Joomla Training

Many people like to develop their Joomla sites locally and then move their work to a live host when completed. This weeks tutorial will show you how to move an exact copy of your site from your localhost to a live server, database and all.

We're going to use a fantastic component called JoomlaPack to help us with the process. We'll first use it to make a backup of our local site (files + database), and then we'll use a provided tool (Kickstart) to restore the backup to our live server.

Here's how you do it:

Download the JoomlaPack component. Make sure you get the latest release, which at the time of this newletter is 2.2
Download the Kickstart app, again making sure you ge the latest release, 2.2Stable - unzip the package for later use.
In the administration area of your local Joomla site, go to Extensions >> Install / Uninstall and upload the JoomlaPack component file: com_joomlapack-2.2-free.zip
In the administration area of your local Joomla site, go to Components >> JoomlaPack >> Configuration and we're going to change a setting before we backup and migrate. Click on the 'Advanced' tab and then locate the 'Archiver engine' and change it to 'JPA JoomlaPack Archive, and click Save.
Click on the Backup Now button (you'll notice a warning regarding the default directory being used for the backup - we can ignore this *for now) and then the 'Backup Now!' You should see the backup process begin, and be given a success page when completed.
Locate the backup file in your localhost joomla_root/administrator/components/com_joomlapack/backup - the backup file will have the extension .jpa. Upload this file to the directory on your live server where you will do the restore. For most this will be the root directory, /html or /home etc
Upload the Kickstart app file to this same directory. You should have unzipped the package in an earlier step, if not, unzip and then upload the file.
Create a new database using phpMyAdmin or the tool provided by your host to do so. This new database will be used for our restore to populate with our backed up data. Make note of the hostname, username/password and database name for further steps.
Navigate in your browser to http://backup_directory/kickstart.php (where backup_directory is the directory your backup file is located). Insert your Host, Username, and Password information and click on the green Start button. You will see the process beign - do not close this browser window!
Once the file extraction is done you will see a message to 'Please click here to open JoomlaPack Installer restore script in a new window'. Click there.
A new window will open, and you will see a typical looking Joomla installation page, however this is the restore script. Go through the installation process, making sure you put your new information for hostname, username, password and database in Step 4.
After successful Joomla installation (restore in our case) go back to the other browser window and click on the link to restore your .htaccess file if you need to do this step, and close the browser window when done.
The restoration process should now be completed, and you can log in to your newly moved site at /administrator to continue development on the live server.

25% Discount on New Orleans Joomla Class

Steve Burge — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:19:54 +0000

For this week only, use the coupon "saints" for 25% off our New Orleans class!

The class in on Wednesday July 15 at the UNO Jefferson Campus.

Click here to register for the Joomla class in New Orleans.

Content Versioning in Joomla

Steve Burge — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

"What happens if someone makes a mistake in an article? How can we roll back to a previous version?"
"We have a legal requirement to track the articles that appear on our website - how do we do that?"

The answer is "versioning" and there's quite a few solutions out there. Over the last few weeks I've tried all the available versioning extensions available for Joomla and one stood head and shoulders above the others. Its free, its easy and its called "Content Revision". Here's how to set it up:

Step 1: Visit Galore.co.za and scroll down to "Galore Content Revision".
Step 2: For Joomla 1.0, download that version. For Joomla 1.5 you'll need to download the component and also the plugin.
Step 3: In the administration area of your Joomla site, go to Extensions >> Install / Uninstall and upload the files. If you're using Joomla 1.5, go to Extensions >> Plugin Manager and make sure the plugin is published.
Step 4: Go to Content >> Article Manager and edit an article.
Step 5: Go to Components >> Content Revision >> List New Changes. The change you just made should appear in the list.
Step 6: To see the changes, click on the number in the "CR ID" column. You'll be able to see the "Before" and "After" Versions.
Step 7: If you want to roll back to the previous version, make sure you are on the "Before Save" tab and click the green, circular arrows in the top-right corner.

How to Add a Commenting System

TJ Baker — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:31:36 +0000

This week we're going to walk you through adding a commenting system to your site, the easy way!

We're going to be using the 'Disqus Plugin for Joomla' by JoomlaWorks. It's a free plugin that allows visitors to comment on your articles in designed categories and/or menu items using the popular Disqus Comment System.

Here's how set it up:

Step 1: Visit Disqus.com and sign up for a free account.
Step 2: Visit JoomlaWorks.gr and download the Disqus for Joomla plugin.
Step 3: In the administration area of your Joomla site, go to Extensions >> Install / Uninstall and upload the file.
Step 4: In the administration area of your Joomla site, go to Extensions >> Plugin Manager >> Disqus Comment System for Joomla! (by JoomlaWorks), and add your Disqus subdomain name to the Plugin Paramters (this will be the name you added to the 'short name' field when you set up your Disqus account), assign the categories/menu items you would like to allow comments in, and enable the plugin.
Step 5: Start adding comments to your site!

There are quite a few really nice features you can further enable, such as shared login for Facebook and Twitter, and the ability for visitors to post their comment to their twitter feed, thus taking your commenting system to a 'social networking' level! These features and more can be enabled within the Disqus settings and managed in your account at disqus.com

Need further help? Visit the forum and post your question - we'll do our best to answer your questions for you.

Beginner Joomla Trainining in San Francisco

TJ Baker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:50:54 +0000

Joomlatraining.com will be having a beginner Joomla class in San Francisco next Friday, June 26th. This beginner class is a great opportunity for those who wish to get their feet wet and start learning Joomla, as well as those who are using Joomla but still are somewhat new at it.

Read More about the class, and plan to join us in downtown San Francisco for some great Joomla training!

And be sure to follow us on Twitter @joomlatraining for a chance to receive discounts on this and future classes!

How to Add an Image Rotator to Your Site

TJ Baker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:45:55 +0000

This walk you through will help you with adding an image rotator to your Joomla powered site.

We're going to recommend the "Flash Image Rotator" by Joomlashack. It's a free module that allows you to rotate up to 15 images with some pretty nice features.

Here's how you use it:

Step 1: Visit Joomlashack.com and download the free Flash Image Rotator. *You must be registered and logged in to see the download link (register here)
Step 2: In the administration area of your Joomla site, go to Extensions >> Install / Uninstall and upload the file.
Step 3: Upload the images you wish to use to your joomla_root/modules/mod_flashrotator/js_flashrotator/img directory via your favorite FTP client, or by using NinjaXplorer
Step 4: Go to Extensions >> Module Manager. Find "Flash Rotator" and enable it, publish it to your preferred module position, and set the parameters.
Step 5: Go to your frontend and view your newly installed image rotator!

Joomla Training in the United Kingdom: London and Cambridge

Steve Burge — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:59:36 +0000

For the first time we're bringing our Joomla training classes to the United Kingdom!

We're running two classes in the U.K. this summer, one in Cambridge on June 25 and another in London on July 1.

Both will follow the same structure as our North American classes and the price is the same too: £199 in the U.K. works out to be just about $299 in the U.S.

To find out more, click below:

10 Must Have Joomla Extensions

Steve Burge — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000

These are the best extensions we use to create Joomla sites. The only criteria for this list is that they are all completely free and run on the latest version of Joomla.

Joomla Content Editor (JCE). Far better than the normal content editor.
Mass Content. Allows you to create large numbers of articles very quickly.
Lazy Backup. Emails you a daily back up of your entire database.
Joomlapack. Makes it simple to back up and also move a Joomla site.
XMap. Makes creating sitemaps very, very easy.
Jumi. Allows you to paste any kind of code into Joomla. Normally the editor makes a mess of Javascript, PHP and other code.
eXtplorer. You can edit all your files directly from inside Joomla.
K2. If you want something more sophisticated than Section / Category / Article, you need K2. The next version promises to be even better.
Metamod. Much more flexibility for modules. You can set start and finish dates, show different modules for different countries and much more.
Sobi2. Capable of handling almost any kind of directory. Need a listing of staff members? a business yellow pages? Sobi2 can handle it.