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Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla!, Novices and What is Joomla all redirect to here.

<translate> As someone who has not used Joomla! before, you need to know how to get started. Maybe you have a friend or a neighbour who uses Joomla! and you want a Joomla! web site of your very own. Maybe you have a small business or a club or a community that needs a web presence, and you want to use Joomla! for that purpose. Maybe you are a seasoned Information Technology professional, but you have never used Joomla! before. If so, you are just starting a very enjoyable journey and we warmly welcome you to Joomla! </translate>

Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla!

Welcome to Joomla!, a leading open source Content Management System (CMS) platform. Joomla! is a well-tested, extensible and effective tool supported by a very active and friendly community of developers and users.

Do you want to get started with Joomla!, but you have no idea where to begin? If so, you have come to the right place. The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Joomla! is just for you.

Although you could spend a lifetime learning Joomla!, if you master the basics you will be able to make a vary attractive and useful basic website in very little time and with no no special technical skills.

What is Joomla!?

Joomla! is software that lets you make and update web pages easily.

You can think of a Joomla! website as bringing together three elements.

• Your content, which is mainly stored in a database.
• Your template, which controls the design and presentation of your content (such as fonts, colors and layout).
• Joomla! which is the software that bring the content and the template together to produce webpages.

Installing Joomla!

There are several ways to install Joomla!.

First, make sure that you have an account on a web server. For most people this means signing up with a hosting company and purchasing a domain that will serve as your site's main address.

• Option One: One Click Installs. Many hosting companies offer "instant" installation of Joomla!. Follow the instructions your host provides for a one click install.

• Option Two: Conventional Installs. This method requires that you copy the Joomla! zip file to your hosting account, create a database, and then run the installation. Complete instructions can be found in the Joomla! Installation Manual.

Learn to Use Joomla!

Now that you have a working Joomla! site, you will want to start filling it with your own content and making it look just the way you want. Before doing that, it is a good idea to learn more about how Joomla! works by working with the sample data.

Start Creating Your Site

Now you're ready to start making your own articles, weblinks, contacts, banners, and newsfeeds. You may also want to install or create your own template or modify one of the templates that comes with Joomla!. Finally, you may want to install one or more of the thousands of extensions to Joomla! Before you jump into doing this you may want to review Planning Your Website.

Learning to Use Joomla!

If you do nothing else, take time to complete the Joomla! v 1.5 Quick Start Guide Scribd, written by Kevin Hayne. As you read the guide, walk through the video accompaniment created by Michael Casha. This is a well developed and efficient training guide and video set.

Test Drive Joomla!

At this point, you might be aware that there are thousands and thousands of Joomla! websites in the world, each specifically crafted to meet the needs of the Web site owner. You might even have a neighbor or a friend who has a Joomla! Web site and now you want one of your very own, but you are uncertain if you have what it takes. Maybe you have been lurking around the Joomla! Forums for awhile, observing others as they build Joomla! websites. Maybe you even have a case of Joomla! Web site Envy.

Take action, now! Begin by test driving Joomla! using a Joomla! Demo site. Log in to the backend Administrator and change a few things. Don't worry! You can't hurt anything! The demo sites are refreshed frequently. As you click around, consider the functionality you see. What would be great to have? What do you not want in your Web site?

Take a look at the Joomla! Core Features Guide scribd, written by James Ramsay. See what features are available in each download of Joomla!. Yes, even in your copy!

Conquer the Basics

It is now the best time to learn the basics. In this section, all instructions are clearly provided. You are not expected to know anything about building a Web site before you begin. In only a short time, however, you will have learned a great deal.

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The most important step to building your Web site begins before you start. There are a number of considerations to planning your Web site. Take time to consider those ideas before getting started. It will save you much frustration and rework!

Complete the Joomla! v 1.5 Quick Start Guide

If you do nothing else, take time to complete the Joomla! v 1.5 Quick Start Guide Scribd, written by Kevin Hayne. As you read the guide, walk through the video accompaniment created by Michael Casha. This is a well developed and efficient training guide and video set.

There are no prerequisites to this step-by-step course for building a Web site for a fictitious landscaping company. In the first few pages, you will have configured a localhost environment on your computer and installed Joomla!. Following the installation, you quickly learn how to configure all kinds of extensions, including components, modules and plugins. You will even make changes to the default template. The Joomla! v 1.5 Quick Start Guide is strongly recommended for all new Joomla! v 1.5 users. In a very short period of time, you will have learned enough that you can build a simple Joomla! Web site.

There is also a very nice beginners visual guide to getting started with Joomla! 1.5 here: Learn Joomla! 1.5 Fast! Scribd (PDF 1.3Mb) written by Saurabh Bhide.

You can use the Joomla! Sample website to learn about Joomla! features. Check out the Joomla! Magazine article Learning Joomla! Using Sample Data.

Learn The Language

Install Joomla on a hosted server

Installing Joomla! can be easy to do -- especially on a localhost environment. Sometimes, though, issues at your Web host can make installation very challenging. Make certain you take advantage of the support your host provides. In the end, they are best able to help.

Install Joomla! on a localhost

The easiest way to get started with Joomla! is to install it on your desktop computer. There are a couple of ways you can do that:

Method one: Watch this video entitled How to Install XAMPP and Joomla! v 1.5, by Andrew Altamirano (slogen123), where he shows you how to download and install XAMPP as a local server and then install Joomla!.

Method two: Use Jumpbox or BitNami which provide a self-contained instance that is easy to install and are easily deleted or moved.

A localhost is a great way to learn how to use Joomla!, to try extensions out in a test environment before updating your live site, and for first testing out upgrades. Learn to use a localhost right away. It will be well worth your time.

Use the Joomla! v 1.5 Installation Guide

All Web host environments are different. Check out the Joomla! v 1.5 Installation Manual for a detailed set of installation instructions.

Installation Questions?

Ask questions in the Installing Joomla! v 1.5 forum.

Guides for Joomla! Editors and Publishers

Those who edit and publish articles on your new Joomla! site will also need help to understand what they must do. The Author tutorial by brianfast Scribd and an excellent guide for the Joomla! Publisher Scribd by Max Shinn (trombonechamp) could be very helpful.

General Joomla! v 1.5 Questions?

Ask questions in the General Joomla! v 1.5 forum board.

Master System Administration

System Administration is a very important part to running a successful Web site. It is a good idea to practice installing Joomla! on a localhost environment. Then, learn to move your Joomla! website to a Web host and how to backup and restore your Joomla! database. Knowing how to do these things before you even begin creating your Web site ensures you will be ready if something unfortunate happens. With that knowledge in place, you can move forward with confidence.

Learn to Backup and Restore

Learn to backup your Joomla! database. Learn to restore your Joomla! database. Practice. A lot! Frequent backups are the best way to sleep at night. Check out this video entitled How to backup and restore a Joomla! database using phpMyAdmin by kristofdb. It's not hard - learn to do it after you install Joomla! but before you configure the environment.

How to Recover Your System Administration Password

We have all done it, some of us dozens of times! Watch this video by James Ramsey entitled How to Recover your Administrator Password using phpMyAdmin.

Maximize Use of the Core, Then Install Extensions

Many times, new Joomla! users find the Joomla! Extension Directory and install everything that looks cool! That's not always a good idea. It's best to maximize the use of the core code before you add extensions to your site. With each extension that you install, you complicate your site administration requirements and slow your site down. Upgrades are also more complicated. Extensions are great but make certain you really need them, first.

Exploring the possibilities with Joomla! v 1.5 Core

• Learn what is possible given the core Joomla! Menu Types Scribd by xalnx;
• Understand all the options available when you create a Joomla! Category Blog Layout Scribd by hashani;
• Watch this video on How to embed media within a Joomla! article by mdranta;
• Explore the possibilities with Using the media manager Scribd by SharifOerton;
• Learn How to Use Joomla!'s Register to Read More Scribd by drmmr763;
• Make certain to learn how to Create a custom HTML module Scribd by blitzprog;
• Learn how to Use the Media Manager to Offer File Downloads Scribd by fervidfrogger;
• Learn how to create a simple Image Gallery using the Media Manager Scribd by SharifOerton;
• Learn how to use core Contact functions to create a services or resources directory Scribd by Chad Windnagle (drmmr763);
• Take time to explore how to use the News flash module to display random or rotating selection of texts Scribd by tj.ferrell;
• Take advantage of the Banners component and module to feature different parts of a website Scribd by Branko Pajic (balvanboy);
• Read through the Help screens to find out about all options available at the Back-end

Using Mootools

There are many great things you can do with Mootools, included in Joomla! v 1.5. Check out these resources to learn how:

• Mootools Tips and Tricks Scribd by Zach Kanzler (theY4Kman);
• How to include Squeezebox in your Joomla! Website Scribd by ddcc;
• How to include Slimbox in your Joomla! Website Scribd by dsadik.

Venture into Joomla! v 1.5 Extensions

Third party developers are solely responsible for their extensions and the quality of their code and timeliness at upgrades is not guaranteed by anyone other than that developer. There are many developers who produce very high quality code. It is best to stick with GPL or GPL-compatiable extensions although you might also find proprietary extensions on the Joomla! Extension Directory. If you purchase an extension and are unsatisfied with the result, Joomla! org cannot help you with those issues.

Take time to review the wealth of extensions available on the Joomla! Extensions Directory.

Questions?

• jforum:428 General Joomla! v 1.5 Questions
• jforum:466 Joomla! v 1.5 Template Questions
• jforum:470 Joomla! v 1.5 Extension Questions
• jforum:262 Joomla! Extension Directory Questions

Learn the Basics for Joomla! Templating

For many, there are only a few changes desired with the default Joomla! v 1.5 Template to make it work for their needs. These resources will help you learn how to make minor changes.

Minor Default Template Changes

• How to replace the logo image in the Milkyway template Scribd by deckers.olivier
• How to modify the default Template Scribd by Chad Windnagle (drmmr763).

Using CSS Class Suffixes

There are other simple things you can do with templates to achieve the look you need. These simple tutorials could be very helpful.

• How to use CSS class suffixes in Joomla! 1.5 Scribd by takercena.

Getting Rid of Tables

• If you do not like tables in your Joomla! output, please see Getting Started with Template Overrides Scribd by Wickrama Arachchi Vithanage Hashani Maduwanthi Weerarathna (Hashani)

Adding Javascript to your Template

• You might be interested in How to add JavaScript to a Joomla template Scribd by Anner J. Bonilla (annerajb).

Troubleshooting a Template Installation

If you are having trouble installing a template, see How to resolve problems with a template installation Scribd by Chad Windnagle (drmmr763).

Questions?

• Joomla! v 1.5 Template Questions

Address Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of doing whatever is needed to help make your Web site rank higher in return results for a search engine. For some, this is very important aspect of attracting visitors to their site. Most experts agree, however, that the single best way to improve your chance of getting attention on the Internet is to provide good content on a regular basis. There are several things that you can do using core functionality to make your Joomla! Web site more SEO friendly. Here are some important areas to focus.

Configure and troubleshoot SEF URLs

• Joomla! v 1.5 SEF URLs Scribd by Benjamin Hättasch.
• If you want to use IIS and Joomla!'s SEF URLs, do this first, then use the previous document.

Remove WWW from your domain name

• How to remove "WWW" from your Domain Name and Why it matters Scribd by theoclymenus

Create a Custom 404 Page

• Custom Error Pages, including 404's

SEO Questions

Questions on these topics should be asked in the Joomla! v 1.5 Administration Forum.

SEO and SEF URL Questions?

• Joomla! v 1.5 Administration Forum

Converting an Existing Website to Joomla!

Check out the How to Convert an existing Web site to a Joomla! Web site guide for great step by step instructions.

Asking Questions in the Forums

At some point in this journey, you started feeling confident enough to reach out to others and began using the Forums. There are a few "common courtesies" you should be aware of:

• First of all, did you actually read the assignments? If not, do! Only you can help yourself learn and reading this material will do the trick!

• Please make certain you search, first, before posting a question. Nine times out of ten someone else had the same issue that you had. As it turns out, we all travel a similar path.

• Also, check the FAQs. There is already a TON of stuff out there that you WILL find helpful. Being responsible to search and review existing material keeps the questions at a manageable level for the volunteers who help.

• Be clear and specific in your request for help. Entries like “Help! It doesn’t work!” tend to get ignored. Try to explain everything that led up to your problem. Try to explain what your problem is. Be clear about what you want to happen. And, thank those who bother to help!

• Use the Forum Post Assistant to help you provide more information and better explain your problem.

• If your question/problem was solved, mark your thread as solved by editing the first post you made in that thread and changing the topic icon to the green check mark with a circle. You can also add [Solved] to your topic title. By doing this you allow other members who are doing searches to easily differentiate between solved and unsolved issues. This also saves the volunteers' time of having to open up solved topics.

Thanks to our GHOP Contestants!

Most of this material was written by Joomla! Google Highly Open Participation Contestants. This work is of the highest quality and the students were inspiring to work with. Sincere thanks to all of our participants for sharing their gifts with the Joomla! community. You guys rock!