Beginning Joomla! Web Site Development [Paperback]

Cory Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470438533 | ISBN-13: 978-0470438534 | Edition: 1

By programmers for programmers-the essential beginner's guide to building websites with Joomla!

Want to build and maintain dynamic websites without having to learn HTML and CSS? Joomla! open-source web content management system and this beginner's guide are all you need. This book walks you step-by-step through the process of building a website with Joomla!, providing detailed instruction in Wrox's practical, programmer-to- programmer style.

The book explores key concepts and shows how each concept relates to the development of an actual real-world web site you can access online.

• Joomla! is an open-source web content management system used to build and maintain dynamic web sites without using specific web languages like HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Walks you step by step through the process of building a website with Jooma! and features plenty of examples of actual websites that illustrate concepts
• Topics include configuration; managing content, core modules, plugins, menus, and extensions; building custom templates; and performing troubleshooting; also provides advanced tips and tricks, and more

From configuration and management to troubleshooting and advanced tips, this is the book to get you up and running with Joomla!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since its release in 2005, Joomla! has become one of the most popular open-source content management systems in the world. It is used by millions of people to build and maintain professional, easy-to-manage sites. Written with an approachable and informative writing style, this hands-on book introduces you to Joomla! and gets you started with using this powerful, versatile tool for developing and managing Web sites.

Joomla! guru Cory Webb teaches you the concepts that every beginner should know. He walks you through the process of building a Web site with Joomla! and reinforces the topics discussed throughout the chapters with real-world examples. You'll gain a clear understanding of Joomla! and learn how to get things done within the Joomla! framework. Using this book, you will be able to harness the power of Joomla! to accomplish the goals you want to achieve with your Web site.

What you will learn from this book

• How to understand and use the language and jargon of Joomla!
• How to extend Joomla!'s functionality (components, modules, plugins, templates, and languages
• What concepts are involved in building custom Joomla! templates
• How to set up sections, categories, and articles
• Ways to test your site and troubleshoot issues that may arise
• Tips and tricks for achieving non-standard functionality in Joomla!

Who this book is for
This book is for anyone interested in using Joomla! to build a Web site.

Updates, source code, and Wrox technical support at www.wrox.com

About the Author

Cory Webb is a web designer and developer and the owner of CoryWebbMedia, LLC, where he specializes in building web sites with the premier content management system (CMS), Joomla!. He is perhaps best known for his instructional site, HowToJoomla.net, where he shares his insights and experiences through tips and tricks for beginning Joomla! users. Since the inception of HowToJoomla.net, he has written dozens of articles that have been well received by the Joomla! community. He has received numerous accolades such as "Sweet Jesus, thank you! I spent a day and a half looking for this bit of code! You’ve saved my sanity!" and "Thank You! I REALLY needed this solution!" He began working with Joomla!’s predecessor, Mambo, in 2003 when he was given the task of building a web site for his employer. After an exhaustive search for the right CMS, he found Mambo and never looked back. In May 2006, Cory started working part-time as a freelance developer for JoomlaShack.com. In February 2008, he parlayed that freelance work into a full-time career as the founder of Cory Webb Media, LLC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 1 edition (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470438533
• ISBN-13: 978-0470438534
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cory Webb started his journey with Joomla! in 2003 when he was searching for a content management system to use to build a website for the software company he was working for at the time. He stumbled across a site called OpenSourceCMS where he was able to try out several open source CMS's that were available at the time. It was there that he discovered a CMS called Mambo, and he loved the intuitive and powerful interface. He quickly decided that this was the CMS that he would use to build his company's site, and he never looked back. In 2005, when the Mambo core team decided to leave Mambo and start Joomla!, Cory followed because he knew that the software was only as good as the team that develops it.

In the four years since Joomla! was founded, Cory has built dozens of websites with Joomla! and helped thousands of people find answers to questions about Joomla! through his site, HowToJoomla.net. He continues to write tutorials, tips and tricks as he comes across new ideas and techniques so that he can share what he's learned with the thousands of people who visit his site every month. Most recently, Cory has written a book about Joomla titled Beginning Joomla! Web Site Development published by Wrox in April, 2009.

Cory earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and two years later he began work on his MBA at Baylor University, which he completed in May of 2005.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Understandable June 2, 2009

By James S. Hafner

Format:Paperback

I've used Joomla and Mambo since the early days. Throughout the years I've picked up quite a bit of a working knowledge of Joomla, though there were always things in and about Joomla that I couldn't explain. Cory's book takes a user all the way from installing Joomla for the first time through advanced Joomla tricks, all without being wordy or overly-in-depth.

Other Joomla books lose my attention too quickly because they either teach you the skills through lengthy exercises or through multiple paragraphs-worth of details. Cory does a good job of laying out practical advice and straight-forward techniques that are considered best practices for anyone who utilizes Joomla professionally or as a hobby.

This book won't replace the Joomla API manuals sitting on my shelf, but I have dog-eared and highlighted more in this book than in any other Joomla book I own. It has really helped me round out my knowledge of the 'little things' about Joomla and has helped explain some of the Joomla quirks I've always wondered about. It is highly recommended for new and advanced Joomla users alike.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for those new to Joomla April 20, 2009

By Christopher Raymond

Format:Paperback

As a Web developer, I've had a chance to work with many proprietary and open source CMS systems. When I decided to advance my knowledge of Joomla 1.5, I picked up a copy of this book. Cory does a great job of explaining each component of Joomla and best practices when working in this CMS framework. I particularly like the "Try it out" and "How it works" sections of each chapter. Overall an easy to follow book to learn the ins and outs of Joomla and highly recommend for anyone looking to learn Joomla.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for getting started July 6, 2009

By Joatmon

Format:Paperback

I'm very technical, but was not familiar with Joomla. I wanted something to get me going quickly. Reading this book was much easier for me than trying to read the info scattered around [...] and on the net. It introduces you to the key Joomla terminology and topics in a useful order. It was great at getting me going quickly, and it gave me enough info to then start experimenting with the joomla admin tool. Once I did that I could really start grasping the concepts. It is a well written book to get you going quickly. Don't expect this book to teach you advanced techniques for Joomla. It is exactly what the title says, "Beginning Joomla".