Article email and print icon settings

A helpful option in Joomla! is the ability to display print and email buttons as part of an article. These buttons allow website visitors to easily print the article or share the article link via email. Although this feature can be useful in certain situations, it may not be necessary in other situations. Like all article settings in Joomla!, the default (Global) settings for displaying these icons can be found in the Article Manager Options.

It is important to note that settings seen in the Article Manager Options may not always apply to the Frontend display. Individual Article and Menu Item settings have an option to use Global settings, but they can also override Global settings. Although this allows for an enormous amount of control over individual settings, it can also present challenges depending on the situation. Since every Joomla! website may have unique circumstances, it's helpful to understand this concept to achieve the desired settings and results.

The options to email a link to a friend and to print an article have been removed in Joomla! 4 as there are far better ways to share content.

Icon Setting Locations

There are three locations where the icon settings can be adjusted:

1. Article Manager → Options
   • Global (Default) Settings
   • More information: Article Manager Options Screen
2. Article Editor → Options
   • Settings for individual Articles will override default settings.
   • More information: Article Edit Screen
3. Menu Item Editor → Options
   • Settings for individual Menu Items relate directly to what is displayed on the front end and will override Default and Article settings.
   • Icon options are available in Article Menu Item Types. For example, the single article menu item type: Article Menu Item

Icon Setting Options

• Show Icons. (Use Global/Hide/Show). If set to Show, Print and Email will use icons instead of text.
• Show Print Icon. (Use Global/Hide/Show). Show or Hide the Print Article button.
• Show Email Icon. (Use Global/Hide/Show). Show or Hide the Email Article button.

Make Global Settings for Icon Display

1. Log in to the Administrator Backend
2. Navigate to the Article Manager Options Screen
   • Top Menu → Content → Article Manager
   • At the top right of the Article Manager, click the Options button.
3. In the Articles tab of the Article Manager Options Screen, scroll down to the bottom of the list to the options for Show Icons, Show Print Icon, Show Email Icon and Hits. Choose the appropriate settings and Save.

Make Article Settings for Icon Display

1. Navigate to the Article Manager
   • Top Menu → Content → Article Manager
   • Click the title of an Article to enter the editing screen.
2. Near the top, under the Title, click the Options tab.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the list to the options for Show Icons, Show Print Icon, Show Email Icon and Hits. Choose the appropriate settings and Save.

Make Menu Item Settings for Icon Display

1. Navigate to the Menu Manager
   • Top Menu → Menus → Menu Manager and choose your menu or Top Menu → Menus → Choose Your menu
   • Click the title of a Menu Item to enter the editing screen.
2. Click the Options tab.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the list to the options for Show Icons, Show Print Icon, Show Email Icon and Hits. Choose the appropriate settings and Save.
   • Some menu item types, such as category blog and list, have an additional Use Article Settings option. This setting will apply any individual settings made in the Article editor.

Quick Tips

• Settings made in the Article Manager Options are applied to all item options set to Use Global. A good practice is to make Global Settings first based on the most common scenario, then adjust individual settings in Articles and Menu Items on a case-by-case basis.
• All options in newly-created Articles or Article Menu Items default to Use Global. Global settings will automatically apply to these Articles and Menu Items, unless they are changed manually.
• If Joomla! was installed with sample data or with a third party demo installation, there may be settings applied in existing articles and menu items that are overriding the Global settings and affecting the Frontend display.
• If using a third-party template and the methods described in this article are not working, check with the template developers to ensure this feature is supported by their product.