Watch the Joomla 3 Template and Overrides Webinar

Joomla Site-building

Last week we completed the Joomla 3 Intermediate class.

In that class, Rod takes us through the process of building a complete Joomla site.

The final lessons in the class covered design, using the Breeze template

After the class launched, Rod held a webinar with Valentin, the designer of Breeze. This is a great introduction to Joomla templates and overrides.

Read more: Watch the Joomla 3 Template and Overrides Webinar

Akeeba CMS Update for Joomla

Akeeba CMS Update JoomlaThe Akeeba Team recently released Akeeba CMS Update, an extension that improves the Joomla! update experience. Its main features include improved reliability across web hosts, update notifications by email, automatic updates via cron, and a backup-before-update feature.

If it gets good feedback and there's interest, it could potentially get submitted for inclusion in the Joomla core. The Akeeba Team are also the authors of the current Joomla built-in core updater, which I thought is reliable already, but I guess they wanted to take it to the next level. Kudos to them.

With that in mind, here's a preview of Akeeba CMS Update Alpha.

Read more: Akeeba CMS Update for Joomla

Customizing Kunena BBCode buttons

kunena logoJoomla!'s template override mechanism offers wonderful flexibility with relative ease. If you've ever done this, you know it's a simple matter of copying a core file into the right directory under your template's html directory.

Kunena is no exception although with a slight twist. For example, if you want to do your own thing for the reply/edit page, you would copy the file

Read more: Customizing Kunena BBCode buttons

The Wright Framework from Joomlashack

wright-logoIn previous tutorials, we've covered other Joomla template frameworks: Gantry from Rockettheme and T3 from JoomlArt.

In asking around the OSTraining roundtable about other frameworks, one that was consistently mentioned was the Wright framework from JoomlaShack.

This tutorial will cover the installation and overview of Wright.

Read more: The Wright Framework from Joomlashack

Joomla Content Editor Profiles

JCE ClassJoomla Content Editor (JCE) is one of the top 5 Joomla extensions ever.

First launched in 2006, JCE is a powerful WYSIWYG editor and remains the best way to create Joomla content.

One of the most useful, but rarely used features in JCE is profiles.

Profiles allows you to present different editing options to different users and even on different devices. 

Read more: Joomla Content Editor Profiles

Integrate Google Authorship and Joomla

google authorship joomlaGoogle authorship integrates Google+ with the articles created inside your Joomla website.

This can give more exposure to your social profile because you are listed in Google search results as the author.

It may possibly lead to more click throughs from people who see your photo and trust the result. It may also lead Google to rank your content more highly because they know the content is from a trustworthy source.

In this blog post, we'll show you how to integrate this Google authorship into your Joomla site.

Read more: Integrate Google Authorship and Joomla

Watch the Joomla Hassle-Free Webinar

We recently did a guest webinar for Siteground called, "8 Ways To Manage Joomla Hassle-Free".

We showed how to set up your Joomla admin area for the easiest possible management.

We'll also introduced some of the newest features in Joomla that will make your website life much, much simpler.

Read more: Watch the Joomla Hassle-Free Webinar

The Best 6 Real Estate Extensions for Joomla

best 6 real estate extensions joomlaWith more home hunters than ever turning to the internet to find their next property purchase, estate agency websites are flourishing.

With an array of easy-to-use Joomla extensions, setting up your own Real Estate website is budget and brain friendly.

But which extension is the right one for your business?

This guide will walk you through the top 6 Joomla Real Estate extensions currently available.

Read more: The Best 6 Real Estate Extensions for Joomla

Joomla 3 Post-Installation Messages

joomla3-post-installation-messagesJoomla 3.2 was packaged with a lot of great features. If you're looking for a full list of the main features of 3.2, click here.

One of the ones that we'll highlight today is the Post-installation Messages feature. This is Joomla's way of letting you know important information that needs your attention after upgrading (or installing Joomla for the first time). 

Read more: Joomla 3 Post-Installation Messages

Test Joomla Upgrades Before Updating Your Live Site

joomla3-test-upradesIt is common for people to update their sites before testing to see if anything will break.

However, although this is common, it definitely isn't wise. We always recommend that you test your updates before applying them, particularly if your site is important to your business.

The following tutorial will show you how to test Joomla upgrades before updating your live site.

Read more: Test Joomla Upgrades Before Updating Your Live Site