Course Outline
Create Your Own Joomla! CMS Website

Adding Primary Content Through the K2 Component

Continued Learning & Supports.


Evaluation

Templates & Extensions

Domains, Email & Hosting

Create a contact page

Website Hosting

Email Hosting

Domain Name Registration

Joomla! CMS

Managed Vs Unmanaged

Managed option contains all the information in the unmanaged setup, but is not DIY, here a professional is hired to accomplish the tasks.

Unmanaged Setup - is essentially DIY as much as possible, this course concerns an unmanaged approach to building a website through the Joomla! CMS

All-in-one Shared Packages
General Pros & Cons

Separate Domain Registrar account
Protected Domains (.ie etc)
Pros & Cons

Separate Email Hosting account
G-Suite / Google Business
Other dedicated Email providers
Pros & Cons

All-in-one Shared Packages
General Pros & Cons

All-in-one Shared Packages
General Pros & Cons

Common Varieties of Website Hosting

Warnings & Pitfalls of Cheap Hosting

Shared Vs Dedicated

Managed Vs Unmanaged

Linux, Microsoft, etc

Control Panel

System & Website

Installation

Overview of Core System Functions

What is a Content Management System?

Overview & introduction to Joomla! CMS

Manual Install

One Click Install Packages
Pros & Cons

Concept of file storage and Data Storage

Concept of Dynamic Content

Concept of Database driven Website

Overview of CMS - Powers & Pitfalls

Users and Administrators

Access & Security

Homework: Research and Choose a Domain, Email and Website Hosting Provider. This can be an All-in-one package/solution.

Concluding with recap and overview of next weeks lesson

Database Creation

Download current Joomla! Package

FTP / SFTP software

Database Credentials

Connect & transfer files to host

Bowser based Joomla! web installer
Install system and connect database

Joomla! System Requirements

Administrator Panel / "Back-End"

Public Website / "Front End"

Initial overview and introduction to
Users, Groups, Access Control

Global Configuration

Admin Panel Menu

Menu-Manager

Admin Panel Dashboard

Media-Manager

The Ntive Content Component
Overview of Categories & Articles

Native Templates & Structure

The Module Manager

Extensions

Templates

Components

Modules

Plugins

The Contacts Component

Joomla! Extensions Directory

Manual & Web Install

Paid & Premium Extensions

Templates

Joomla! Extensions Directory

Browsing & Searching For Extensions

Paid & Free Extensions

Listed & Non-Listed Extensions

Ratings & Reviews

Joomla!update Manager

Paid & Free Templates

Pre-Installed Templates

Commercial Template Providers

Template Files and Folders

Template Overrides

FTP & Admin panel Access

Commercial Template Installation

License & Support

Switching Templates

Installing Templates & Extensions

Joomla! Web installer.

Manual File Upload

Install from Folder

Install from URL

Accessing installed Extensions and Templates

Install The K2 Content Component

Web instal of K2 from Admin Panel

Access K2

Initial Configuration

Advantages of K2 Extension over Native Joomla! Content Component

General Overview of K2

Categories and Items

Components Menu

Extensions Menu

Templates Manager

Plugins Manager

Modules Manager

K2 Templates / Sub-Templates

Concluding with recap and overview of next weeks lesson

Concluding with recap and brief overview of next weeks lesson

Homework: Browse Joomla! Admin Panel. Open brief, make note of questions, or try out anything. Visit different Menu options and look-around. Get to know the look and feel of the interface

Homework: Browse both Joomla! extensions directory & Third Party Template providers. There is no requirement to install any extensions or templates, but please check demo sites from providers and note questions. Also check pricing of extensions and templates and get a feel for what's out there

K2 Content Administration

Add Item

Adding Category

Nested Categories

Image & Description

Inherited Parameters

How categories work

Publshing and Metadata

Display Settings

Malleable display settings

Sub-Templating

Extensive Control

Add Title

Explanation of Title Alias Field

Add INTRO Text

General overview of Published and Featured Status

Select Category

General explanation of how & why an item's data is filed in parts

General Recap and expand upon info about Access levels and access control, private and public access

The "Read-More" Button

The image Tab

The Image Gallery Tab

Toolbar Buttons and Filters

Filtering item list by category or state etc.

Un-Filtering item list by category or state etc.

The K2 Menu on the Left hand side

Sort order

The Extra Fields Tab

The Content Tab

The Media Tab

The Attachments Tab

Add Full-Text

Joomla! dashboards quick icons / shortcuts

Alternate Access from the component Menu

Save, Save & Close etc from item edit window

Setting the Parameters

Joomla! Menu Manager

Create website page for single K2 item

Create Website page for K2 Category / List of items

Connect to K2 item

Add new Menu item

Select Menu

Add New Menu item

Connect To K2 Category

Select Menu

Create 4 K2 items as above, all published.

Create 2 Categories, one for "pages" and one for "News"

Concluding with recap and overview of next weeks lesson

Joomla! Module Manager
Optional, if time allows.

Create K2 content module

set to show only featured items from your "News" Category.

Investigate possibilities of Content Module

Browse Joomla! Extensions Directory
With new knowledge gained in this lesson
e.g. search for "K2 Featured items"

Compare Free, Paid & Popular Modules on the extensions directory.

Homework: Browse both Joomla! extensions directory & Third Party Template providers. There is no requirement to install any extensions or templates, but please check demo sites from providers and note questions. Also check pricing of extensions and templates and get a feel for what's out there

The Contacts Component: Creating Contacts

Contact Categories

Creating an Individual Contact

General / Uncategorised

Grouping Contacts into Categories

Creating Categories

Title, Image & Description

Other Fields

Templates / Sub Templates

Overview

Joomla! and the role of Categories in general

Access Levels & Access Control

Explain "Use Global" option

Toolbar Buttons and Filters

Filtering list by category or state etc.

Un-Filtering list by category or state etc.

General Overview Joomla! "Search Tools" and Filtering

Save, Save & Close etc from edit window

Featured and Un-Featured States

Published and Un-Published States

The Menu Manager: Creating Menus, Menu Items & Pages.

Components, Menus & Modules

Interactive Explanation using live demo from front end of website

Hand-out diagram showing where each element is linked and how it is controlled from the admin panel

The Form tab

Display Preferences

Publishing & Metadata

Miscellaneous Information tab

contact details tab

Preferences set in Menu Manager

Hierarchy of Preferences

Preferences set in Categories

Overriding Global Preferences

Options button in toolbar

Creating a Menu

Reasons for creating a menu

Links with Module Manager

SEO relevance

Menus and Categories

Menu Items

What is a Menu Item

Creating a Menu Item

Linking a Menu Item with the Contacts Component

Setting a Menu item to display a Single Contact

Setting A Menu Item to Display a category of Contacts

The component returning the page, the Menu Calling the Component

General overview of other types of menu items

The Module Manager: Creating a Module to display a menu

The module toolbar

Filtering and Search tools

Overview of the Module Manager

Creating a Menu Module

Select a Menu

Module Options

Module Positions

Displaying positions on the site tp=1

Module positions and different templates

Other Types of Modules

Joomla.org

The Joomla Support Forum

Extension Developers support Forums

Joomla! Handbook

Overview of the Joomla! Support forum

Creating an account

Extension Ratings and Reviews

General explanation & overview of how the Menu Manager, The Module Manager & the Contacts Components Link up.

Homework: Browse Joomla! Components, Menus & Modules in the Admin Panel. Try out different options, and take in the range of possibilities availed in each. There's no obligation to achieve anything in particular, except experience the interface, and note questions as they arise.

Concluding with recap and brief overview of next weeks lesson

Opening with discussion about previous weeks learning, and any additional investigation performed at home. Some question and answer if necessary. Introduce this weeks topic.

Begin Lesson with relaxed discussion as usual

Gain Insights into Learners Work at home

Q&A Discussion leading into this week's lesson

Link to, or Paper copy of, Course Evaluation Form to get feedback from students about the course as a whole
Questions set a scale of 1 - 5, level of success, multiple choice

Summative Assessment
Course Evaluation Exam

Concluding Discussion

Bring Learners' Websites onto the Large Projector Screen and Recap course using learners own work as refernce

Recognise the achievements of the course participants

Encourage ownership of knowledge, and continued development

Link to, or paper copy of, lesson evaluation form to be provided for learners to complete prior to conclusion

Distribute awards if applicable