Chapter 3 [ 47 ] Time for action – tour the example site Let's take a closer look at the demo site and see some real life examples of page layouts. You'll see how the content in the mainbody and the modules in the surrounding content area change depending on the menu hyperlink you click: 1. Enter the URL of your site (for example, http://www.mysite.com) in your web browser. If in Chapter 2 you have installed Joomla! into another folder, the URL would be http://www.mysite.com/otherfoldername. You'll re- cognize the home page, as displayed in the following screenshot. The mainbody (the visible part of it outlined in the screenshot) consists of several arcle intro texts; above it, to its le-hand side and right-hand side, are modules. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 48 ] 2. Let's explore how the layout changes on a dierent page. In the Main Menu, click on Joomla! Overview. You'll noce that the mainbody displays what Joomla! calls an arcle, the most common type of page content (the mainbody is again outlined in the following screenshot): The mainbody takes up more screen space this me. On the right-hand side column, the home page modules have disappeared. This is part of the site design; the right-hand side column doesn't display when it contains no content. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM Chapter 3 [ 49 ] 3. In the Main Menu, click on More about Joomla!. You'll see another type of page layout. The mainbody now contains a short list of links to content secons: The Project, The CMS, and The Community. 4. Now check out one last type of page layout. On the Main Menu, click on The News. As you can see, the mainbody displays a series of short introducons (or teasers). Below each intro is a Read more link that shows the full arcle. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 50 ] What just happened? At rst sight, the Joomla! example site may seem overwhelming. There are many bits of content, many hyperlink lists, menus, and many dierent types of web page layouts. But in fact, many pages on Joomla! sites are built around the four page layouts you've just discovered: the home page, content pages (with one main arcle in the mainbody), and two types of "pages in between". These "pages in between" funcon as hyperlink lists combined with either short descripons of the content secon or introductory texts to the arcles themselves. These "in-betweens" help users discover the site contents by oering them an overview of arcles on related topics. You've also discovered how the mainbody can be combined with dierent modules. In the example site, the home page is jam-packed with modules. All of the other pages just show a few module items in the top bar and le-hand side column. On those pages, the right-hand side column has no content and its place has been taken by the mainbody content. Have a go hero – get familiar with the example site contents Take some me to browse your example site. By now, you'll be able to see the framework behind the dierent pages and understand how dierent combinaons of mainbody and modules are put together to create unique web pages. You'll also noce that there is more to explore than just pages with "classic content" (arcles, text, and images) that we've seen so far. Although classic content pages may be at the core of many websites, in a dynamic site all kinds of dynamic content can be displayed in the mainbody. Have a go at the Poll on the home page, or try out the Search box. You'll see the mainbody will show the (dynamic) poll and search results. For now, we won't go any deeper into these dierent types of dynamic content—though it's important to realize that they exist and that they take Joomla!'s capabilies much further than just plain old "presentaon of text and images". We'll cover this subject in more detail in the next few chapters. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM Chapter 3 [ 51 ] Taking control: Administering your site in the backend The backend is the cockpit of your Joomla! jet. It's the administraon interface that lets you take your website to new heights. From the backend, you manage your site. It's organized quite neatly, so you'll learn to nd your way around it prey fast. Let's have a closer look at the backend interface right now. Time for action – log in to the backend 1. To access the backend of your site, you' ll add /administrator to the address of your website. If your site is http://www.mysite.com, type http:// www.mysite.com/administrator in the address bar of your browser. 2. There it is, the secret entrance to your site! You'll see a login prompt: 3. Enter your username (by default, that's admin) and the password you've entered when installing Joomla! (see also Chapter 2). Click on the Login buon. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 52 ] 4. Aer you've successfully entered your credenals, you'll enter the actual ad- ministraon interface: the backend home page (the Control Panel). This interface provides access to all of the funcons that you need as a site administrator, (such as adding content, changing menus, customizing the layout, and so on): What just happened? You've logged in to the backend of your site, and—lo and behold!—you've entered the Control Panel, only accessible to users with special access rights. You'll be coming back there for every site management acvity. As the site administrator, you'll probably want to make a shortcut in your browser to the /administrator URL. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM Chapter 3 [ 53 ] Taking a closer look at the Control Panel Let's look at the Control Panel in more detail. In the following screenshot, the four main screen areas of the Control Panel are outlined: 1. Menu bar The top menu bar is an essenal feature of the Control Panel. This is really where all of the acon is. The seven items in this drop-down menu (listed as follows) give you access to all of Joomla!'s content management tools and funcons: Site: User access management, le management, global conguraon Menus: Menu management Content: Add or change arcles, change site structure Components: Manage special features, such as banners and polls Extensions: Manage extensions and templates which extend the funconality and capabilies of your website Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 54 ] Tools: Send simple e-mail messages to site users (private messages), clear site cache, and so on Help: Joomla!'s online help funcon This top menu is the one you'll use over and over again when working on your site. For now, we'll rst have a look at the other panels and controls; aer that we will start exploring the wide range of capabilies hidden behind all of the top menu items. 2. Shortcut buttons A series of buons that oer quick access to frequently used funcons (which you can also access through the top menu), such as adding a new arcle or changing site sengs. 3. Preview and Info Bar In this part of the Control Panel you'll nd the following funcons: Preview: Open the website's home page in a new browser tab or window Informaon on the number of private messages (messages sent to you by other users of the site) to be read by you, and the number of users logged in Logout: Logout from the backend 4. Information panels Click on the tle of these six informaon panels to show their content. The Welcome to Joomla! panel contains helpful links for new users. The other panels are self-explanatory. Click on the tle (such as Logged In Users or Popular) to browse up-to-date informaon on your site's users and content. The Joomla! Security Newsfeed panel keeps you informed on security issues. Understanding backend tools and controls The Control Panel is the home page of the backend. Whatever acon you want to perform, the dozens of links on the Control Panel page lead you to the appropriate tools or Managers, as Joomla! calls them. Examples are the Arcle Manager, the Menu Manager, and the User Manager. That's where the real acon takes place. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM Chapter 3 [ 55 ] Although there are many dierent Managers and other types of administraon tools, it's quite easy to grasp the way they work. All of the interface pages share the same base layout and show a toolbar in the top right posion of the screen. In the following screenshot you can see the control buons of Joomla!'s Arcle Manager toolbar: Many Managers share commonly used features, such as New, Edit, Copy, and Trash. Let's look at the funcons of the toolbar buons in more detail: It's prey straighorward to grasp what the buons are about: Unarchive, Archive: Archive arcles and make these accessible only through a special archive menu Publish: Make an arcle visible to your visitors Unpublish: Make an arcle invisible to your visitors (without throwing it away) Move: Move an arcle to another content category Copy: Create a duplicate of an arcle Trash: Send an arcle to the Trash (to delete it) Edit: Edit an arcle New: Create a new arcle Parameters: Change general arcle sengs Help: Browse to Joomla!'s online help The toolbar is context sensive. It will display the buons relevant to the current acvity. When you click on the Edit buon in the Arcle Manager you'll be taken to the arcle editor screen. In this screen you'll see the following set of toolbar buons: Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 56 ] Preview: Open a pop-up screen giving you a rough impression of what the formaed arcle will look like Save: Save changes and close the current window (this takes you back to the Arcle Manager) Apply: Save changes, without closing the current window Close: Cancel without saving any changes Help: Browse to Joomla!'s online help As you can see, most toolbar buons are self-explanatory. Note, however, the dierence between the Apply and Save buons. Click on Apply to save changes without leaving the current page. You'll nd that when eding the text of an arcle, it's easiest to click on Apply and Preview to check the results in a new browser window. To correct a typo or change the arcle layout you don't have to re-select the arcle and open it again for eding. When you're sased with the results, click on Save to leave the eding screen. The same applies to any occurrence of Save and Apply on other Joomla! interface screens. Clicking on the Apply buon every now and then, when wring a long arcle, will ensure your arcle contents are saved. You can lose all of the unsaved changes when you leave the arcle editor open (without acon) for more than 15 minutes. Later in this chapter you'll learn how to change this 15 minute seng to allow you to take some more me for your well-deserved coee breaks. Getting your feet wet: Start administering your site We have had a rst look at the Control Panel screen layout and the main backend toolbars. You're probably dying to try out how the thing actually works! I'll test your paence just a lile more. First, we'll make some more sense of the Control Panel and nd out what you really need to know to get started on this impressive tool box. Aer all, its main menu bar consists of seven menu opons with more than 40 submenu items. That's a wealth of CMS power—but it's also quite daunng. We won't go into all of the menu items and their capabilies here; rather, you'll learn how to use the important menu opons as you go along building your site in the next chapters. For now, let's go ahead and see what the primary funcons are. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM . to Know Joomla! [ 48 ] 2. Let's explore how the layout changes on a dierent page. In the Main Menu, click on Joomla! Overview. You'll noce that the mainbody displays what Joomla! . arcle. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 50 ] What just happened? At rst sight, the Joomla! example site may seem overwhelming. There are many bits of content,. you've entered when installing Joomla! (see also Chapter 2). Click on the Login buon. Download at Wow! eBook WWW.WOWEBOOK.COM First Steps: Geng to Know Joomla! [ 52 ] 4. Aer you've successfully