Are you responsible for running a Joomla!® CMS website in a Business, Public Sector or Voluntary Sector organisation?
If yes then this User Guide is for you.
If you are new to using the Joomla! CMS then we recommend you read the following two sections before diving in.
The aim of this article is to outline how the Joomla! CMS differs from a traditional HTML website. And to illustrate how to sign in and out when you want to edit website content.
Contents include:
What is Joomla? Joomla! is a Content Management System.
Signing into the Dashboard.
Signing into the Front End.
Getting Started covers:
Content Structure.
Working with Images.
How to create new Articles.
How to create new Menu Links.
Featured Articles.
Introducing Modules.
Recommended image widths.
Still using an older version of Joomla! CMS?
This guide is provided for users of the Joomla! 4 CMS onwards.
If your website is still using an earlier version of the Joomla! CMS and you are not sure how to upgrade it to Joomla! 4, we can help.
We provide Joomla! coaching, help and support for business managers and organisations across Cheshire, Manchester, Merseyside, North West England & the UK.
Contact Customer Support on 0161 818 8228.
Subscribe to WYNCHCO Joomla! CMS Support to benefit from:
- full unrestricted access to our Joomla! CMS User Guides,
- personal Email and Telephone Support, and
- comprehensive Joomla! CMS Website Maintenance,
All tailored to meet your specific needs,
And regardless of where your website is hosted.
WYNCHCO Solutions provides Joomla! CMS Support packages to businesses and organisations across Cheshire, Manchester, Merseyside, North West England and the UK.
List of Contents
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The Access Control List enables website administrators to control what people can see and what they can do.
Read more: Access Control List
The Joomla! Project is committed to making the Joomla! CMS accessible for everyone. These very useful plugins introduced with the Joomla! 4.x series are testament to this commitment.
Read more: Accessibility Plugins
You should periodically create a backup copy of your website.
You could do this using the Backup utility included with the Hosting Control Panel provided by your hosting provider or use a Third Party Joomla! Extension. We like Akeeba Backup PRO.
Read more: Akeeba Backup
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The purpose of the Archived Articles Module is to enable a website visitor to browse for Archived Articles.
Read more: Archived Articles Module
Here we tell you how to create Categories and Articles after signing into your website's Control Panel. We also illustrate how easy it is to create Articles after signing into the Front End.
How to create and edit Categories
How to create and edit Articles
Read more: Articles and Categories
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The general process of backing up a Joomla! CMS website is similar regardless of which hosting control panel application you are using.
In this article we show how to use the Backup Wizard in cPanel and the Backup Manager in Plesk.
Read more: How to back up your Joomla! CMS website
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If starting with a blank canvas, the process of publishing a Banner in your website is quite complex.
WYNCHCO website designs are pre-configured to help you get started.
Read more: Working with Banners
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If you want to develop a blog to help promote your website, then the best place to host the blog is inside the website you want to promote.
Read more: Blogging with Joomla!
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The purpose of the Breadcrumbs Module is to lay a trail of breadcrumbs as a visitor navigates their way through your website.
Read more: Breadcrumbs Module
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Protect User Registration and the Contact Form using Captcha-reCaptcha.
Read more: Captcha-reCaptcha
"A (Joomla!) component is a kind of Joomla! extension. Components are the main functional units of Joomla!; they can be seen as mini-applications."
Read more: Working with Components
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Learn how to manage your contacts - including your own contact details.
Read more: Contacts Component
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Choose between using the default Joomla! content editor called Tiny MCE and a range of 3rd Party Joomla! extensions. We like the JCE Content Editor.
Read more: Content Editor
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The default Joomla! CMS content editor extension is called Tiny MCE. But we prefer to use and recommend the JCE Content Editor. And it is for the JCE Content Editor that we provide illustrations in this User Guide.
How to assign an Editor Profile to a User Group
How to activate the Spellchecker
How to icrease the JCE Upload File Size Limit
Read more: Content Editor Profiles
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"Tags in Joomla! provide a flexible way of organizing content. The same tag can be applied to many different content items across content types (articles, weblinks, newsfeeds, contacts, and categories). " Source: Joomla! Documentation.
Read more: Content Tags
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The Joomla! Extensions Directory lists lots of different cookie control extensions to enable your website to comply with GDPR.
Read more: Cookie Control
Custom Modules are rather like Articles.
How are they different? Custom Modules can be presented in any Position of your website.
Read more: Custom Modules
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It's easy to customise a Joomla! Website Design.
Read more: Change the Look and Feel
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The purpose of the Debug Plugin is to enable website administrators to fault find.
Read more: Debug Plugin
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"A (Joomla!) extension is a software package that extends your Joomla! installation in some way. A small selection of extensions is included with the default Joomla! installation ... but many more are available from the Joomla! Extensions Directory."
Read more: Working with Extensions
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The Feed Display Module enables you to publish your own News Feeds as well as those created by others in your website.
Read more: Feed Display Module
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The Joomla! CMS includes an example Articles Field called About the Author. We include an additional Contacts Field called Telephone number when we create a WYNCHCO Website Design.
Read more: Working with Fields
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As with anything new you should ease yourself in gradually. Dynamic websites created using the Joomla! CMS are easy to use but do take some getting used to at first.
Read more: Getting Started
In a multi-user website where several users are able to sign in and edit content, you may sometimes not be able to edit an Article, Module or some other item. Reason, a user did not previously close an item correctly. No worries. It is easy to check-in Checked-out Items.
Read more: Global Check-in
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Global Configuration settings are important. Your choice of settings may adversely impact your website's security and performance. Read the Official Joomla! Documentation before changing the default settings.
Read more: Global Configuration
The Joomla! Project provide a useful Glossary for anyone wanting to quickly understand the meaning of some common Joomla! terms.
For example: Article, Category, Component, Module, Plugin.
Read more: Glossary of Joomla! Terms
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Before you can insert any image into an Article, you must first upload it to the server. We tell you how to upload images to your website and insert them into articles.
How to upload images (including drag and drop)
How to insert an image into an article
How to delete images and folders
How to cut, copy and paste images
How to add a caption to an image
Read more: Working with Images
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There are a large number of different 3rd party extensions which enable publication of image galleries within a Joomla! website.
Read more: Image Galleries
We recommend that you review Installation Messages after updating the Joomla! CMS.
Read more: Installation Messages
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Joomla! is equipped with a range of Installer Plugins to enable you to install and update 3rd party extensions.
Read more: Installer Plugins
The aim of this article is to outline how the Joomla! CMS differs from a traditional HTML website. And to illustrate how to sign in and out when you want to edit website content.
Read more: Introducing the Joomla! CMS
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We adopt a proactive approach to helping our customers keep their WYNCHCO website, created using the Joomla!® CMS, safe and secure.
This guide is produced as part of this proactive approach.
Read more: Joomla! CMS Security
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Changing the text created by the Joomla! CMS, as opposed to the text created by you when you edit a website Article, requires creating a Language Override.
Read more: Language Overrides
The Loadposition Command enables you to display Modules inside Articles using custom Positions.
Read more: Loadposition Command
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WYNCHCO Website Designs include a Login Module which is published by default.
Read more: Login Module
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Your website's Media screen lets you upload and insert images into content throughout your site. The Media screen is where you can view ALL image files and some non-image files that you have uploaded to the server.
Read more: Working with Media
Here we tell you how to create Menus and Menu Items (or Menu Links). We also outline the main kinds of Menu Item.
Read more: Menus and Menu Items
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Menu Modules enable you to control the display of Menus in a Joomla! CMS website.
Read more: Menu Modules
Modules enable you to control the display of almost any kind of website content in a Joomla! CMS website.
How to assign a Module to a Position
How to assign a Module to a Menu Link
Read more: Working with Modules
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Multi-factor Authentication adds an extra layer of security for website users with special permissions when they sign into a Joomla! CMS website.
Read more: Multi-factor Authentication
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The Joomla! CMS includes a range of navigation aids to help website visitors find what they are looking for.
Read more: Navigation
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There are two ways you can easily display news content in your website.
Read more: Display News Content
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The News Feeds Component enables you to publish News Feeds from other websites in your own website. This requires creation of a News Feed Item.
Read more: News Feed Component
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A Newsflash is a short burst of news, which may be accompanied by more details news comment. The Newsflash Module controls when and where to present the Newsflashes in your website.
Read more: Newsflash Module
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When the Page Cache Plugin is enabled websites will perform faster without having to change the plugin's default settings.
Read more: Page Cache Plugin
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Page Navigation refers to the buttons which appear by default at the bottom of Articles in certain situations.
Read more: Page Navigation
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PDF means Portable Document Format. This file format is readable when the recipient has a PDF Reader application installed on their device.
Read more: Working with PDFs
If you want to improve website performance, focus on speed: Data Access Speed and Page Load Speed.
Do so when you choose a hosting provider and when you perform your duties as website administrator.
Read more: How to speed up your website
"A (Joomla!) plugin is a kind of Joomla! extension. Plugins provide functions which are associated with trigger events."
Read more: Working with Plugins
Every WYNCHCO website design includes a Template comprising of a number of Positions.
The positions can be summarised by means of a Position Map.
Website layout is determined when modules are assigned to Positions.
Read more: Position Maps
Here are some useful links to help keep snoopers out of your business.
Read more: Protect Your Privacy
If the application you use to connect to your website is compromised then so will be your website.
When thinking about website security, it is easy to overlook the privacy and security settings of the applications you use to connect to the internet.
Read more: Protect Your Web Connection
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The Random Image Module does what its name suggests. It displays random images in the Position to which it is assigned when visitors refresh their browser or return to your website.
Read more: Random Image Module
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The Redirects Component enables you to manage broken links that otherwise produce Page Not Found (404) errors. You can use it to redirect broken links to specific pages in your website.
Read more: Redirects Component
S
We adopt a proactive approach to helping our customers keep their WYNCHCO website, created using the Joomla!® CMS, safe and secure.
This guide is produced as part of this proactive approach.
Read more: Joomla! CMS Security
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There is no Core Site Map Extension included with the Joomla! CMS. But there are several 3rd Party Site Map Extensions available for you to use in the Joomla! Extensions Directory.
Read more: Site Map Extensions
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There is no Core Joomla! CMS Slideshow extension but there are lots of 3rd party extensions to choose from in the Joomla! Extensions Directory. We like the Slideshow CK extension.
Read more: Slideshow Extensions
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The Joomla! CMS includes an excellent search component called Smart Search.
Read more: Smart Search Component
If you want to improve website performance, focus on speed: Data Access Speed and Page Load Speed.
Do so when you choose a hosting provider and when you perform your duties as website administrator.
Read more: How to improve website performance
Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the public’s benefit.
Read more: Use an SSL Certificate with your website
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The Site Statistics Module will when published display simple visitor statistics in the Front End of your website.
These statistics can be viewed by the website Administrator after signing into the Front End.
Read more: Site Statistics Module
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This plugin is designed to enable the Joomla! Project to monitor usage of the Joomla! CMS.
Read more: Joomla! Statistics Plugin
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The Syndication Feeds Module enables you to make any part of your website content available for syndication across web browsers and within other websites.
Read more: Syndication Feeds Module
The System Information screen enables you to clearly see key information about the server and your website.
Read more: System Information
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Tables can be really useful but can also undermine your efforts to present website content in a mobile friendly and search engine friendly way.
Read more: Working with Tables
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A template controls how a website's content is displayed on computer devices. The template also dictates the overall look and feel of a website.
How to change the Default Template
Issues to consider when changing Template
How to uninstall old Templates
Read more: Templates
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There is no one screen where you can manage all Trash. Trash is instead managed via each respective control panel screen. For example, trashed Articles are managed via the Articles screen.
Read more: Manage Trash
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The Joomla! Update Notification Plugin sends users with Super User status an email notification when a new release of the Joomla! CMS is available.
Read more: Joomla! Update Notification Plugin
We strongly recommend that you only ever run the latest version or release of the Joomla! CMS and any 3rd party extensions you have installed.
Read more: How to update your Joomla! CMS and extensions
The User Actions Log provides a global overview of selected activities on your website.
Read more: User Actions Log
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If you are running a community website or en eCommerce website, the Users Screen is where you can manage your customers or website users.
Read more: Manage Users
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The Version History component enables you to review previous versions of content items.
Read more: Version History
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There are a number of issues to consider before adding lots of multimedia content to your website. These include file transfer limits and streaming limits.
Read more: Working with Video
No Joomla! website should be without a Web Application Firewall or WAF, especially if hosted in a shared server environment.
Our preferred choice of WAF for the Joomla! CMS is Akeeba Admin Tools.
Read more: Web Application Firewall
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The Web Links Component is useful if you want to post lots of external links in your website.
It enables you to organise Web Links in Categories and display lists of links in the Front End using various Web Links Modules and Menu Links.
Read more: Web Links
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The Who's Online Module will when published display how many visitors are viewing your website and who is signed into the Front End.
This information can be viewed by the website Administrator after signing into the Front End.
Read more: Who's Online Module
Signposting used in this guide
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Useful Link.
Make Joomla! CMS Security your #1 Priority
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