Re: Starting out - with and without sample data...
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- JEM
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 17917
- Thanks: 4
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I want to create a simple site to start.
Whether I use one of the default templates, or one from this site, when building the live site, I want to build it from scratch, i.e., I don’t want modify articles and content or have any of the sample data hanging around when I’m done, I just want to add what I need as I go.
Using the Rocket Launcher, I made too fresh installs of Joomla 1.5 + MediaMogul, one with the sample data, one without.
Installing with the sample data is great because it shows the layout and configuration of all the modules, etc. But, for a beginner without a full grasp of some of the basic concepts, it almost seems more confusing!
Equally confusing is trying to set up the site that has no sample data.
Playing around, I can get some things to work, some thing just don’t.
I just don’t know where to start; it the chicken or the egg problem.
For example, on the empty site I created new menu items on the main menu.
Home was already there, I added Forum, which displays perfectly in a wrapper, About, Tutorials (with submenus), and Downloads.
They all seem to work, clicking on each, they display in the main window properly.
After that, I created sections, categories, and articles.
Section: Download / Tutorials / Frontpage
Categories: Downloads / Tutorials / Frontpage
Articles: Downloads1 / Tutorials1 / Frontpage1
However, I can seem to link the articles with the menu links…
Downloads1 & Tutorials1 are not to be displayed on the Frontpage, Frontpage1 is.
Problem 1: I can’t figure out how to link the new articles to the menus….
Problem 2: the Frontpage1 article appears on all the pages when clicking on the menu links…
To reiterate, I just want to do this:
On the toolbar: Home / Forum / About / Tutorials / Downloads
Clicking on any one of those displays that page and its articles.
I’m not looking for someone to build my site, just some basic advice on setting up the hierarchy and how to link items to menus, or link menus to items. - Thanks,
jim
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- James Spencer
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 46340
- Thanks: 50
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You'd want to either:
1. Ask at forum.joomla.org
2. Read the docs at help.joomla.org or docs.joomla.org
You need to get a grasp of Joomla first and those links should help you towards that goal
- James Spencer / Developer & Support / Hull, UK
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- Chris S
- Hero Rocketeer
- Posts: 292
- Thanks: 0
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James E Middleton wrote:
After that, I created sections, categories, and articles.
Section: Download / Tutorials / Frontpage
Categories: Downloads / Tutorials / Frontpage
Articles: Downloads1 / Tutorials1 / Frontpage1
However, I can seem to link the articles with the menu links
Downloads1 & Tutorials1 are not to be displayed on the Frontpage, Frontpage1 is.
Problem 1: I cant figure out how to link the new articles to the menus .
Problem 2: the Frontpage1 article appears on all the pages when clicking on the menu links
To reiterate, I just want to do this:
On the toolbar: Home / Forum / About / Tutorials / Downloads
Clicking on any one of those displays that page and its articles.
Im not looking for someone to build my site, just some basic advice on setting up the hierarchy and how to link items to menus, or link menus to items.
Generally speaking, the approach to build a Joomla-Site (as with every other kind of Site) is: First off, get an idea of the content-wise Layout of your Site. Draw Diagrams or whatever helps you to get on Track and be sure to be as detailed, as possible at this point of time. With Joomla (or most other CMS) you are even on the Bonbus Side there, because it's easier to add things at a later point, than i.E. in a static Site.
The next thing is to understand, how Joomla organizes Content.
On the Top Level, you have Sections. Each Section can hold one ore more Categories and the Categories hold your actual Content Items (Articles).
Let's take a typical Gaming-News-Site as Example. You would probably organize your Content like this:
+ PC Gaming (Section)
- PC Gaming News (Category)
- New Game released! ((Article in PC Gaming/PC Gaming News)
- EA announces Battlefield: Clash of the seniors ((Article in PC Gaming/PC Gaming News)
- PC Gaming Tips (Category)
- Cheats for "The brave little Rocketeer" ((Article in PC Gaming/PC Gaming Tips)
+ Playstation 2 (Section)
- Playstation 2 News (Category)
- Playstation 3 announced!! ((Article in Playstation 2/Playstation 2 News)
- Why are little white rabbits eating my Mod-Chip? ((Article in Playstation 2/Playstation 2 News)
- Playstation 2 Tips (Category)
- How to cheat like a Pro ((Article in Playstation 2/Playstation 2 Tips)
As you stated above, you already made your thoughts about that and came up with some Sections/Categories/Articles. Great! Just be sure, to really understand the Logic behind this system.
Now, to navigate this Content-Scheme you need your Menu and that's exactly, why there are so many options offered, when you create new Menu-Items.
There are the Possibilties to link to:- Section - will let you navigate a certain Section and from there downward to it's Categories and on to the Articles
- Category - will let you navigate a certain Category and all it's Articles
- Article - direct Link to an Article
Section & Category offer two Layouts:
List Layout will give you a List of the Section's Categories and when you click on the Category it will give you a List of it's Articles
Blog Layout looks similar to the Frontpage. Will show the Newest Articles from Everything below it. A Section-Blog-Layout will give you the newest Articles from all Categories in this Section, while a Category-Blog-Layout will give you only the Articles, from this Category.
To give you an idea, I set up above's example at test.gameguide.cc - Look at the "RT Tutorial"-Menu. Typically, I would make up the Menu like this (Section-Links for the Mainmenu, Category-Links in the Submenu).
You can then Finetune your Pages' Looks in the Menu-Manager (i.E. you have a Category-Blog-Layout as Link... you can go back at any time to this Menu-Item and it's Parameters on the right side tell Joomla, how many Full Articles to show, how many introductory Articles to show and how it should layout these.).
Hope, this helps...
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- JEM
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 17917
- Thanks: 4
- So... looking at the site with sample data installed and the sample provided, maybe I only need one or two sections and then lots of categories under each?
- Thanks,
jim
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- Brian Shea
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 176
- Thanks: 18
- Web Management, Server Admin, Google Apps Service Provider
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Chris S wrote:
Yes... a lot of Sites only have 1 Section and loads of Categories... it all depends on how you want to "split up" your content.
Yes. The whole section/category thing confuses a lot of people. So I try to keep it simple, with one section, and a couple of categories as needed.
Some, I have just used Static pages, which is even easier.
And, now with 1.5, all content is listed in one place, and 'static' is now wisely called 'uncategorized'. -
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