All posts in Joomla

2011 Websites Wrapup

WETM Website
By On December 28, 2011 In Joomla With No Comments Permanent Link to 2011 Websites WrapupPermalink

2011 has been a big year of developing a wide range of websites for various people.

The year started with the release of the Joomla 1.6 content management system which was the first release on the new Joomla release cycle. I was keen to get into learning about the new features and started developing sites with it straight away. Another great new release was the Seblod component for Joomla which allows for customising databse storage of content. This enables people to create powerful web applications and databases with ease.

2012 is looking to be a great year with the upcoming release of Joomla 2.5 and some big sites of mine to be launched in February.

2011 Sites

Upcoming 2012 sites (Currently under development)

  • Ecolife Solutions
  • Children by Choice
  • Speakers Ink (featuring a full customised content system with Seblod)

For more information about my website development, please see http://www.loudboxmedia.com

Best Joomla Extensions

By On August 10, 2011 In Joomla With No Comments Permanent Link to Best Joomla ExtensionsPermalink

There are a few extensions that I think no Joomla site can be without. I’ve spent the past few years trawling the Joomla Extensions Directory and these are the best extensions I think for their specific purposes:

Security

There is a fair amount of debate and concern over the security issues of Joomla. Personally, I’ve never encountered any real security problems with my Joomla sites – and there are a few things that you can do to give yourself some added protection:

1. Backup, Backup, Backup

Akeeba Backup is an unparralelled extension in allowing web administrators to make full site backups of their site in seconds.

2. Firewall Protection

I’m not taking any chances when it comes to security so I don’t mind paying the money for a premium extension. When it comes to forking out money for Joomla components, I always feel like I get great value from RSJoomla! – their Firewall component is no exception.

3. Hide the Administrator login section

Brute force attacks can deterred by hiding the Joomla administration login section. Without this component anyone who knows what to look for will be able to append “/administrator” to your site URL and try to log in to your back end. The JSecure component allows you to add an extra layer of security by making this login section slightly more complex.

Site features

Drop-down menus

I’ve spent hours playing with heaps of Joomla modules for drop down menus. This one is by far the best in my opinion for menus that have dynamic width on the submenu items (the longer the text, the longer the menu is): ARI EXT menu

Forms

There are two options for making forms for your website. The first is a premium component from RSJoomla! called RSForm Pro! – this is great for a beginner who just wants an easy form creation wizard to make any type of form for their website. It also has a bunch of neat plugins like adding paypal functionality. Their support is also fantastic.

Another component that I have written elsewhere about is Seblod. Seblod is a little bit more complex than RSForm and the support is kept to a forum / community responses – However, the control it gives you is amazing. If you have the patience and time to figure it out, its definately worthwhile.

So there are a few of my favourite Joomla! extensions. If you can recommend any others that a webmaster can’t be without please leave a comment!

Seblod – Custom Content and Search Types

By On June 19, 2011 In Joomla, Seblod With 6 Comments Permanent Link to Seblod – Custom Content and Search TypesPermalink

This is my first attempt at a screencast. This is what I have learned about how to use Seblod over the past few days of playing with it.

The video will take you through how to create a custom content type with a few different fields, and then create a search based on your content type. This should help you get on your feet with Seblod without all the trial and error!

If you have any questions or need anything else explained, please don’t hesitate to ask. :)

Custom Content for Joomla with SEBLOD

By On June 15, 2011 In Joomla With No Comments Permanent Link to Custom Content for Joomla with SEBLODPermalink

As a web developer / social media type guy I spend a lot of time on the internet. Most of that time is in constant amazement at the skill of other developers and being overwhelmed with the possibilities that are out there. Today however, I stumbled on a particularly noteworthy find – A custom content extension for Joomla: SEBLOD.

I rushed to install the component on a Joomla 1.5 testing site and gave up on it almost as quickly. as far as intuitive software goes, this fails miserably. HOWEVER, a bit more digging resulted in finding the latest version (2.0) built for Joomla 1.6 – and it kicks ass.

I’ve struggled through a 1 hour presentations that the devs gave at the jandbeyond conference (I’m bad with understanding accents, and these guys are French) – but the language barriers didn’t stop me getting the idea that this thing is raw power. I hope to post more about it when I’ve had more of a play but for now check out the presentation here

 

If you’ve had any experience with SEBLOD I’d love to hear from you