How to Build Websites With Joomla! V1.0

Build a website with Joomla.

Joomla! is a content management system for creating and maintaining websites. It won awards in 2005, 2007 and 2008 as one of the top three CMS programs. It is open source and freely available. As of 2010, Joomla claimed more than 200,000 community users and contributors. A variety of websites use Joomla, including personal, small business, community, and government sites, as well as large corporate portals.

Things You'll Need

• Joomla! 1.0 installation
• Administrator user name and password
• Article
• Menu Item
• Contact
• Web link

Instructions

1. Log into your Joomla administrator panel with your administrator user name and password. On the Control Panel, click on the "Section Manager" icon. Click on the "New" icon. Enter the title, name and optional description of the section. By default this section is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

2. Click "Home" on the top menu bar to return to the control panel. Click on the "Category Manager" icon. Click on the "New" icon. Enter a title, name and optional description for a new category and select the section title you just created from the scrolling list. By default the category is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

3. Click "Home" on the top menu bar to return to the control panel. Click on the "Add New Content" icon. Fill out the title, introductory paragraph and main body of your article. For test purposes, call the article "Hello Joomla." Select the section title and category title for this article from the scrolling lists. If you want this article to appear in the front page of your website, check the "Show on Front Page" box. By default this article is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

4. Navigate to the "mainmenu" item under "Menu" on the menu bar and select it. By default, you will see one menu item called "Home." Click on the "New" icon to create a new menu item for the article that you just wrote. Click on the hyperlink "Link-Content Item." Enter a name for this menu item (call it "Welcome," for example) and select the article name in the scrolling list. By default this menu item is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

5. Navigate to the "Contact Categories" submenu item under "Contacts" under "Components" on the menu bar. Click on the "New" icon to create a new contact category. Fill out the title, name and optional description. Click on the "Save" icon to save it.

6. Navigate to the "Manage Contacts" submenu item under "Contacts" under "Components" on the menu bar. Click on the "New" icon to create a new contact profile. Fill out the name, a valid email address, and other miscellaneous detail for your contact. Select the contact category from the scrolling list. Select a Joomla user from the "Linked to User" scrolling list. If there is no other user, it defaults to the administrator of the website. By default this profile is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

7. Navigate to the "mainmenu" item under "Menu" on the menu bar and select it. Click on the "New" icon to create a new menu item for the contact profile you just created. Click on the "Component" hyperlink in the "Components" box. Enter a title for this menu, such as "Contact Us," and select "Contacts" in the "Component" scrolling list. By default this menu item is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon to save it.

8. Navigate to the "Web Link Categories" submenu item under "Web Links" under "Components" on the menu bar. Click on the "New" icon to create a new web link category. Fill out the title, name and optional description. By default this category is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

9. Navigate to the "Web Link Items" submenu item under "Web Links" under "Components" on the menu bar. Click on the "New" icon to create a new web link item. Fill out the name, a valid URL and optional description for this web link. Select the web link category from the scrolling list. By default this item is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

10. Navigate to "mainmenu" under "Menu" on the menu bar and select it. Click on the "New" icon to create a new menu item for the web link you just created. Click on the "Component" hyperlink in the "Components" box. Enter a title for this menu, such as "Links," and select "Web Links" in the "Component" scrolling list. By default this item is published. If it is not, click on the "Yes" radio button next to the "Published" label. Click on the "Save" icon.

11. Type your website URL into your Internet browser to view it and test it. It should have a menu titled "Main Menu" on the left column with four menu items, "Home," "Welcome," "Contact Us," and "Links." Click on the "Welcome" menu item to see your first article titled "Hello Joomla." Click on the "Contact Us" menu item to see your contact form. Click on the "Links" menu item to see the web link you created. Click on the "Home" menu item to return to your home page. If you have chosen your first article to appear on the front page, that is the article you should see when you return to your home page.

Tips & Warnings

• Although many websites use Joomla 1.0, support for 1.0 has ceased. Consider using a newer version of Joomla. If you do decide to use Joomla 1.0, install the latest stable version, 1.0.15.

References

• PACKT: Joomla! Wins Best PHP Open Source Content Management System
• GNU: GNU General Public License
• Joomla!: What Is Joomla?

Resources

• Joomla!