Joomla! Documentation™

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Content is Incomplete

What is in the Manual

This is a series of documents to introduce Joomla! to people who have not previously used it.
It divides into four parts:-

• Introducing Joomla! There is an initial section on how to get 'hands-on' a Joomla! site. This is followed by practical instructions about doing key tasks needed for adding, altering and manipulating content on an existing site.
• 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!
• Looking after a Joomla! site: This is a brief introduction to the Adminstration of a Joomla! web Site.
• Doing more and learning more: The final part links into other documentation and is intended as a guide ahead for taking Joomla! beyond the basics.

Who is it written for?

The series aims at people who have not used Joomla! before. These people range in experience from those who are going to be mainly concerned with entering content to those who will develop whole new Web sites.

It is a challenge to aim an introductory series at the right levels. The solution here is to introduce Joomla! using detailed 'hands-on' instructions about adding, altering and manipulating content. At the same time, general points about Joomla! are made which are intended to help people to learn more and do more.

As the tasks require more background knowledge, so there are fewer hands-on instructions and more general pointers to the extensive documentation available for Joomla!

At the start of each article there is an indication of who it is aimed at and, on occasions, about the pitfalls for the inexperienced or unwary.
Some 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:-

• 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.
• 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.
• 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

Start here no matter what your previous experience. Articles are the building blocks of any Joomla! and everyone needs to know the basics of how to edit and create articles.

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

How to edit and manage Articles

More about editing -aimed at helping everyone who wants to try any of these.

• Adding links to other pages
• Adding a table
• Adding a picture
• Splitting a long article
• How articles are published and managed using the Front-end

Setting up a Joomla! site

Background needed to set up a site

• Background: get to know the Back-end
• Background: design the content - Sections, Categories and Menus
• Background: organise appearance using default Templates

Setting up a new site

• Doing it: hands-on setting up a Joomla! site

Looking after a Joomla! site

General administration

• The role of the administrator - from the view point of looking after the site.
• Background: get to know the Back-end
• The administrator pages - Back-end - other common tasks

Lerss hands-on - thus references to other material because this is covered in admin manual.

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 and is aimed at the experienced.

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

References

Books, links and helpful resources

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--Lorna Scammell December 2010