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Joomla! Tutorial #1

Introduction to Joomla! Installing Joomla! (PDF Format in Attachment)

Installing Joomla! on localhost.

By Muhammad Syafiq for http://forum.codecall.net.

Because Open Source Matter…

Introduction

What is Joomla!?

Joomla! is a open source web Content Management System(CMS) that is very easy to setup for beginner. There is a lot of CMS out there like Drupal, Plone, Typo3, Wordpress and etc.

Why Joomla!?

Joomla! is very simple and easy to use. Well, you might say that Wordpress is so much easier, but Joomla! has more functionality than Wordpress(solely for blogging). Simply say, Joomla! is totally for non‐programmer that want to learn web development with less effort ☺ to professional web developer like you.

However, Joomla! strength lies on the in the application framework that makes million and million Joomla! fans and developers to create extensions and add‐ons. These include dynamic form builder, business or organizational directories, e‐commerce and shopping cart engines (virtuemart), forums and chat software, calendars, blogging software directory services, email newsletters, banner advertising and etc. You can get the add‐ons or extensions from Joomla! Extensions Directory.

Furthermore, it is easier to get help because the community is growing every second. There is also irc channel for Joomla!. Visit #joomla@chat.freenode.net

Why use Joomla!? Because open source matters.

Who uses Joomla!?

Joomla! is used for corporate website portal, online commerce, small business websites, non‐profit and organizational websites, government applications, school and religious website, government application, personal and family homepage, community‐based portals, magazines and newspapers and many more.

Developer used it for integrated e‐commerce systems, inventory control systems, data reporting tools custom product catalogs, complex business directories, reservation systems, communication tools, application bridges and many more.

Tools Needed:

1. Joomla! 1.5 from File Download Error. There are also other version from the website especially Joomla! 1.0 from Projects > Joomla! > Files > Browse Frs Package.
2. WAMP5 server from SourceForge.net: Downloading ... (There is also XAMP(design for cross‐platform) but WAMP5 is much easier)
3. Microsoft Windows 2000 or later. (This tutorial is only for Windows)

Step by step:

1. Install WAMP5.
2. Extract the Joomla! zip package to WAMP5 directory in www folder. For example, C:\wamp\www\Joomla!.
3. Create User from MySQL console. You can find it from WAMP5 icon on the Windows taskbar. Go to MySQL > MySQL console. By default, there is no password, so press enter.Type these statement like above:
   

    Use mysql 
    UPDATE user 
    SET Password=PASSWORD(‘password’)
   WHERE user=’root’;
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   quit

4. Restart the console
5. Create mysql database for Joomla! on mysql console from WAMP5 on the Windows taskbar. Type this statement:
   

   CREATE DATABASE joomla; 
   USE joomla;
   quit

6. Now we are going to install Joomla! which is very simple:
   1. Open your web browser (IE, Firefox). At the address, type http://localhost/joomla! (joomla! is my folder for Joomla! package). This will redirect you to the Joomla! web installation which the first step is choosing the suitable language.
      
   2. Now, press next until your reach step 4(Database).
      
   3. Fill the box:
      Host Name = localhost
      User Name = root
      Password = your mysql pass
      Database name = joomla
      
   4. Click Next until you reach step 6(Configuration).
      
   5. Fill in the box:
      Site Name = Anything
      Your Email = Anything
      Admin pass(important)
      Confirm admin pass
      
   6. Click Install Sample Data before you continue. This is for beginner to play around.
      
   7. Click next and you will be notified to delete the installation directory. Delete it from the same folder you are currently working (Joomla!\Installation)
      
   8. After you delete it, click Admin on the top right. You will be redirected to this page. Use your password that u created last step and login with user admin.
      
7. Now try to visit http://localhost/joomla! on your web browser. By default, Joomla! use rhuk_milkway template. You will see this template on \Joomla!\templates directory.
   
8. This is what you will see inside the admin page.
   

As you can see, Joomla! Content Management System is very complex but user friendly.

This is the introduction to Joomla!. In next tutorial, we are going to see more on how to do some styling on Joomla!. Until then, play around with the CMS so you can get the feeling and the idea on how to use this open source CMS. Why? Because open source matters.