Using Joomla

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All About Joomla

Joomla For Beginners - https://docs.joomla.org/Portal:Beginners -

Joomla Templates

Themes Providers
- Free
  - Joomla 24: Free Joomla Templates - http://www.joomla24.com/
  - JoomlaShine - http://www.joomlashine.com/free-joomla-templates.html - Free
- Free + Paid
  - Themesbase - http://www.themesbase.com/Joomla-Templates/ - Not all are free
  - Template Monster - http://www.templatemonster.com/category/software-joomla-templates/
  - Billion Themes - http://billionthemes.com/
  - Youjoomla - http://www.youjoomla.com/
Paid Themes based on Responsive Frameworks
- Linelabox - http://www.linelabox.com/joomla-modules - 17Euros to 27 Euros/ Year
Free Themes based on Responsive Frameworks
- Joomlart T3
  - Purity III - https://www.joomlart.com/joomla/templates/purity-iii
- YKSG Powered
  - YouGrids - http://www.youjoomla.com/joomla-templates/yougrids-free-joomla-template-yjsg-powered.html
- Oneweb - http://joomlafuture.com/ - Not under active development - Responsive Template Framework
- Gantry v3 Framework
  - Kirigami - http://demo.rockettheme.com/joomla-templates/kirigami/ - Clean, flexible & Responsive
- Yootheme Warp
- Gavick Gavern
- Helix
- Expose
- JV Framework
Cool Templates/ Themes Examples
- Megalab - http://www.linelabox.com/linelabox/?template_layout=755d40aed97c5742ed040d5b470d8152

KNOWLEDGE

What is Joomla?

GUIDES

Creating Joomla Templates

There are Four ways to to create a new Template

Start From Scratch
Install a Starter Theme and modify it
Copy and Existing Template and Modify it
Use a Software to Create a Theme

1. Starting From Scratch

Articles
- https://docs.joomla.org/Creating_a_basic_Joomla!_template
- http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/webmaster/toolbox/crash-course-create-a-joomla-template-from-scratch.html
Simple Website
- Step 1: Within Templates folder, create new folder and name it.
- Step 2: Create an index.php file + templateDetails.XML
- Step 3: Create CSS File
Using Bootstrap
- Using Twitter Bootstrap Framework to build a Responsive Joomla Template from Scratch - http://magazine.joomla.org/issues/Issue-Aug-2012/item/818-Using-the-Twitter-Bootstrap-Framework-to-build-a-responsive-Joomla-Template-from-Scratch

2. Install a Starter Theme and Modify it

Using Template Creator - http://www.template-creator.com/en/download-joomla-templates - Also for Wordpress!
- Step 1: Create HTML Structure of page with multiple predefined styles. Add and reorganise modules.
- Step 2: Set CSS styles for each block, module, module title or menu. Play with fields to use CSS3 to add gradient, shadow, border radius etc.
- Step 3: Preview Template and see changes in Browser
- Step 4: Export template as ZIP.

4. Use a Software to Create a Theme

Themler - http://themler.com/ - USD49 to 199. For Windows Only

5. Use Joomla!'s WYSIWYG editors plugins

Articles:
- Automatic Building of Joomla! Templates with WYSIWYG Editors - http://news.softpedia.com/news/Automatic-Building-of-Joomla-Templates-With-WYSIWYG-Editors-88639.shtml
Using Dreamweaver
Using J!Template Builder - NVU (Komposer)
- Step 1 : Install Plugin. Restart
- Step 2: Click Builder Button on Komposer Main User Interface and access Popup. Set up working Directory
  - Automatic Building of Template Structure
  - Editing of Template Information
  - Save current document as index.xhtml Transitional
- Step 3: Template Layout Design: Tables Definition, Colors, Image etc. Assign Module positions
- Step 4: Build ZIP and Install Package

Articles

Q&A

The Difference between HTML websites and A CMS like Joomla
- If I use Kompozer to build website, do I still need Joomla? http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1292221 -
  - See reply by dextercowley
    - Can I use a WYSIWYG editor like Kompozer to design my web site, and then load the finished product into Joomla? This would not be recommended for beginners. With a CMS like Joomla!, you can do a complete website without ever learning about CSS, HTML, etc. But to do this you need to be happy with the template. As soon as you want to make changes to a template, you are back to HTML and CSS. The best way for a beginner to use Joomla! (or maybe any CMS) is to focus on the content and let Joomla! do the formatting.
    - I've found a Joomla 1.5 template that I'd like to use, but Joomla SOOO overwhelms me! I want to make a website and be able to manage it, but I'm not much into learning HTML, CSS, PHP, etc. ANS: Have you worked through the Joomla! quickstart guide and the Absolute Beginners Guide (including the Converting an existing site to Joomla! http://docs.joomla.org/How_to_Convert_an_existing_Web_site_to_a_Joomla%21_Web_site? There is a learning curve, but it's not bad if your site is relatively simple.
    - For example, I don't comprehend the steps needed to go in and start editing my template's text, logo, etc. (I know the replacement logo needs to be 1 x 350 pixels, but I haven't the foggiest how to do that!) ANS: f you don't know how to create a graphic, you're either going to have to learn or get someone to help you. Don't you want graphics no matter how you create your site? With a CMS, you don't "edit my template's text". You use the tools within the CMS to enter and manage articles and other content.
    - Also, would someone kindly explain to me, what is the difference between a WYSIWYG editor like Kompozer and Joomla, which is a CMS? ANS: An editor is what you use to create one HTML document or page. If you create a website with an HTML editor, you manually create the menus and links between the pages in HTML using your HTML editor. If you use a CMS system, you create the menus and links using the tools provided by the CMS system and just create the text articles with the editor. Joomla! provides you with a WSYIWYG editor within the process of creating content. If you're not sure you need a CMS, I would start with straight HTML / CSS. Once you have a working website, you will be in a better position to understand the benefits of CMS systems. If your website is small and simple, HTML / CSS is fine, and understanding the basics of these is good no matter how you create your site. If you answer Yes to any of these questions, then you should consider a CMS. Do you want other, non-technical people to be able to add and edit content on the site? Is the content of the site going to change frequently? Is the structure of the site going to change (number of pages, way the pages are organized)? Will you want to have RSS feeds, Banner ads, event calendars, forums, or other complicated features on your site? But, if I use Kompozer to design the complete web pages, would I still even need to use Joomla? ANS: As mentioned above, no, as long as your pages include the menus that link to the other pages. Hope this helps. My bottom line is this: If you don't know why you would use a CMS, don't use one. Once you have created and maintained a website, you'll have a better understanding of what Joomla! (or any CMS) does for you.
  - Reply by assur3
    - There is no such thing as a page in Joomla. Banish that concept from your mind.
    - Joomla is a collection of database items tied together by menu references, structured by a two-level file cabinet called sections and categories, and presented in a layout by a template. Joomla's sophisticated menuing system will retrieve content from the database and artificially construct "pages" according to rules set up in the menu item. Please understand all those concepts first.
    - Next...
    - A Joomla template is partitioned into columns and areas into which these items loaded from the database may be placed according to Joomla rules and validated by a Joomla template standard. No short-cuts. A Joomla template is NOT a sliced-up Dreamweaver file.
    - Content items stored in the database are essentially of three types - 1) articles, which may be placed anywhere in the template's content section, 2) custom modules, which may be placed anywhere in the template's "module positions", which are mutually exclusive of the position assigned to articles, and 3) media files, which may be placed within articles or custom modules, or in certain template areas such as the header, etc.
    - Fundamentally, your site's extended executable functions are of three types - 1) components, which act as self-contained online applications within the Joomla template, 2) modules, which apart from the "custom" type generally used to display content, are mini-applications (such as polls, search, weather, etc.) that can function totally within any one of the template's module positions to which you assign it, and 3) plug-ins, which act covertly to implement scripts or configurations almost anywhere (such as adding a set of tags to a document management system), or overtly as a cooperating code chunk within Joomla or a component (such as WYSIWYG editor).
    - That's it. The rest is gravy, as they say.

OUTLINES

The Ten Best Joomla Extensions - https://www.hostdime.com/blog/best-joomla-extensions-2013/
- Akeeba Backup - https://www.akeebabackup.com/products/akeeba-backup.html - Site Backups
- K2 - http://getk2.org/index.php - Content Manager with fields like media, image management and galleries, comments, taggign, frontend editing, easy templating and sub-templating, user profiles, groups, blogs, drag and drop features.
- Joomla Content Editor - http://www.joomlacontenteditor.net/ - Edit content with MS Office-like functions.
- sh404SEF - http://anything-digital.com/ - SEO Tool. Auto-generate URLs into keyword rich, SEO friendly URLS. *Be careful of what happens to old URLs
- Mobile Joomla - http://www.mobilejoomla.com/ - Responsive website optimization.
- CC Newsleter - http://www.chillcreations.com/joomla-extensions/ccnewsletter-joomla-newsletter-extension - Sending newsletter to one or multiple groups of subscribers
- Widgetkit - http://www.yootheme.com/widgetkit/ - Responsive design widgets. e.g. slideshow gallery, map for business, accordion sections, social media embeds, HTML5 audio, video players etc.
- redSHOP - http://redcomponent.com/redcomponent/redshop - Shopping cart solution. Gift certificates, giftwrapping, sell in multimple currencies, send out promotional newsletters, see traffic
- JComments - http://www.joomlatune.com/jcomments.html - Commment section for users to leave comments.
- Admincredible - http://www.admincredible.com/ - Update all joomla websites, extensions and installations.

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