Okay, so you’re still with me and want to learn how to use Joomla. This will be a very quick tutorial on how to get your first site set up. Now as I said in the beginning, it took me much longer than it should have to learn Joomla. Until I found this wicked online program that has tons of video tutorials and takes you from beginning to end in easy steps. Plus it includes over 500 Joomla templates and over 500 Joomla extensions. ‘Nuff said. Click here to find out about the product that taught me how easy Joomla is!
Okay, let’s continue on with how to use Joomla and especially I want to talk about how to use a Joomla template which has got to be one of the funnest and easiest ways to use Joomla I’ve found. Especially for non-techies. Now because Joomla uses PHP which is a scripting language that is used to produce dynamic web pages. It is often embedded within HTML. Originally PHP stood for Personal Home page but now it stands for Hypertext PreProcessor, whatever the hell that means. If you go with the original meaning you’ll have a pretty good idea of what it does. It helps create web pages.
PHP is important because it allows for dynamic content as mentioned earlier. HTML deals with static content. So if you have a current date script on your web page, that requires PHP because the date changes, it is dynamic. Anywho, this is not about PHP but about how to use Joomla. Suffice it to say that because Joomla uses PHP, you need to have a web server that can run PHP on its database. Most do. The best one that does so is HostGator.
Okay, so if you set yourself up with one of those hosts you’ll have everything you need. Next you’ll need to upload Joomla 1.5 to your server. This is a pretty easy process that you can access through your cPanel with Hostgator. Just click on the smiley Fantastico face and then click on Joomla and you’ll want to install a New Installation. How to use Joomla this way is really easy. If you’re getting lost, there are tons of Joomla tutorials out there to help you, and your hosting company will be happy to help too.
Okay let’s get to working with and installing Joomla templates. The course that is full of Joomla videos and Joomla training materials has over 500 Joomla templates for you to choose from. Plus they have a wicked Joomla template maker software if you want to play around with that too. Fort this blog on how to use Joomla, let’s pretend that you’re just choosing one of the 500 templates.
For argument’s sake, we’ll call this Joomla template that is now residing on your PC “Wicked Joomla”. Head into your Joomla administrative interface, go to Extensions -> Install/Uninstall -> Upload Package File (choose “Wicked Joomla” template from your PC) and then click on Upload File & Install. You’re golden, well done. A quick tip when learning how to use Joomla, I always keep my templates on my desktop for ease of access in these kinds of situations.
Okay so let’s carry on with how to use a Joomla template. To make sure that “Wicked Joomla” is your default Joomla template, go to Extensions -> Template Manager and make sure the button for “Wicked Joomla” or the template you want as the default is clicked. This is how to use Joomla, then you’ll want to make sure that you click on the default star to make sure you complete this task. Click here for the best video tutorials and templates on how to use Joomla.
Wow, I can’t believe it took me so long to walk you through how to use Joomla and we just go to installing the template as a default. Do yourself a favor and get the course and you’ll be up and running in a week. Next time, I’ll show you how to use Joomla plugins as well as how to change stuff on your Joomla template.
Hi, I'm Ryan and I started this blog to share some amazing tips with you about how to use Joomla. I wish I had known this before I made this blog 'cos I would've made it with Joomla instead.