Joomla: Simple Yet Complex
With countless tutorials promising to teach Joomla in a day, it’s important to understand the reality. Joomla, a popular content management system (CMS), is touted as a platform that allows website creation without HTML and CSS knowledge. However, real-world experience reveals a different story.
Essential Coding Knowledge for Joomla
Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS is essential. This becomes apparent when attempting to modify or remove website elements. Uploading site content often reveals a confusing mix of tags without clear text, making it difficult to locate specific fragments.
Disregard Easy Fix Claims
Claims that you can create a website without knowing code are misleading. These promises, frequently seen on YouTube, should be dismissed.
Joomla’s Underlying Technologies
Joomla is built on PHP and Javascript. Modifying template elements, such as removing uppercase text, can be challenging. PHP uses symbols that are often incomprehensible to beginners. Tools like Adobe Dreamweaver are limited in their effectiveness without proper skills, necessitating help from friends or using simple text editors like Notepad++.
Navigating Joomla’s Admin Area
Joomla’s admin area, though seemingly simple, is complex. For instance, after redesigning a template and adding content, additional steps are often required to make changes visible on the site. Managing the top menu involves its own set of challenges.
Installing Joomla Extensions
While the Joomla extension directory (extensions.joomla.org) offers numerous extensions, installing them can be difficult for beginners. Extensions typically include components for the admin area, modules for site decoration, and plugins for content management and article integration.
Tools and Skills for Joomla Success
To effectively use Joomla, knowledge of HTML, CSS, Adobe Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Javascript, and jQuery is recommended. These skills will enable you to create diverse websites, including online stores. Notable websites using Joomla include those of Peugeot, MTV, Jaguar, and the governments of the UK and Greece.
Plan Your Joomla Learning Journey
Be patient and structured in your learning approach. Enroll in courses, purchase video tutorials, and within a month or two, you’ll be confidently building websites on the Joomla platform.
By following this comprehensive guide, you can navigate Joomla’s complexities and successfully create professional websites.