Joomla! Documentation™

The "J1.5" namespace is an archived namespace. This page contains information for a Joomla! version which is no longer supported. It exists only as a historical reference, it will not be improved and its content may be incomplete and/or contain broken links.

Content is Incomplete

What is in the Manual

This series of documents divides into four parts:-

1. Introducing Joomla! There is an initial section on how to get 'hands-on' a Joomla! site. This is followed by hands-on, practical instructions about doing key tasks needed for adding and altering articles on an existing site.
2. Setting up a Joomla! site: This shows how a Joomla! Web site can be designed and created using the core features that come with Joomla!
3. Looking after a Joomla! site: administration tasks: This is a brief introduction to the Adminstration, Back-end of Joomla! with links to other documentation.
4. Doing more and learning more: Joomla! allows a lot more development which makes it valuable for complex or commercial sites. Features not available in the core Joomla! installation can be found amongst a large number of 'extensions'.

Who is it written for?

The initial introduction to Joomla! is aimed at people with limited experience but it is also intended to be useful for people with substantial experience of web site work but who have no experience of Joomla! There are indications of the intended audience at the head of each article and some comment on what the inexperienced may find challenging.
More detail about the intended readership

Introducing Joomla!

Hands-on a Joomla! site

You must have the use of a Joomla! Web site to use 'hands-on' instructions. There are three possibilites:-

1. Use a site that has already been set up. If you are going to be adding content to an existing site and do not have much computing experience this is the best option.
2. Install a copy of Joomla! (with sample content) on your own computer. This is sometimes referred to as a 'localhost' installation. This is best if you have enough experience to install it. It has some example content, so you can start to explore a Joomla! site before you have created one for your own content.
3. Use the Demo on the Joomla! site. Test drive Joomla! free for 30 days; there is a free Quickstart video. Not written yet.

Hands-on adding and altering Articles

Articles are the building blocks of any Joomla! site and are the main way that content is organised and displayed. Everyone needs to know the basics of how to edit and create articles - so start here no matter what your previous experience.

1. How to edit an Article - aimed at helping everyone to use the editor and understand what articles look like and where they are stored.
2. How to create a new Article - aimed at helping everyone to know how to add new a new article to a web site

More about how to edit and manipulate Articles

- keep them in the right place - get the right layouts for the content - the right permissions for publishing - on the Front-end

1. More about editing Articles -aimed at helping everyone who wants to try any of these. Intend to split this into four.
   1. adding links to nother pages
   2. adding a table
   3. adding a picture
   4. breaking an Article into pages
2. How articles are published and managed using the Front-end
3. Sections, Categories and Menus

Setting up a Joomla! site

Assume Joomla already installed and this uses the one of the templates that ships with Joomla

intention to help someone with some background in web work to create a simple site using localhost. With references to other documentation but also make it self-contained.

The design of the content structure

• Sections, categories and menus
• More about managing articles using the Back-end of Joomla!

Appearance and layout

• Appearance use templates

Doing more and learning more

There is more to learn about Joomla. This part of the Manual does not have so many 'hands-on' sections.

It introduces more aspects of Joomla! with links to further, and sometimes much more advanced, documetation.

Intention here is for a lot of links with a small amount of commentary - aimed at the experienced.

General administration

The administrator pages - Back-end

Brief description - and then references to other material because this is covered in admin manual. From the view point of looking after the site

Other things here that are useful for the experienced - links

Links to useful docs

Links and references

This will have:-

• Links to other helpful pages at different levels of user skill - with comments
• List of links referred to in various places

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--Lorna Scammell December 2010