The Official Joomla! Book, Second Edition

The Official Joomla! Book, Second Edition

by Jennifer Marriott, Elin Waring
Released December 2012
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780132978972

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Book description

“Joomla! is about allowing ordinary people to do extraordinary things,  and that is exactly what the authors of this book do for its readers. . . . I present  this  book for your pleasure. It begins with how we began and takes you on a journey through  which you can be empowered  to reach the world.”

–From the Foreword to the First Edition by Andrew Eddie, cofounder, Joomla!

The Official Joomla!®  Book, Second Edition, is the authoritative and comprehensive Joomla! reference for every administrator,  developer, designer, and content manager.  Distilling the unsurpassed experience of two long-time Joomla! contributors, it teaches  exactly what you need to know, through practical example sites and crystal-clear explanations.

If you’re new to Joomla!, you’ll learn how to quickly create usable,  effective sites. If you’re an experienced  Joomla! user, you’ll learn  how to make  your sites more flexible, feature-rich, visually attractive, and useful, taking full advantage of the features in Joomla! 3 and Joomla! 2.5. And whether new or experienced, you’ll learn how Joomla!  really works, so you can fully leverage its power whenever you’re ready. You’ll also get to know the Joomla! community by hearing from seventeen community members through in-depth interviews, and you’ll learn how to participate in the Joomla! project in ways that make sense for you.

The Official Joomla!® Book, Second Edition, covers everything from installation to usability, templates to extensions. The authors  explain each key concept conversationally, helping you learn to help yourself and confidently gain control over Joomla! and the sites you build with it. They also present chapter-length application case studies for business, non-profits, and education. You will learn how to

  • Plan sites  effectively before you start building them

  • Create production sites quickly while avoiding common mistakes

  • Install and configure Joomla! for maximum efficiency

  • Create and edit content  for your Joomla! site

  • Customize  and work with Joomla! templates and create a basic template

  • Work with extensions: components, modules, plugins, and languages

  • Efficiently administer Joomla! sites

  • Maintain Joomla! sites, including making back ups and managing upgrades and migrations between versions

  • Participate in the Joomla! community as a user and contributor

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication Page
    4. Contents at a Glance
    5. Contents
    6. Foreword to the Second Edition
    7. Foreword to the First Edition
    8. Preface
      1. How This Book Is Organized
    9. Acknowledgments
    10. About the Authors
    11. 1. All about Joomla!
      1. A Brief History of Joomla!
      2. Joomla! the Content Management System
      3. Joomla! the Platform
      4. The Joomlasphere
      5. Conclusion
    12. 2. What Now and Where Do I Begin?: Before You Install Joomla!
      1. Identifying Your Purpose
      2. Domain Names: Registering Your Domain Name
      3. Trademarks, Licensing, Copyright, and Legalities
      4. The Basics of Branding
      5. Identifying Your Target Audience: The Who, What, Where, and Why
      6. Wireframes, Storyboarding, and Visualization
      7. Creating Great Content
      8. Mission Critical: Why Choosing a Good Host Matters
      9. Conclusion
    13. 3. Installing Joomla!
      1. Choosing a Joomla! Version and Installation Options
      2. Downloading Joomla!
      3. Creating a Database
      4. Using the File Manager to Upload Joomla!
      5. Joomla! Web Installation
      6. Setting Up a Test Site on demo.joomla.org
      7. Conclusion
    14. 4. Configuring Joomla!
      1. Basic Configuration Steps for Your New Site
      2. Basic Global Configuration Options
      3. Configuration Settings in Specific Components
      4. Other Site Defaults
      5. Conclusion
    15. 5. Working with and Creating Content for Your Joomla! Site
      1. Defining Content
      2. Managing Content
      3. Working with the Media Manager and Inserting Images
      4. Managing Categories
      5. Menus and Menu Items
      6. Working with Parameters and Options
      7. Conclusion
    16. 6. The Basics of Joomla! Extensions: Components, Modules, Plugins, and Languages
      1. Core Joomla! Extensions
      2. Adding Extensions
      3. Conclusion
    17. 7. Working with Joomla! Templates: The Basics
      1. The Basics of Joomla! Templates
      2. Conclusion
    18. 8. Creating Your Own Simple Joomla! Template
      1. Basic Template Structure
      2. Conclusion
    19. 9. Marketing and Caring for Your Joomla! Web Site
      1. First Impressions Count: What Your Home Page Says about You
      2. Search Engines, SEO, Getting Listed, and Staying There
      3. Using Navigation
      4. Engaging Your Visitors and Keeping Your Content Fresh
      5. Marketing Basics and Social Networking
      6. Conclusion
    20. 10. Keeping Your Site Up-to-Date
      1. Updating Your Site
      2. Updating Extensions
      3. Migrating to a New Major Version
      4. Conclusion
    21. 11. Practical Application: Joomla! for Business
      1. Basic Planning of Business Sites
      2. Brochure Sites
      3. Extending Joomla!: Some Extensions to Consider for Business
      4. E-commerce Web Sites
      5. Other Business Site Extensions
      6. Joomla! Business Tools
      7. Business Web Site Demo
      8. Conclusion
    22. 12. Practical Application: Joomla! for NGOs/NPOs, Groups, Clubs, and Organizations
      1. Basic Planning of Group Sites
      2. Leveraging Your Site to Raise Awareness and Gain Momentum
      3. Nonprofit Web Site Demo
      4. Conclusion
    23. 13. Practical Application: Joomla! for Education
      1. Basic Planning of Educational Sites
      2. School Web Site Demo
      3. Conclusion
    24. 14. Interviews with Experts
      1. Andrew Eddie, Software Engineer at eBay Australia and Platform Maintainer—The Joomla! Story
      2. Mark Dexter, Production Leadership Team—The Joomla! Bug Squad and Joomla! Development
      3. Sam Moffatt, Joomla! Platform Maintainer, Production Leadership Team—Participating in Joomla! Development
      4. Marijke Stuivenberg, Translation Coordinator, Open Source Matters Board—Internationalization
      5. Ian MacLennan, Platform Maintainer—Securing Your Site
      6. Ron Severdia, Production Leadership Team and Creative Director at Kontent Design—Building a Great Site
      7. Elin Waring, Joomla! Contributor—Trademark and Licensing
      8. Wendy Robinson, Rochen Ltd.—Creating Your Brand
      9. Brad Baker, Rochen Ltd.—Joomla! Hosting
      10. Chris Davenport, Joomla! Production Leadership Team—Finding and Editing Templates
      11. Angie Radke, Principal, Der Auftritt; Accessibility Expert; and Designer of the Beez Templates
      12. Andrea Tarr, Production Leadership Team
      13. Vic Drover, Owner of Anything Digital—Extending Joomla!
      14. Gary Brooks, CEO of CloudAccess.net—Benefits of Joomla! for Business
      15. Ryan Ozimek, Former President of Open Source Matters, and CEO and Founder of PICnet, Inc.—Joomla! in the NPO/NGO Sector
      16. Jennifer Marriott, Joomla! Contributor—Sites for Education
      17. Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos, Developer, Akeeba Backup and Other Extensions
      18. Louis Landry, Lead Architect of the Joomla! Platform
    25. A. Common Problems and Solutions
      1. Lost Administrator Password
      2. File Permissions and Ownership Problems
      3. Editor Background Has a Color or Looks Strange
      4. Template Disappears When Turning SEF URLs On
      5. Site Displays Differently or Incorrectly in a Certain Browser
      6. Problem Assets Table
      7. Problems Updating
    26. B. Resources
      1. Basic Joomla! Resources
      2. Tools for Web Site Creators and Site Developers
      3. Search Engines
      4. Learn HTML and CSS Skills
      5. Improve the Design of Your Site
      6. Web Standards, Usability, and Accessibility
      7. Underlying Software of Joomla!
      8. Other Resources for Business
      9. Other Resources for Nonprofits and Organizations
      10. Other Resources for Schools and Education
    27. Glossary
    28. Index

    Product information

    • Title: The Official Joomla! Book, Second Edition
    • Author(s): Jennifer Marriott, Elin Waring
    • Release date: December 2012
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780132978972