API Network Corp

Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan

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1st Time Here?

We are a global company building open source relationships that connect you with the world ... READ MORE

The j! Asylum

There really is no Joomla asylum, but there are things you should know before you go template hunting ... READ PDF

Role Playing 101

Without the right people, your toobox is empty.  Install this process with all your Joomla projects ... READ PDF

Why You Need A CE

The Content Engineer is the star of any successful Joomla effort. Don’t start a project without one... READ PDF

Conversion Art

It’s very easy to screw up a conversion project but it can also be easily avoided if you follow these rules... READ PDF

Joomla Knowledge

A Simple Document Download Area Using Native Joomla Weblinks

You can use the Web Links feature within Joomla to act as an effective download manager for users and the public.  This method should not be used for the delivery of secure/private documents as knowing the URL to the document makes it available to anyone. Make sure to set the directory so the contents can't be listed as that will keep search engines from indexing the documents directly.

In this example, we will assume that clients are to be given access to the download area.   To accomplish this, a client will be any Joomla user that is user type Author. (If you grant access higher than that, the clients will be able to edit your website)

To configure this, add a Web Links Category and then a Menu Item. To create a downloadable item, upload it via the Media Manager, then create a new Web Link.  Pretty simple.

READ FULL INSTRUCTION SHEET

Where To Find Templates

 

youJoomla! - Not too complex, easy to add, although they are more integrated with 1.0 than 1.5 right now. (We assume that will eventually change.) Bold colors, large fonts, diverse look and feels. I decided to join them because of a couple of the looks, and in the end haven't found a use for any that I've downloaded yet :)

Negative: Their Contact Us form is for billing inquiries only. Pretty much no way to contact them -- unless of course it's about billing.

Rocket Theme - Templates run more into clubs, associations, younger generation. They have a few templates that will appeal to an older generation of user, but most of them would have to be highly customized in order to do that. There are several good business templates, but none that I would use out of the box. That said they are HIGHLY customizable, and have a ton of options to work with.

TemplatePlazza - Younger generation, I would use these more for teen sites, or schools, anything that would be for a pre-teen / teen / early 20s crowd. Most of the templates are more in line with a cartoon or caricature feel. Good functionality, but very big iconology with lots of mouseovers.

yooTheme - Artistic, good functionality, more interested in how they combine their extensions with the templates myself. I find that their templates are very specific, I can look at them and immediately know if it would work for my client. This is good on one hand, but customization for a "harder" client is difficult.

Joomla Junkie - Very nice diversity, it looks like they work with a lot of different designers, so the templates all have different looks to them. One of the problems you usually run into with a template is you can tell immediately who it came from because of the styles, I find that Joomla Junkie has a lot of look and feels to choose from. They are simple to use, simple to update. There are not a lot of templates yet, but they are always adding to the selection.

Joomla Bamboo - These templates are really very nice, a little more difficult to update than some, but once you get the hang of it, you can really make changes to each one that completely change the look and feel but keep the layout. This is another one though that is pretty specific per template. It's a blog, it's a portfolio, it's a business site. I wouldn't say that all of their templates are multi use.

JoomlArt - This is a very artistic type of template. Lots of diversity, easy to update and a lot of templates to boot. They are changing how they do things, and instead of giving 2 templates a month now, they are only going to be providing one per month, but there are so many of them already, and they always keep them up to date, that it's not a big deal I don't think. This is one of my favorites to start with.

JoomlaPraise - this one is relatively new, but I like how they are doing things - slightly reminiscent of yooTheme in the fact that they are developing some nice extensions as well, very bold colors and ideas, I will know more once there are more templates available.

joomla-templates - I have had people tell me that they like these templates, but I haven't found any use for them. I think they are easy to find, and they are free, so they attract a lot of attention.

10 Quick Steps To Your First Joomla Site

1. Purchase a Domain Name at a REGISTRAR

2. Get Server space for the Domain Name at a HOSTING COMPANY

3. Create FTP access: Install Landing Page

4. Log into cPanel: Install Joomla

5. Clean out the sample content

6. Define the website structure

7. Add the content (content = copy + images)

8. Obtain a template

9. Customize the template (Graphics and Positioning)

10. Tweak and Test

READ THE FULL HELP SHEET

How To Upgrade a Joomla Site

Backup your site BEFORE you attempt an upgrade. There is a chance that upgrading will render your site inoperable.   This happens if your site includes modifications or  additions that are not compatible with the updated version of Joomla.   In this case, each component/module must also be upgraded. In general, the above instructions *should* work on Joomla sites that are only running Joomla.

Also... some domains may not have Fantasico installed.   If this is the case, then the upgrade will have to be performed manually. (You copy the upgrade patch files over your existing) Patches of course can be found at Joomla.org

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Be A Joomla Webmaster in 2 Hours

If you ever plan to hold a technical seminar during happy hour, here are a few things we learned from our first http://LappyHour.com.  Before we begin, the headline above is intentionally misleading.

Nobody can master Joomla! (or any CMS) in two hours. It was an experiment that involved technology, fancy food and chilled beverages in a happy hour setting. While we declared it a full-scale success, we’re pretty sure didn’t create a single webmaster.

When we do another, or should you wish to consider something similar, keep this in mind...  Keep explaining things that are not directly related to the objective of the lesson to a bare minimum.  Give really easy and fast to understand tasks and concentrate on learning the skills.

Everything must be explained in this order: WHAT, WHY, and only then HOW. This refers not only to the general objective of the lesson (We will learn how to use Joomla because...), but to every little step involved.

Read the full paper in the whitepaper download area

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