Extension Types and How to Install Them In order to take advantage of the full range of features that Joomla!. is an easy task, thanks to the design of extensions, and the Extension Mana
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The results will highlight the basics of the template structure and whether there are
any issues with the way it has been structured From here, you can start to introduce
page elements and find the culprits easily, or check the validation tool results to find
out exactly where the issues are
Wrapping up
If you have developed your project locally, then the next steps will be to move it to a
remote web server This is usually performed via FTP or shell commands There are
some good articles on the Joomla! help site regarding this procedure
In true Joomla! fashion, there are even a number of extensions to help with this
process, one worth mentioning is JoomlaPack JoomlaPack is a site backup utility
enabling you to take a copy of your website and database, and reinstall this on any
capable Joomla! server
JoomlaPack not only allows you to move your site from a local development
environment to a remote server, but it also provides you with an easy site backup
feature to use whenever required You can find JoomlaPack by searching for
JoomlaPack at http://extensions.joomla.org
I wish you good luck with your web projects
Summary
This chapter used a cookbook-style approach to take a working copy of Joomla! and
enhance the framework so it includes a range of multimedia features
We highlighted setting up a local development environment to create a safe and
easily-usable development area, where we can assess extensions, and develop
our project
A range of extensions were installed and Joomla! features configured within our
working copy, highlighting how easily Joomla! can be extended to a media-rich
working website
Finally, we wrapped up with some accessibility testing and highlighted the moving
of our site to its final residence
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Install Them
In order to take advantage of the full range of features that Joomla! can offer, you
will at some stage need to install extensions to your Joomla! package Installing
extensions for Joomla! is an easy task, thanks to the design of extensions, and the
Extension Manager tool that is included in Joomla!:
Please make sure that you take a backup of your files and database before
installing any third-party extensions into your Joomla! site
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Extension types
The term Extension is a generic term used to describe five main categories of
"extendable elements" for your Joomla! site These are:
Plugins
Plugins are powerful extensions that add additional functionality to your website
Plugins can work on different levels, for example, the content, the search, or
system-wide levels:
An example of a plugin may be to add an easy tag into your Content Article which
will embed a movie easily with no extensive HTML code, or to enhance the Joomla!
search system to also search an included extension
You can manage your plugins from the Extension Manager|Plugin Manager
menu link
Components
A Component can add completely new features to your Joomla! website and they
can often be classed as mini-applications in themselves:
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Components add great features such as "shopping carts" and "directory listings"
to your site, and once installed they can be located under the Components menu
Components usually have various elements to them and contain additional
sub-menu links to configuration and management screens
Modules
Modules are extensions that help to deliver information on a page to the end user:
They can display information from simple HTML output to complex information
delivered by the system, and they show this on your site pages Modules are often
associated with components as they provide information to the web page An
example of a module could be a simple weather report, a poll question, or a listing
of events that is generated by an Events component
Modules are managed in the Extensions|Module Manager area.
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Templates
A Joomla! Template influences the entire design and structure of your web pages:
You can easily create a completely different style for your database-driven website
by using a Joomla! Template Templates contain module positions which help to
organize and provide structure to your published modules
Templates often contain numerous parameters for adjustments, and these are available
as template options within the Template Manager in the Joomla! Administration
Languages
Languages are a core feature of Joomla! and the packages of these translate the entire
Joomla! interface including the frontend and administration of your Joomla! site:
Languages are managed in the Extensions|Language Manager area.
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How to install
One of the easiest ways to install extensions is to download the extension and have
a copy located on your computer Besides retaining a copy of the original extension
files, extensions have been written so they can be easily installed with the Extension
Manager doing all of the work:
Log into your Joomla! Administration and navigate to the Extension Manager
menu item
In the Upload Package File section, click on the Choose File button to navigate your
local computer in order to find the extension that you want to upload Once selected,
click on the Upload File & Install button:
You should receive an Upload Success message on the site Your extension may
require you to go and configure some parameters, or publish plugins and modules
that were installed as part of the extension package
How to uninstall
Extensions for Joomla! 1.5 can be uninstalled easily by clicking on the Manage menu
item on the Extension Manager page
Place a tick in the checkbox next to the extension you wish to uninstall, and click on
the Uninstall icon located at the top-right of the page.
Your extension will be uninstalled with a message confirming this on the screen