The Joomlashack Blog
How to override offline mode in Joomla without requiring a login
- Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge
- Published: 17 January 2011 17 January 2011
As you may know, you can set your Joomla site "offline" by setting "Site Offline" to "Yes" in the Global Configuration. This is a great feature that enables you to build or troubleshoot your site in offline mode, restricting access only to backend users who login through the login form displayed on the offline page.
The only limitation to this feature is that you have to be logged in to see the frontend of the site, so you cannot test the site from the perspective of a user who is not logged in. For example, if you want to test registration, AEC or Ambra Subscriptions integration, or any number of other things that might require you to see the site from the perspective of a non-logged-in user, you cannot do that because offline mode requires you to log in to see the front end of the site.
I have developed a Joomla plugin called Offline Override that enables you to put the site in offline mode, and enter a keyword to override offline mode without requiring a login. You simply install and enable the Offline Override plugin, create your secret keyword (no spaces) and enter it in the plugin's parameters. Then, when your site is in offline mode, you can override the offline mode by adding "?keyword=VALUE" in the address bar for the frontend of your site. For example, if your keyword is "joomlarocks", you would go to https://yoursite.com/?keyword=joomlarocks. The override only lasts the length of your session and you must re-enter the keyword in the address bar (https://yoursite.com/?keyword=joomlarocks) the next time you open your browser.
How to Migrate or Upgrade Joomla 1.5 to 1.6
- Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov
- Published: 14 January 2011 14 January 2011
Ever since the release of 1.6, there have been a lot of questions as to how to migrate or upgrade.
This guide will take you step-by-step through the general procedure of how to migrate to Joomla 1.6.
Please read through all the material as this is not a light undertaking.
Short Background Information
Countless hours have been spent by many volunteers from around the world to put Joomla 1.6 together. Although much of the code is the same from Joomla 1.5, much of it has been written from the ground up, and the changes are comparable to the changes from Joomla 1.0 to 1.5.
Because the changes from Joomla 1.5 to 1.6 are so large and because of the massive effort put into getting Joomla 1.6 to where it is today, there is no core upgrade path, this is indeed a migration.
In planned future releases of Joomla (which will be released every 6 months), the changes from version to version will be more incremental and a core upgrade path is planned. Now that Joomla 1.6 is finally here and stable, a community initiative led by the developers of Joomla is turning towards jUpgrade (a 3rd party Joomla extension on the JED originally developed by Matias Aguirre) for help and to help.
Many of Joomla's developers (who are all volunteers that freely contribute their time) are volunteering to put the finishing touches on jUpgrade.
jUpgrade allows you to migrate from Joomla 1.5 to 1.6.
Lets get started!
How to Backup a Joomla 2.5 Site
- Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov
- Published: 14 January 2011 14 January 2011
This tutorial will take you step by step how to backup your Joomla 2.5 installation using Akeeba Backup.
Download now.
Install Akeeba Backup
Extensions >> Extension Manager
Browse >> com_akeeba >> Upload & Install
Success!
Backup
Components >> Akeeba Backup
The general settings are fine and there is no need for any modification unless you are trying to do something more advanced.
Backup Now.
Fill in information appropriately. Then Backup Now!
Patiently wait for completion. Do not exit this screen until finished.
Success!
Three New Joomla 1.6 Overview Videos Including ACL
- Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge
- Published: 10 January 2011 10 January 2011
Joomla 1.6 is here and we've put together 3 videos that will provide a great overview of what you'll need to know about administering a Joomla 1.6 site.
- Part 1 - The Site, Users and Menu Management Menus (9:52)
- Part 2 - The Articles, Components, Extensions and Help Menus (15:29)
- Joomla 1.6 Access Control Lists (26:31)
They should give you a good start on your preliminary planning for 1.6. At the moment we don't recommend that youupgrade, but we do recommend that you consider building new sites with Joomla 1.6.
Part 1 - The Site, Users and Menu Management Menus
Sorry, this video is no longer available
Part 2 - The Articles, Components, Extensions and Help Menus
Sorry, this video is no longer available
Joomla 1.6 Access Control Lists
Sorry, this video is no longer available
There'll be a lot more information about Joomla 1.6 coming in the next few days from around the web. In the meantime, get a head start with these tutorials.
My Joomla htaccess File is Blank or Misconfigured
- Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov
- Published: 03 January 2011 03 January 2011
Recently about 5-10% of our Joomla questions on the forum have in some manner been related to the infamous htaccess file. This tutorial will give you a sample of what a typical Joomla htaccess should look like in case yours is blank or badly misconfigured. Please understand that not all htaccess files will look like this, although this is the norm for most cases.
Please note that any line that begins with # is commented out and therefore will not be executed by the server.
Read more: My Joomla htaccess File is Blank or Misconfigured
How to Embed a Google Map in a Joomla Article
- Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge
- Published: 03 January 2011 03 January 2011
Update: we highly recommend the OSEmbed extension for embedding code in Joomla.
One of our students asked us how one can find Google code for a map of their location in order to embed a mag in an Article, so we created this tutorial for him. This tutorial will walk you step by step through the process.
Get the Google Map HTML to Embed in Website
Go to https://maps.google.com/ and type in the location and then click on "Search Maps". In this example, we typed in "Atlanta, GA," however, you can put the full address of your desired location.
Click on Link.
Copy the code in the "Paste HTML to embed in website" area.
If you desire to customize the map, such as changing the width or height, the zoom level, etc, then click on "Customize and preview embedded map".
Paste the Google Map Code in Your Article
Next, go to your article and paste the code within the editor.
Note: It is best to place the code within the html/code section if you are using a WYSIWYG editor such as Tiny MCE, JCE, etc, or you can simply not use a WYSIWYG editor and paste it in. If you paste it within the actual WYSIWYG editor, the code can be reformatted by the editor. If the map does not appear, this is likely the reason.
Save your changes.
Check Your Map on the Front End
Looks like everything worked.
If it did not work for you, then make sure you are pasting the code in the html/code area or try not using any WYSIWYG editor. Also, if you're using Joomla 1.6 or great make sure that you don't have filtering for the super admin, go to article manager >> options >> filtering >> super users >> set it to no filtering.
My Joomla template.css is Unwritable. How Can I Fix It?
- Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge
- Published: 29 December 2010 29 December 2010
This is a question that we get often at Joomlashackg and it has generated quite a bit of confusion over the years. If you do a Google search for "template.css unwritable" you can see how widespread this little bug is. Thankfully, it is normally a cosmetic issue and has no negative affect on your site.
This tutorial will provide a bit of insight into the issue and how to correct it if desired (yes, if desired).
Read more: My Joomla template.css is Unwritable. How Can I Fix It?
Onyx Business Edition Released: New Lighter Styles!
- Written by JohnFlanagan JohnFlanagan
- Published: 21 December 2010 21 December 2010
Last month, we released a beautiful dark template called ONYX. Due to overwhelming response, we've just released an updated version of ONYX called Onyx Business Edition. Onyx Business Edition contains last month's dark version PLUS four brand-new light color variations & styles! It's perfect for businesses and blogs alike that need a lighter, more conservative look.
Read more: Onyx Business Edition Released: New Lighter Styles!
How to Add a Debug Module Position on an Artisteer Joomla Template
- Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov
- Published: 17 December 2010 17 December 2010
Many extensions on the Joomla Extention Directory need to be in the debug module position to function. However some templates do not contain a debug position and therefore you have to insert the new module position in the template. A common example is an Joomla template generate by Artisteer.
This tutorial will walk you through step-by-step how to insert a debug module position in an Artisteer template or any template for that matter.
Read more: How to Add a Debug Module Position on an Artisteer Joomla Template
Joomla's Banner Component for Banner Advertisements
- Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov
- Published: 15 December 2010 15 December 2010
Joomla's Banner Component is perhaps one of Joomla's least used features, yet at the same time one of its more advanced features that comes with the core installation of Joomla.
One of the primary reasons this powerful component is not utilized is because of users' lack of familiarity with it. When you are given a banner to put on the site, the tendency is to create a custom module and insert the banner in there, then assign it to a module position and menu item.
However, there is very little organization with this approach and if you are managing a bigger site, you will soon be wasting needless hours that you could have spent elsewhere. Furthermore, with that approach there is no way to keep track of the number of impressions and clicks on the banner, thus the reason for the banner component and this tutorial.
The tutorial will walk you step-by-step through how to set up a banner via the banner component and shed some light on it along the way.
Read more: Joomla's Banner Component for Banner Advertisements