Joomla! Bible

Your complete guide to the Joomla! content management system

Whether you use Joomla! to power a website, intranet, or blog, you'll need a good how-to reference on this complex, but not always intuitive, content management software. Joomla! Bible, Second Edition is that book. It not only brings you up to speed on the changes and extensions that are now part of Joomla! 3.0, it thoroughly covers functions and tasks, including installation, configuration, management, advanced modules, and extended coverage of two key extensions.

You'll learn how to obtain code and deploy it to a server; how to obtain, modify, and delete content; how to choose between the Joomla! Platform and the Joomla! CMS; and more. By the time you finish the Joomla! Bible, Second Edition, you'll be well prepared to build and maintain a Joomla!-based website.

• Walks you through obtaining the Joomla! 3.0 code and how to deploy it to a server, configure the site, create content, and manage content and user hierarchies
• Helps you get the most out of core modules that provide advanced functionality, including the Polls Module, the Banner Manager, Content Syndication, Newsfeed Aggregation, and others
• Includes hands-on tutorials and real-world practical applications

Whether you're a content manager, website manager, developer, or do-it-yourselfer, make sure you keep Joomla! Bible, Second Edition on hand.

Introduction xxiii

Part I: Getting Started with Joomla! 1

Chapter 1: Introducing the Joomla! Content Management System 3

Chapter 2: Obtaining and Installing Joomla! 17

Chapter 3: Taking a First Look at Joomla! 33

Chapter 4: Getting the Most from Site Configuration 51

Part II: Working with Content and Users 69

Chapter 5: Managing Content 71

Chapter 6: Working with Editors and Media 127

Chapter 7: Employing Advanced Content Management Techniques 147

Chapter 8: Working with the Menu System 175

Chapter 9: Managing the Home Page of Your Site 229

Chapter 10: Managing Your Site’s Users 243

Chapter 11: Creating a Multilingual Website 273

Part III: Working with Components, Modules, and Plug-Ins 289

Chapter 12: Using the Banner Manager 291

Chapter 13: Working with the Contacts Component 327

Chapter 14: Using the Newsfeed Component 355

Chapter 15: Using the Site Search Components 379

Chapter 16: Using the Weblinks Component 397

Chapter 17: Working with the Site Modules 421

Chapter 18: Working with the Administrator Modules 461

Chapter 19: Working with Plug-Ins 485

Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 527

Chapter 20: Customizing the Appearance of Joomla! 529

Chapter 21: Customizing Joomla! Functionality 573

Chapter 22: Extending Your Site 603

Part V: Overseeing Website Maintenance and Management 623

Chapter 23: Keeping Your Site Secure and Up to Date 625

Chapter 24: Managing Performance and Accessibility 641

Chapter 25: Making a Site Search–Engine Friendly 661

Part VI: Appendixes 669

Appendix A: Choosing a Sample Data Set 671

Appendix B: Locating Key Files 681

Appendix C: Installing XAMPP 685

Appendix D: Installing MAMP 687

Appendix E: Implementing e-Commerce with VirtueMart 689

Index 693

Ric Shreves is a freelance writer and web applications development consultant. His company, water & stone (www.waterandstone.com), specializes in the creation of websites using open source content management systems and has deployed hundreds of websites on the Joomla! system. A past president of the Mambo Foundation, Ric is also the author of several books, including the previous edition of the Joomla! Bible. He has worked as a columnist for ComputerWorld and written for a number of tech publications.

Includes complete coverage of Joomla! 3.0

Design and build a Joomla!-based website

Get the very most out of the 3.0 release

Add SEO and social networking to your site

Confidently create websites, intranets, or blogs with Joomla! CMS

With the Joomla! content management system, you can create your own website, intranet, or blog—without knowing a single line of code. But while Joomla! 3.0 is richer than ever in features and functions, it's still complicated to use. That's where this detailed book comes in. This comprehensive, step-by-step guide covers Joomla! from top to bottom, including its powerful extensions, how to customize, and making your site search-friendly. You'll soon be ready to build and maintain a robust, Joomla!-based website.

• Obtain the Joomla! 3.0 code and install it with a simplified new 3-step process
• Control, configure, enable, and modify settings with Global Configuration Manager
• Understand content hierarchy and create content structures
• Master all templates, components, modules, and plug-ins
• Make your site search-friendly, and learn how to enhance performance and accessibility
• Effectively manage site security, upgrades, and maintenance
• Discover third-party extensions that enhance the functionality of your site
• Learn to customize your site and create your own templates using Twitter Bootstrap

Install and configure Joomla! with this complete guide

Find detailed explanations of all system interfaces

Customize Joomla! and create your own templates