We are Open!: Registration is now open for the January 2010 online Joomla! training course
the virtual classroom opens January 4th
First Lesson posted January 9th

From a basic install of the Joomla! Content Management System, with hosting provided by LVS Associates for this class, you will build an example site for the new (and imaginary!) LVS Online Garden Center. We have the Client’s brief, the images and dummy content and this course will take you through the development, step-by-step, from beginning to completion.

It isn’t a manual, it isn’t a series of unrelated ‘how tos’ – it is a complete site build for you to wrap up and take away at the end of the course and adapt for your own use. You don’t need any books or software for this class – it is a specially written course for LVS Online with original material.

The best way to learn is by ‘doing’ and with the Joomla! Fast Track Course at LVS Online it will be like having your own personal tutor guiding you. Comprehensive Course Notes are provided with each lesson and the Instructor is available in the Joomla Class Online Virtual Classroom at LVS Online for help and assistance during the class.

Course Cost $30US for new students $24US for returning students

WARNING! Once you have found LVS Online Classes there is no available cure for LVSELA (LVS eLearning Addiction). ]]> http://lvsonline.com/online-joomla-class/what-is-the-joomla-fast-track-course-at-lvs-online/feed/ 14 http://lvsonline.com/online-joomla-class/what-is-the-joomla-fast-track-course-at-lvs-online/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/online-joomla-class/~3/ZBgU1TuXrBQ/ http://lvsonline.com/online-joomla-class/deciding-on-a-color-scheme-for-your-joomla-site/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:40:36 +0000 Hils http://lvsonline.com/online-joomla-class/?p=291 Color theory is a massive subject in its own right! But often, the colors in your site can be based on your main image. The image you have decided to use that will be part of the ‘look/feel’ for your design.

One thing I always remember, and you can look at any colorful garden to check this out, is that nature never clashes. Nature puts some of the most outrageous colors together without a problem despite our human rules.

Usually I will use a color picker to check out colors in an image, but here is an online tool that will do the job quickly for you.

First you have to upload an image. I just used my avatar image in this instance (and, I admit, out of curiosity!).

The original image:

Original Image

The resulting color scheme:

Color Scheme

and another!

Original Image

The color scheme:

Color Scheme 2

You can try out the free online Pictaculous Color Palette Generator for yourself here – it’s fun too and there is quite a bit more to explore when you have generated your own color scheme!

New Joomla! Users Tips & Tricks

I bet they haven’t! Joomla! Admin backend remembers what you last did whilst you are working with it. So, for example, if you were editing an article in one of your specific sections or categories and chose to look for it by using a filter, when you go back to Article Manager it can look as though all the others have disappeared. Just put the filters back to ’select section’ and ’select category’ and you will see them.

The same can happen if you look for plugins and modules in their managers. You might have looked for all modules in the left position, you might have looked for all ‘content’ plugins – just remove the filters and the others will reappear.

Filters are a great way to find what you want quickly – but remembering that you used a filter can save those panic moments when you think everything else has been lost for ever.

But time and time again you will see ‘panic’ requests for help with post titles like ‘Help’, ‘Please answer today’ and post content such as ‘can’t make xxx work can anyone help’.

By posting like that you are doing two things – first you are losing the support of busy developers who might just have an answer if they knew what the question was and second, perhaps more importantly, it will be hard for people with the same question to be able to search and find the answer to their problem which you have already had an answer to.

So before you rush to print, think about what you are asking…

Have you searched the forums to see if the question has been answered before? Search both the forums and with Google. Most questions have been asked by someone else! There isn’t much new under the sun…

What do you have a problem with? Is it part of Joomla or is it a problem ‘third party’ extension (component, module, plug-in etc). Consider asking about third party extensions on their own forums, they often have them. Check in the Joomla JED (Joomla Extensions Directory) for the link.

Is your title relevant to your question? Make it count! A question such as ‘Component XXX – installation error’ will get looked at far more than ‘Help’.

Is your question posted in the correct place? Check out the Joomla Forum, look at the child boards and choose the one relevant to your question. Make sure you choose the board relevant to your Joomla – are you using Joomla 1x or 1.5x for example. [Ed. note to Joomla Fast Track Students - you are using the current version of 1.5x which is 1.5.10]

Have you given a Developer enough information to answer your question? True Developers are ‘Engineers’ – they work in a clear, logical way and generally aren’t concerned with emotions! They want a clear description of the problem – when it happens, what happens, how can they reproduce it.

Let them know your ‘environment’:
What system is your site hosted on – eg Linux, Windows,?
Is your site ‘live’ or are you working on your desktop using a local server? – if it’s live, give them the link!
What system are you using – Windows XP SP?, Win2k SP?, Windows Vista? Ubuntu? Mac?
What browser are you using and what version? Firefox 3x? IE7x? Safari? etc
What Joomla Version?
What is the version of the extension you have a problem with?

Include any error messages you have received.

Finally, don’t just ask a question and disappear! Subscribe to your question, go back and check the answers and if you find the solution yourself elsewhere, post the answer to the board and mark it as ’solved’.

Always thank anyone who helps you solve your problem and, whilst you are on the boards, check to see if there are any questions you can answer – that’s how a good Community works!

The final decision will be made by the students in an anonymous vote ten days after the last lesson is posted. The virtual classroom is the ‘heart’ of an LVS Online course which adds to the experience of learning online.

Artisteeris the first and only Web design automation product that instantly creates fantastic looking, unique CMS website templates and blog themes. Recently added, the ability to create a Joomla! template with over 22 fully collapsible positions, is making Artisteer ‘must have’ software for the Joomla! Developer.

First, get the image properties of the gradient you need to change. It’s easy in Firefox – right-click on the image and choose ‘view Background Image’. When the image opens, right-click again on the image and choose properties. In properties it will give you the dimensions (width always first, height second). Write them down… At this stage, also make a note of the filename of the image as it will be easier for you to use the same filename for your new image – noting whether it is a.png or a .jpg.

For this example, I made 100px x 100px images using the dark gray at the top of this blog (#191a1a) and the light gray at the bottom (#c0c0c0) adding the red (#990000) and white (#ffffff) for the 4 color. This time I chose to make .jpg files.

Of course you can make gradients in your favorite graphics program but this is the easy way – try this online Gradient Tool!

To use, simply replace the original gradient image with your new one in your template images folder.

It’s not just Lorem Ipsum, it is content that demonstrates how Joomla! works. You can explore how they have styled the content, what features the default template has eg content layouts and example pages and how the navigation works. Learning by example.

If you choose not to install the content you will be faced with something like this:

Fresh Joomla! install

This is how the Joomla Fast Track students will begin, but they will be guided stage by stage and end up with a working site – on your own, as a first time Joomla! user, it is much more difficult.

Ever tried the Tartan Generator for a Seamless Background Image? We did and came up with a Joomla! Fast Track Tartan…

diagonal tartan

horizontal tartan

all we need are the bagpipes now!

“You get what you pay for…” aha! but that doesn’t take into account philanthropy and passion does it?

Each LVS Online Instructor has their own story. But the common threads are energy, love of people, passion for their subject and a desire to share their knowledge.

My story? I joined LVS as a Student because I didn’t know what a coding ‘p’ was, or a ‘table’. It was frustration probably. But it is a decision I will never ever regret. It was at the time when designing websites with tables was changing to html and css. LVS taught both simultaneously. Radically, at that time, I decided to go with the css/html and it was radical at that time – there was a lot of resistance from the ‘old schoolers’ who didn’t understand that we weren’t throwing out tables completely, we still use them for data, but that we could position with, and remove styling to, our style sheets.

LVS guided me through all that, teaching standards compliant, up-to-date coding. They enabled me to be free.

Perhaps you will understand more why LVS Classes remain $30 for a six week instructor-led course (less for returning students) – no matter what your financial situation, LVS tries to make sure you can afford them. We all love our subjects and we want to ’share’ and to make you love and understand them too.

Check out the list by clicking here to go to Alledia