Joomla Template Design

This complete, easy-to-use guide for web designers wanting to create unique templates for Joomla! websites covers template design workflow, debugging and validating code, creating drop-down menus, interactive and dynamic forms, and packaging templates for distribution, with advice on using multiple templates, replacing tables with CSS, using animation and other effects, and tricks to tweak existing templates. Readers need basic knowledge of Joomla! (which can be gained from Packt's Building Websites with Joomla!), of CSS and HTML, and of using Dreamweaver for coding.

Written in PHP, free, award-winning Joomla! CMS is easy to install, simple to manage, reliable, and allows easy publication of content to Web or intranet. From simple websites to complex corporate applications, it is used world-wide. A Joomla! template controls the presentation of content; it provides the design for viewing a Joomla! website and works with the content stored in databases to present a complete website.
A complete guide for web designers to all aspects of designing unique website templates for the free Joomla! PHP Content Management System


* Create Joomla! Templates for your sites
* Debug, validate, and package your templates
* Tips for tweaking existing templates


In Detail
Joomla! is a free, award-winning content management system written in PHP that allows users to easily publish their content on the World Wide Web and intranets. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

The Joomla! template is a series of files within the Joomla! CMS that control the presentation of the content. The template is the basic foundation design for viewing your Joomla! website. To produce the effect of a "complete" website, the template works hand in hand with the content stored in the Joomla! databases.

This book will help you build templates for your Joomla! site. It will help you understand the options in dealing with them. It will help you learn about how to use multiple templates in the same site. It will advise you on creating beautiful Joomla! designs, and using CSS rather than tables in your templates. The book guides you on using animations and other effects in Joomla! templates and provides you with tricks for tweaking existing templates.

What you will learn from this book
* Set up a basic workflow for Joomla! template design
* Work on layouts for your template
* Debug and validate your template code
* Use the W3C’s XHTML and CSS validation tools
* Package up your finished template into a working ZIP file
* Know the standard XHTML markup and CSS classes for Joomla!
* Create Suckerfish drop-down menus
* Get Flash content quickly into your Joomla! site
* Create interactive and dynamic forms in your Joomla! site
* Download and install Joomla! Extensions for your Joomla! site
* Use the wrapper (Wrapper Menu Item) for fully working Ajax applications

Chapter 1 will help you brush up your web skills especially XHTML and CSS and help you to get ready to embark on designing a great template for the most popular, robust, Open Source, content management system available for the Web today!

Chapter 2 covers the key elements of a Joomla! template, and what considerations to make while working with your mock up. You will learn some basic techniques for image extraction and optimization, and some tips and tricks to speed up the design process.

In Chapter 3, you will learn how to set up your development environment and an HTML editor for a smooth work flow. You will also see some of the alternatives to a full Joomla! install. You will learn about the two versions of your design; one with tables and one with semantic XHTML and CSS.

Chapter 4 will help you understand the basic wash—rinse—repeat process of debugging and validating your template's code. You will learn how to use the W3C's XHTML and CSS validation tools and further explore the value of using FireFox as a development tool using its JavaScript Console and Firebug extension.

In Chapter 5, you will learn about the templateDetails.xml file and what each part of that file does in detail. Also, you will learn how to package up your finished template into a working ZIP file that anyone should be able to upload into their own Joomla! installation.

In Chapter 6, you will learn about the standard XHTML Markup and CSS classes for Joomla!. You will also review the standard ways to control what markup is produced via PHP and the Joomla! Administration panel.

In Chapter 7, you will learn to add drop-down menus to your Joomla! template and we discuss various ways to display Flash content.

In Chapter 8, you will take look at the most popular methods to get you going with Ajax in Joomla! and help you create interactive and dynamic forms in your Joomla! site. Also, you will see some cool Javascripts and JavaScript toolkits you can use to make your site appear “Ajaxy”. This chapter will also help you learn how to download and install Joomla! Extensions for your Joomla! site.

In Chapter 9, you will pick up some key tips for easily implementing today’s coolest CSS tricks into your template as well as a few final “fix them” tips for problems that you'll probably run into, once you turn the site over to the content editors.

Approach
This book covers the "how-tos" of creating templates for Joomla. There is also advice about what works and what to consider when working with your Joomla! template.

Who this book is written for
This book is aimed at web designers who want to create their own unique templates for Joomla!. Readers should have basic knowledge of Joomla! (which can be obtained by working through Building Websites with Joomla! ) and also some knowledge of CSS and HTML, and using Dreamweaver for coding purposes.

Author(s) Tessa Blakeley Silver
Tessa Blakeley Silver's background is in print design and traditional illustration. She evolved over the years into web and multi-media development, where she focuses on usability and interface design. Prior to starting her consulting and development company hyper3media (pronounced hyper-cube media) http://hyper3media.com, Tessa was the VP of Interactive Technologies at eHigherEducation, an online learning and technology company developing compelling multimedia simulations, interactions, and games that met online educational requirements like 508, AICC, and SCORM. She has also worked as a consultant and freelancer for J. Walter Thompson and The Diamond Trading Company (formerly known as DeBeers) and was a Design Specialist and Senior Associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers' East Region Marketing department. Tessa authors several design and web technology blogs. Joomla! Template Design is her first book.

More Detail:
hxxp://www.packtpub.com/Joomla-Template-Design-open-source-PHP-MySQL/book


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