I am glad to welcome everyone, dear friends! Max Metelev is with you and in today’s lesson, or rather even the whole guide, I will tell and show you how to create a website on Joomla (Jumla) from scratch.

Creating a website on joomla is not a complicated and very interesting process, otherwise I tell you everything about WordPress. Surely, there are fans of this one among you.

Back in 2000, Joomla was at the forefront and took over innovations in the PHP/MySql space, which were later included in WordPress, Drupal, Magento and other content management systems.

You may have heard that the latest version of this engine, Joomla 3, has been released. It is an exciting product that is responsive to visitors and meets the requirements of administrators.

It is also adaptable for mobile devices, thanks to the use of the Bootstrap framework. This is why Joomla + Bootstrap is so attractive to front-end developers and designers and makes it easy to work with source code and an interface for your code.

The installation process is fast, beautiful and comes with a number of illustrations. You can really quickly get a fully functioning website in a few minutes (I’m exaggerating of course, but the result will be there).

Introduction to Joomla

After installing the files, you will see the installer screen in the browser. This is the first of a 3 step process.

If you don't use English language on your website, you can change it to Russian. Enter your site name and details account administrator. Click "Next" to continue the installation.

As we said earlier, Joomla has support for databases such as MySQLi and PostgreSQL.

Enter your database hostname, username, password, and database name. You can get this information from your hosting. Joomla will automatically generate tables with prefixes to make life more difficult for hackers. Also click “Next”.

On the final screen of the installer, you can select the data type. Hover over each of the samples for an explanation. Below you will see an overview of the configuration settings. Joomla also checks whether the server is configured correctly. If something needs correction, it will be highlighted in red.

For security reasons, after installation we will have to delete the installer folder.

Creating a new site on Joomla

Because we chose the data type, our site is configured as a blog. It has 4 entries on the main page. Click on the title of any post to view the full content. There is also a side column with typical blog functions, such as displaying the latest posts, blogroll, .

In the introduction, I mentioned that Joomla now uses the Bootstrap framework. By reducing the size of your browser, you can see how a joomla site responds on different screens.

Search on the site goes under the heading - logo, images adapt effectively to small screen, and the sidebar goes under the posts on the home page.

Login to your site

Now let's take a look inside the administrative panel at the engine interface. Add the word /administrator/ after the name of your site in the address bar. It will be something like this: http : //your-site.ru/administrator/

Login is possible by entering your name and password, as elsewhere, which you created during the installation process.

The main toolbar, located at the very top, contains everything you need to manage your site.

You will see the control panel after your first login. It includes the most needed shortcodes and data based on the main dashboard. Thanks to Bootstrap, the admin panel is also adaptive, adjusting to any screen size.

Let's write our first article for the site. From the main panel, go to the Content section and then to Article Manager.

There will be three fields that are needed for writing and publishing:

Or something of your own.

You will now see your article at the top of the home page.

At the bottom there will be pagination (page numbering) so that you can return to earlier articles.

Let's go back to the admin panel and our article so we can show you a couple more additional features.

You can also find your entry in the "Recently Added Articles" section or by clicking on Content, then Article Manager on the main toolbar.

You can insert an image into the text by clicking on the image button below the text area.

Click on the image and you will see a pop-up window with existing images on your site.

To use a specific image, simply click on it and then click “Insert”

Scroll your mouse to the very bottom of this window and you will see a section for uploading new images to the site.

The sidebar (Sidebar) contains the most important parameters for each article.

• Status: Publish article or leave in drafts
• Access: If you check the “Registered” checkbox, then only registered users can see the content.
• Tags: Like WordPress, you can organize content into hierarchical categories and free-form tags.

More advanced settings for publishing articles are available inside the tabs at the top of the screen.

• Posting Options: Set a start and end date for posting the article.
• Article Options: Control the display of your article.
• Editor Settings Configurations: Selects what users can see when editing an article on the home page.
• Internal metadata parameters: adding a meta description (description) and much more.
• Access to the article: access control and editing capabilities.

To view and organize articles on your site, close the article you were editing and click on Content and then on Manage Articles.

You will see the entry text in the main area.

In the left sidebar, you can use filters, expand it and find the note text you're looking for.

Templates for Joomla

Your website design is controlled by templates. In the toolbar on the main page, go to Extensions, and then to Template Manager.

Click on “My Default style” and go to the Options tab.

You can change the text color, the background of your layout, upload a new logo, .

We call the main features in Joomla Components. They have their own links in the main admin toolkit.

3 of them are the most useful:

1. Contacts: Allows you to create
2. Joomla updates: the most latest version engine and core in one click
3. Tags: Organization of tags added to articles.

By adding any other component to Joomla, it will immediately be available in this list.

We have already seen that our Joomla site has a sidebar, full of possibilities for blogging. Our system uses word modules for these items in the sidebar.

Click on Extensions, then Module Manager and there you will see a list of functions for the blog: old notes, blog roll, most popular articles and others.

You will notice them immediately, they are in position – position 7

Now, finally, let's take a look at how to control the sidebar columns.

Go to Extensions – Template Manager – Options at the top of the screen.

Set the Preview module to Enabled mode.

Now add the following prefix to the URL - ? tp = 1

You should get the following - http : //your-domain.ru/?tp=1

You will then be able to view the names of all the areas that you have placed on the site. Looking at the default modules you can confirm that many of them are indeed at position-7

Joomla.org extensions

In this tutorial on creating websites on Joomla, we touched only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, there are 1000 of these options.

There is a place where you can find them all - this is extensions.joomla.org

This catalog was launched in 2006 and currently has over 9,000 diverse and useful additions in categories from Access and Security to Design and Style. Its full name is Joomla Extension Directory or JED for short. Let's call it Jeddah for simplicity and clarity :)

One of the main differences between the JED category of Joomla and WordPress is that any extension can be listed, no matter whether it is paid or provided for free.

The picture below is taken from the “Access and Security” section at the link - http://extensions.joomla.org/category/access-a-security

If you skim through the order of each extension, you will be pleasantly surprised by the number of comments. The most popular and trustworthy ones will be at the very top.

In the screenshot below you can view basic information about this Joomla plugin:

1. Extension name
2. Download button
3. Detailed Description

This is a site content management system (its content, functionality, etc.), which accepts this moment a wide variety of forms through the use of various attachments, which in Joomla are called extensions and components. CMS is used for more flexible and multifunctional website construction and management. This is a kind of skeleton, a frame on which all sorts of different plugins, modules, extensions and components are already hung. Today there are many website builders (CMS), for example, the same, or DLE, but today we will look at the most popular system after WordPress -.

In truth, 10-15 years ago Joomla was the leading CMS on the Internet - almost all websites, at least most of them, were made on its basis. Co time WordPress began to supplant Joomla with its more developed functionality and ease of installation and operation. But, nevertheless, now about 30% of users and webmasters work on Joomla, so it makes sense to take a closer look at this constructor. So let's begin.

In Joomla, all functionality is organized in such a way that virtually no administrator intervention is required, except when publishing articles. A site map, for example, is created automatically and in background, that is, nothing is required from the site owner at all. Extensions, after downloading and configuring them, also work independently. CMS allows you to use additional functions For example, you can create a forum, an online store, a portal with films, a photo gallery, a video archive like YouTube - all these features are provided in the form of extensions, components, add-ons and plugins in Joomla. All that is needed to rebuild the site to suit your needs is to install the extension or component you need.

As for the organization of functionality, this is a free constructor, and all its components are also distributed free of charge on the Internet. So if you see that some template for Joomla or an extension is on sale, then know that someone just wants to make money. True, this statement is not relevant for all cases. There are good paid extensions and components, plugins. But, as a rule, most of all these elements can be found for free.

Therefore, if you decide to work with Joomla, then it is best to use its official Russian-language website - http://joomla.ru/. Today you can download and install version Joomla 3.0.3 - this is the most advanced version of the designer, Russian-language and has a lot of pre-installed functionality. Installing Joomla is almost as easy as installing WordPress - well, it takes a little longer and requires more steps. Yes, and the admin panel is also radically different, but with a certain skill you can manage your site with your eyes closed - the panel is designed for an intuitive understanding of the interface.

Below is the video, how to install Joomla 3 on hosting

When I first read the word “Joomla”, I thought it was some kind of African animal. The reality turned out to be simpler and not so scary. If translated from Swahili, the word Joomla means “All together!” That is, the name is a direct hint that this is a free open source constructor. Anyone can propose to make their own changes to this CMS, and they will get nothing for it except fame. True, he won’t receive any money either. The community of Joomla supporters is an army of many thousands, and maybe already many millions. On various Russian and foreign forums, more than a million people discuss working with Joomla, and every year there are more and more of them, just as there are more sites using the Joomla engine.

To start working with Joomla, you don’t need any professional skills and to create your own website with full functionality, you will need the bare minimum knowledge of the language.

- like a children's construction set. You can organize any functionality simply by adding the necessary extensions. You can work with website design in the same way - change templates, or add some design elements to them, for example, widgets or modules. On the Internet you can always find countless templates for Joomla that don’t even need to be modified. By simply uploading such a template to the appropriate directory, you will instantly change the design of the site. All the necessary extensions for Joomla (these are like plugins for WordPress) can be downloaded from extensions.joomla.org. New developments appear there almost every day, so you will find everything your heart desires. Detailed Descriptions

and examples will help you quickly understand the installation and operation of this or that extension. But the main thing in this CMS is its clear and fairly simple user interface. A beginner who understands little about this constructor can install and configure his website on Joomla himself. The list of amenities, advantages and benefits of this engine can be continued for a long time, but it will be too long. It’s easier to install Joomla on the site yourself and start using it. I will tell you in detail how to do this in this article, but a little later, but for now let’s talk about what else this constructor can do.

CMS Joomla components - what are they for?

1. You can literally create miracles with this CMS. I'll just give you a few examples of components and you'll understand a little more about Joomla. So: Component for Reserve copy

All Joomla components are free to distribute, and the new version of the Akeeba Backup 3.1 component is no exception. This extension is an open source component, and it is designed to create backup copies of a Joomla site and its database. The archive that can be created using this component includes all Joomla files, backup copy DB, and with its help you can restore the entire site at any time. The component also has extended paid versions. This improved version adds three new features and fixes bugs previous versions, one of which was critical.

2. Component for organizing the Kunena forum

The developers of the forum extension for Joomla Kunena 1.5.13 announced the creation new version. This extension mainly fixed errors from previous versions, nothing new was added. Many webmasters create forums, and the Joomla forum is a very functional tool. Attracting users to communicate on forums is much more lively if it is organized correctly

3. Component for organizing a guest book on the website Phoca Guestbook

Improved free guest book component for Joomla called Phoca Guestbook 1.4.3. In this version, Czech developer Jan Pavelka replaced eregi function calls with preg_match. This improved the functionality's compatibility with PHP 5.4, and also introduced new parameter— a suffix that functions to change the CAPTCHA session name.

4. Component for creating PDF documents from Phoca PDF content

The same Jan Pavelka published a new version of the Phoca PDF 1.0.8 component. This functionality is based on the non-commercial TCPDF library; the component can create PDF files from the content of a Joomla site. The TCPDF library in the new component has been updated to version 5.9.009, and now Phoca PDF has the ability to work with the Phoca PDF VirtueMart plugin.

5. Component for creating an XGallery gallery

Component for creating an image gallery for Joomla sites called XGallery 1.9.2. As a result of this work, the component now uses the name of the category on the site for the main title. This qualitatively improves the SEO performance of the gallery. A function has been added to visually display the description. In order to enable it, you need to add a small description for the main category - ID=1.

6. Database management component Art Adminer

Art Adminer 1.0.1 component is simple and handy tool for working with the site database. This extension is similar to the well-known phpMyAdmin web application, but differs in that it allows you to access the database directly from the site admin panel. It's really convenient - you don't need to go to your hosting, then phpMyAdmin, etc. You can connect automatically and work with all available databases.

7. Component for quickly inserting ready-made notes Snippets

The NoNumber programming team has released an updated version of the Snippets 0.3.0 component, which can insert ready-made notes into site content. The peculiarity of this extension is that special tags will be visible only in editing mode, and when publishing material on the site, the entire note will be visible instead of these tags. This component will be convenient when using parts of the same size in content.

8. Feed Gator component - news aggregator for the site

The free news aggregator component version Feed Gator 2.3 RC1 is ready for use. This extension can import the contents of your subscriptions' RSS feeds and display them on the site in any format available for Joomla. Early beta versions had several serious bugs, which are fixed in the new release and several new features are added. Version Feed Gator 2.3 RC1 works stably, and therefore is recommended for free use.

9. Narrowly targeted Ticketmaster component - for ordering tickets to events

Ticketmaster 1.0.9 component is created on a commercial basis. This is done because this highly specialized extension performs the following functions: it allows the user to order tickets for various events on your website. The ticket is added to the cart and then sent in PDF format to the customer's address. Ticketmaster has its own libraries to work with PDF files. This version corrects previous errors and adds a scheduler for automatic creation tickets and sending them to the user.

10. Component for uploading files to site materials Attachments for content articles

The free component version of Attachments for content articles 2.1.2 is also already available online. The component downloads a file and attaches it to text or other content on the site (image, table, other files). This function can be organized both in the administrative part and in user interface. The extension has many possibilities, and you can get acquainted with them all on the official Joomla website or on the developer’s website.

Joomla builder support

Of course, with such a large audience Joomla users You can’t do without technical and software support. Below I have provided several resources for Russian-speaking users, where you can always discuss Joomla problems and download necessary components, extensions or templates:

Joomla Extensions Catalog— official catalog of components and extensions. From this repository you can download all available extensions, plugins or components

Website www.joomla.org- official site CMS Joomla

Website help.joomla.org- documentation, tutorials, guides - in general, everything related to working with Joomla

Joom.Ru. Website "Russian House Joomla!" — official website for Russian-speaking Joomla users

What Joomla can do

Now you have a little idea of ​​what Joomla is. But it is important to remember one thing: Joomla is only a tool in the hands of a webmaster. For your new website to be truly effective, generate profit and attract new users, the quality of the content, its correct architecture and, of course, the design of the site are important. How is content structure organized in Joomla? These are sections, then there are categories (headings) of sections in which the content itself (content, articles) of the site is already published. This is just the beginning. Decide how you organize content on your site, and it will be easier for you to configure your CMS to display information correctly. The hierarchical structure of content on the site will be something like this:

1. Section 1.0

5. Section 2.0

And so on, as long as needed.

True, you can organize content in Joomla in different ways. Below is the video - The logic of organizing content in Joomla

Next, you need to create a site menu - with its help it will be much easier for the visitor to find the information that interests him. A menu can point not only to sections or categories, but also to individual pages or posts. It is necessary to correctly title both the menu and the sections, pages and pages of posts on the site. This is also necessary for a clearer orientation. Interesting fact– a visitor reads text on a website 25% faster than on a typewritten page. And that's unfortunate, because you only have (on average) 7 seconds to get a user interested in your site. Now it’s clear why it’s so important to build and arrange everything correctly? Here are some proven tips for a general understanding of the situation:

1. For big size records, make an introduction, after reading which the user will be able to familiarize himself with full version articles.

2. The most significant definitions (in fact, these are keywords) should be placed at the beginning of a sentence or in its middle, but not at the end.

3. Use structured lists to display data more often.

4. Write subheadings: explain to visitors what will be discussed later in the article.

If you have used Joomla before, you probably noticed that the content of the site is completely separated from the site design. Fonts, color styles, graphic elements, positioning - all this is already included in the site template. To create a template, you need a good knowledge of , as well as CSS styles.

But I hope you won't need it, because there are countless free ones already created. Joomla templates, and all you have to do is choose the one you like. Templates can be distinguished not only by color design, but also in many technical parameters. This includes the location of modules (in WordPress, widgets), the number of columns, flexible or fixed template width, and much more. Nowadays, hosting services present Linux as the main platform and environment, and this platform satisfies all the requirements for the technical organization of hosting. This:

1. PHP version 4.2 and higher. At the moment, the most stable version is PHP 5.3.

2. The system for managing your MySQL databases version 3.23 and higher.

3. Free Apache server version 1.3.19 and higher.

To set up your new Joomla site, you will need to create the following data:

1. Create a new database name MySQL data.

2. Create a new database username.

3. Create strong password for the database. Reliable is when the password contains both numbers and letters, and the letters are both small and capital.

4. Specify the hostname for your new database.

If tariff plan If the hosting you have chosen supports several MySQL databases, then you can create a separate database for Joomla. Next I will tell you how to quickly install Joomla on a website and create new base data.

Easy Joomla installation

Control panels are now unified on almost all hosting sites, so you will understand what I will tell and show. Go to your control panel and select the “CMS Installation” menu item on the left. You will see a list of all the offers for CMS installation. Naturally, we choose Joomla:

Next you will see a drop-down window in which you will need to select the Joomla version to install. In principle, you can select any one, and then update it to the latest one in the admin panel. I chose Joomla 3.0.3 - this is the latest version at the moment. Click “Install” and you will go to the next level of constructor installation:

Now you need to fill in all (!) fields in this list. But, since you do not have a database yet, your installation will be denied. Therefore, let's go back a little and create a new database for the site on Joomla 3.0.3. What is needed for this? Go to the “MySQL Databases” menu item and create a new database by clicking on the “Create Database” link. Next you will see this window:

Here we need to specify the database name (think of any name, only in Latin), specify the encoding, check the box “Create a user with the same name and full access to the database." That's it, the database has been created. Now we return to installing the Joomla CMS on the site. As you remember, we had to fill out all the fields, agree to the license and click the “Install” button. Now wait 10-15 minutes, and the system will notify you about this:

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. This article is dedicated to those new to website building. When you yourself have long passed this stage (which takes place in the development of absolutely any webmaster), then it seems that everything is already clear.

Indeed, after immersing yourself in the topic, everything turns out to be much simpler than it seemed on the surface. But for this you need to dive in, and it’s best to do this with someone’s help (at least in the form of instructions for beginners).

We will talk about working with the wonderful Joomla 3 engine, which in its current incarnation is a pretty solid product that meets modern layout standards (supported, for example), security and functionality (using extensions on this engine you can, catalogs, blogs, photo galleries and much more).

Today we will touch on the key points for understanding the essence of working with this CMS, wander through the admin panel, look at the structure of posting materials in Joomla 3, and even work with tools for creating a hierarchy of categories. In general, let's get acquainted with the engine, learn not to be afraid of it, and try to understand the logic of fruitful work with it.

How are a Joomla site and the admin panel of this CMS connected?

We create a public version of the site on Joomla (or any other engine) from scratch - we install a template, fill it with materials, add modules with menus, etc. necessary tools. This version of the site will be the way you want to make it yourself. At first, immediately after installing the engine (if you didn’t install demo data), it will be something completely unsightly (the name of the site, a couple of menu items - an empty shelf for your thoughts splashed out on the Internet).

Hidden from everyone except you (and those whom you deem necessary to let in, for example, employees of your company, your significant other, or someone else) the part is called administrative panel or, in common parlance, the admin panel. Its appearance and the tools it contains are unified and will initially be the same for everyone who decides to create their own website using the Joomla engine. Why do you need an admin panel? So that you do not need to climb through the files of your site and enter the texts of your articles into them. The admin panel allows you to work with the site as easily as you work with Word (at least in those aspects that relate to adding articles). Well, the admin panel also provides thousands of other features, which we will definitely talk about. However, the essence of working with it (the logic) must be understood, because this is the key to its mastery and successful use.

Despite the fact that the main part of your site is definitely that part of your site that will be accessible to everyone, you will spend almost one hundred percent of your time allotted to working with your Internet project in the admin panel.

Logging into the Joomla admin panel and security issues

How to get into the Joomla 3 admin area? Quite simple. It is enough to add “administrator” to the URL of the main page of your site using a slash. If my blog were running this engine (in fact, I have WordPress), then to access the administrative panel it would be enough to type in the address bar:

Https://site/administrator/

If you connect to your site via FTP (or go to the folder local server), then in the root (this is the place where you go immediately after connecting) you will actually find the “administrator” folder, and inside it the file index.php, which launches the admin panel. Everything is fair.

Php"? This is possible, but it is not at all necessary. The fact is that a web server (this is a program running on real or local hosting) when accessing a folder, it will try to find an index file in it (with a php or html extension) in order to open it. By the way, there is an unpleasant moment associated with this (read the link to see how this can and should be dealt with).

Actually, when entering into address bar browser The URL of the main page of your site also refers to a real file. And it is again called index.php, but it lives in the very root of the site (at the same level as the administrator folder). This is exactly what it is a classic example of the appearance of mirrors(for example, two URLs https://site and https://site/index.php will open the same page - why this is bad, read the link given in the previous paragraph).

Naturally, anyone will not be allowed into the admin panel. The defense lies in the request enter login and password, which you specified when installing this engine (on local or real hosting). We must not forget that sites on the Internet are very often broken (for example, in order to use it as a doorway). Moreover, it is not done purposefully, but “on the fly.” Therefore, the not-so-great importance of your resource will not protect it from encroachment. and a non-trivial login can serve you well.

For the forest site safety You can use various plugins that allow, for example, to hide your admin area. That is, when you go to the address “http://yourdomen.ru/administrator/” you will not be prompted to enter a password. To log into the admin area, you will need to use the path that the plugin will indicate to you. In this case, I described the work of the jsecure plugin, but there are many other options, for example, creating another pair of login and password that will need to be entered after the official login from Joomla. But that's not the point.

The reverse side of a Joomla-based site (through the looking glass)

So, we found ourselves in the holy of holies of Jumla - the admin panel. Only you and those to whom you have granted this privilege have access here (you can assign different access levels, at which different sets of admin features will be available). If you have worked with before, then you will not have any special questions, because the “three” and “two and a half” have a common essence and have not changed since then. Added convenience, beauty and safety. The difference lies in the nuances that I will not fail to mention.

How does the Joomla 3 admin panel work?

If you have never dealt with Joomla at all, you will have to work a little harder to understand the essence of its structure. In general, this is not difficult, but for a person who has never dealt with a CMS, the logic of its operation may not be obvious. I judge, of course, by myself, but you may turn out to be much more savvy. Nevertheless I will continue assuming that you are a beginner. For the rest, please forgive me for the unnecessary details. Thank you.

The main admin page of Joomla 3 is similar to what we saw in version 2.5 and even 1.5 (it is no longer officially supported, which may affect security). Actually, you can read about leapfrog at the link. In short, until 3.5 comes out, 2.5 will be considered the most stable. All versions of 3.x are preliminary and not all extensions can be installed on them (for example, your loved one on the RuNet is not yet friends with three rubles, but he is).

At the top of the admin panel there is a permanent drop-down menu that contains everything you might need. As new extensions are installed, this menu will grow and expand in capabilities. The principles for classifying extensions have not changed since Joomla 1.5 and therefore I can advise you to read the article that explains how to install them.

In the central part of the main page of the admin panel there is currently no particularly significant information, but as the site develops you will be able to track quite interesting information here. Left menu replaced the toolbar, which was in one and a half and two and a half. There are “quick links”, which essentially duplicate some items in the top menu, but allow you to get to the desired settings a little faster.

If you are not on the main page of the admin panel, but go to one of the items in the top menu, then the left menu will display related items. "Quick links", which again speeds up the process of working on a site in Joomla 3. For example, when you go to the tab for creating a new user, a menu will be displayed on the left with all the “quick links” you need in this difficult task:

That's all, now it's time to climb inside and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of creativity (website creation).

But no. The screenshot also shows a remarkable change that I personally missed in version 1.5 - opportunity automatic update Joomla to the latest current version by simply clicking a button in the admin panel. Previously, you had to do this, but now you can even do it directly from the admin panel (with some minor nuances). Beauty. So I’ll just update to the new version 3.3.3.

In just a couple of minutes, the update files will be downloaded, unpacked and installed (you will be informed about this in real time). Much more convenient than doing it manually.

What's interesting in the Joomla 3 admin panel? What to grab first? What is important and what is secondary? Why is there so much stuff and what to do with it all? How to finally create a page, menu, add an image or video? Well, it’s not at all clear, looking at this whole mess of menu items in the admin panel. At least this was my personal impression from the first “combat” with the Joomla administrative panel.

Let's start with orientation in the sense of understanding how to return to the starting point, namely on home page admin panel, if you are deeply buried in the settings of something (although I mentioned that you can get anywhere from the top menu, which remains unchanged for all admin panel pages). To do this, use the Joomla logo located in the upper left corner, as well as the top menu item “System” - “Control Panel”.

The second issue to be addressed is usually - how to go to the site from the admin panel to see the results of what you did there. This is again very simple to do - just click on the name of your site located in the upper right corner. This button is also duplicated in the lower left corner of the admin panel - "Site View".

Initially, however, your site will be a pitiful sight, but after filling it out and structuring everything will become “blue and green” (in the sense of beautiful) and your soul will “sing and rejoice.” But to achieve this you will have to work hard.

What can you immediately change in the general settings of Joomla 3?

It makes sense to change some general Joomla settings immediately before starting work. Let's try to do this. You can get to them from the top menu: “System” - “General settings”. Right at this point it becomes very scary, because there are so many of them here (and this is only on one of the five possible tabs - “Site”, and I don’t even want to imagine what will be on the others):

But again, there is no need to be afraid, because I will try to guide you through these jungles in the simplest and most effective way. Together we are strong (don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter so that the next article from this section does not pass you by).

So, firstly, here you can change the name of the site, which you came up with when installing the engine (you could have rushed or simply written something “out of the blue”, just to get behind). Here you can change the settings field of the same name (using it you can format the texts of added articles). True, you will first have to install the new editor plugin, and only then go to the general settings and select “Default editor” from the drop-down list. In general, the built-in TinyMCE has great functionality, but it will need to be configured (I think we’ll talk about this separately).

But we’ll wait a bit with these settings, but for now we’ll make the admin panel easier to use. It’s better to go to the “System” tab (from the top menu General settings) and look in the “Session Settings” area at the number in the line "Session lifetime". By default it is set to 15 (meaning minutes):

At first, this infection frayed all my nerves, because as soon as I stopped being active in the admin panel for more than 15 minutes (distracted by mail, went to drink tea, etc.), I was immediately thrown out of the admin panel and had to log in again and look for a place my last stay in the depths of the admin panel. The thread of the actions being carried out was broken, and given the fact that at that time I was already behaving like a “blind kitten” (I couldn’t always remember how I got to this settings page), this circumstance did not bring anything positive to the work.

It is clear that this is done for safety reasons, but 15 minutes (especially for a beginner) is not enough. Therefore, I advise you at the stage of development and getting acquainted with Joomla to increase this number ten times (and do not forget to click on the “Save” button located at the top), at least for the time while you are actively working on creating the site (then you can set a smaller number ). .

Categories and materials - what they are and how to use them

Further. In Joomla, everything is built around such a concept as materials (content). Actually, any website is, first of all, content, simply wrapped in different candy wrappers (templates). Without materials, the site will be of no interest to anyone (except you, of course). Users who accidentally end up on it will simply have nothing to do there, which will provoke their rapid departure and deterioration.

Articles in Joomla are added on the “Materials” tab - "Material Manager". But don’t rush to go there, because you will need to prepare first. What I mean? If we speak in the language of the average person, then we need to prepare folders where we will store these same articles. And not only to store. Joomla has great tools for showing all the contents of these folders (in the form of a list or in the form of small announcements) to users who visit your site. This is very convenient and we will talk about it in detail.

To create these same folders, we need to select the “Materials” tab - "Category Manager". Previously, in Joomla 1.5 it was possible to create folders of only two levels of nesting - healthy folders called Sections, which could contain smaller folders - Categories.

This was not enough for many users and in subsequent versions of this engine they abandoned sections, but now you can nest some categories (folders) inside others to any depth (level). Let's say that you put category B into category A, and then category C into it - you ended up with three levels of nesting. Plague (although until you are faced with the need to use such a structure in practice, you will not be able to fully appreciate the importance of this innovation).

So, go to “Materials” - “Category Manager” - “Create” and open an account for categories on your site. In fact, by doing this you determine the structure of your future website— group future materials that will be posted on it. This structure can then be used in the menu on the site to make it easier for your visitors to navigate it.

What categories can there be? It all depends on the theme of your site. But it is better to think carefully about this issue in order to make provisions for the future and not to redesign an already well-functioning site, because in some cases this can cause some negative consequences (with the right approach, only temporary).

For example, for a tourism website, you can create top-level categories with the names of regions of the world, and nested categories with the names of specific countries. You can also create a third level of nesting - regions or cities already within these countries themselves.

Creating categories and subcategories in Joomla

An abundance of possible settings when creating a category in Joomla 3 somewhat discouraging, but you need to understand that in most cases you will only need to enter its name (this is the only required field in this form) and select the level of its nesting in the “Parent” field (select one of the already existing categories from the list, inside which will be invested in the one that you are now trying to create), if this is required according to the plan you previously developed (in our case, there is nothing to invest in yet, because this category will be the first).

Field "Alias"(alias) has not changed its purpose since Joomla 1.5 and allows you to adjust the URL of the menu item that will link to this category (you can use the symbols ,,,[_],[-]).. If this field is not filled in , then the system itself categories and uses this in the URL address (it will turn out something like this - “https://site/novsti”).

The “Description” field does not need to be filled in, but if you do this, then when displaying a list or announcements available in this category of articles (by creating a corresponding menu item on the site - we’ll talk about this in more detail), the description you made will be displayed at the very beginning (you can also use pictures for its design).

Save changes made Now you can use as many as three buttons (in Joomla 1.5 there were only two options):

1. Save - you save changes made and at the same time you will remain on the same page
2. Save and close - the changes will be saved and you will be transferred to a higher level (in our case to the Category Manager)
3. Save and create - after saving, the window for creating a new category will open. Convenient when creating the entire category structure on your site.

Naturally, when creating child categories (subcategories), you will also need to select a parent category (in our example, “News”), within which it will subsequently live.

If you look closely at the drop-down list, you will notice a category with the name "Uncategorized". You didn't create it - so where did it come from? Everything is very simple. This virtual category was created by Joomla 3 itself and will store articles that you do not dare to assign to any category. This could be, for example, a page with contacts, directions, and the like. They will all live in Uncategorised.

In the category manager, child and parent elements are easy to track thanks to their visual display with an em dash in front of the name and offset to the right relative to the parent (category names of even higher nesting levels will be displayed with an even longer dash):

There you will also find Uncategorised. If you want to edit something in the already created ones, just click on their name. To remove unnecessary categories, just check the box (to the left of their name) and click on the “Add to Cart” button located at the top. But as get into this very basket? For example, to permanently delete everything from there or restore something accidentally deleted.

To do this, you will need to click on the “Search Tools” button located just above the list of categories, and in the panel that appears just below, find the “In Cart” option in the “Select Status” drop-down list. A table will open with a list of the cart contents. To permanently delete a category, check the box next to it and use the “Empty Trash” button located at the top.

If you want to restore something from a previously deleted item, click on the trash can icon located to the left of the name (Publish).

If you want to shelve something without deleting it, just click on the checkbox on the left to remove this category from publication(it will not be displayed on the site). You can view the list of unpublished items in the same way as we just viewed the list of items in the cart.

Actually, according to the proposed scheme create a category structure for the entire future site. If you haven’t had time to think through everything yet, then you create something that you’ve already decided exactly how it will look. Next, we will look at creating new materials, menu items, setting up templates, installing the necessary extensions and much, much more. I hope it will be interesting.

It’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times - isn’t it? It seems so to me too, so I suggest you take a look 15 lessons on quick start on Joomla 3. They will be played one after another automatically, and if you want, you can switch to the next lesson using the corresponding button on the player panel or select the desired lesson from the drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the player window:

Enjoy watching!

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

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What is Joomla
CMS Joomla - principles of operation free system content management, page creation and caching

Joomla is one of the most powerful and popular CMS with open source and numerous possibilities.

It is used both to create simple individual projects and to implement complex corporate portals and large-scale online stores.

Today, millions of websites are built on this CMS. What explains such enormous popularity and user trust in Joomla? You will find the answer to these and other questions in our interesting article.

• Create an unlimited number of pages;
• Clear organization of the structure;
• Ease of menu creation and management;
• Easy template management;
• Customizable arrangement of all functional elements;
• Setting the order of block output;
• RSS support;
• SEO and cache support;
• Built-in page compression;
• Using extensions to increase functionality;
• Creation of user groups and differentiation of access rights;
• Flexible settings for publishing materials;
• News archive;
• Metadata management;
• Compatible with different operating systems;
• Interface localization;
• Synchronization with a database to store content.

Where is the best place to download Joomla?

The ability to download Joomla is offered by many sites that distribute software and other materials.

Otherwise, no one guarantees the high-quality and complete operation of the installed CMS. There may be functional limitations, extension compatibility issues, and other issues that make it impossible to create even the simplest website.

Version selection

There are three main branches of CMS development:

1. Joomla 1.5;
2. Joomla 2.5;
3. Joomla 3.

Joomla 1.5

For a long time it enjoyed well-deserved popularity, but is now considered outdated, since since 2012 the developers have officially closed its support.

All extensions and other content designed exclusively for this version are excluded from the catalogs, so it will be quite difficult to find what you need.

Owners of sites on Joomla 1.5 can transfer them to the Joomla 3 line, which is currently the most current.

The main argument in favor of such a move is big choice additional modules, improved functionality, security and stability.

Moving a website requires money and time. Beginners are unlikely to be able to avoid difficulties and mistakes. It is better to entrust such work to specialists or to study the issue in depth first.

Joomla 2.5

Joomla 2.5 support ended at the beginning of 2015. You can still find available extensions and plugins for this version, but increasingly the creators are stopping work on them. Updating Joomla 2.5 is much easier - with the click of one button.

Joomla 3

Benefits of Joomla 3, relevant today, are associated with updating many functional features. This:

• Adaptability;
• Improved template system;
• Improved usability;
• Built-in SEO tools;
• Code update.

Joomla 3 is still in the process of improvement and bug fixes.

But it was she who became a striking example of a large and promising engine update.

For what purposes is Joomla 3 suitable?

CMS Joomla allows you to create websites of various directions:

• Business cards and personal pages, for which it is enough to select a template and use the standard capabilities of the system;
• Blogs that are easy to implement with the addition of additional components;
• Online stores for which special extensions are adapted, like Virtuemart;
• Entertainment sites and news portals designed for constant updating;
• Galleries for displaying images and multimedia files;
• Archives and catalogs of any complexity and structure;
• Multifunctional portals of various topics and purposes;
• Social platforms and forums for communication between visitors;
• Corporate websites of various sizes and purposes;
• Non-profit and social projects, sites for charity, educational resources.

Pros and cons of the popular engine

Advantages:

• A combination of free and multifunctional;
• High level of security, minimal risk of hacking;
• Advanced functionality for creating projects of different levels;
• Large range of modules and additional components;
• A huge number of forums and information portals for sharing experiences and support.

Flaws:

• The appearance of duplicates when editing URLs, which will have to be controlled and eliminated manually;
• Limited SEO tools, requiring the installation of additional modules;
• Difficulty for beginners, requiring prior study.

Conclusion

The popularity of Joomla is due to its many advantages, which are confirmed in practice by thousands of users every day.

Joomla software, allowing you to create, edit and manage websites. Most Popular free CMS, that is, a content management system. At the same time, of the two types of CMS, Joomla refers to web content management.

Joomla Feature the fact that when you first install the program, it has a simple set for creating a website. You can increase functionality later. So it’s not difficult for a beginner to understand all the intricacies of working with this system.

Joomla has such characteristics as an interface in Russian, the creation of any sites for any purpose, and supports most hosting providers. At the same time, the web resource will be dynamic and powerful.

Joomla Features

To understand Joomla more accurately, you need to review all of its features.

A clear and simple administrative area of ​​the program, which is a Joomla workshop. Either one person or a group of people can work in it. Editing and management are carried out from here, the administrator zone graphically shows what capabilities it currently has installed version Joomla.

Integration with a web resource written in HTML and smooth operation with this language.

Easy change appearance site using ready-made templates or creating your own. That is, the design is done the way the developer sees it.

Creation of various forms and storage of database. This function includes, for example, a login or registration form for users and logins in a special database. Or creating a feedback form.

Increase the power of Joomla with many free and worthy extensions. This includes a guest book, chat, forum and much more. New versions of the program with improvements are also released periodically.

Security when submitting your login and password to the system. Data transfer is carried out according to its own order of actions.

Design a multifunctional, but at the same time lightweight website interface. This function Joomla allows you to install countless menus on your website that will work in an optimized manner.

The output of any content can be automated and programmed for a specific date.

Ability to create website transitions into most languages. Many web resources have this function of switching from one language to another.

Limiting access for different users to certain materials. For example, registered individuals can download files or view some content, but this feature will not be available to unregistered individuals.

These are not all the existing functions of Joomla, since with the release of new versions of the system, the possibilities for creating and managing a site become more and more.