoma State University Web site at http://osu.okstate.edu/welcome/ (see Figure 1-1). The home page has a custom logo, a navigation bar of drop-down menus across the top, an eye-catching Flash-based photo gallery, an integrated Google search field, and a second bar of navigation options at the bottom.

Figure 1-1: The official Oklahoma State University Web site.

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