Joomla installation and configuration

Draft

This article or section is currently under construction

In principle, someone is working on it and there should be a better version in a not so distant future.
If you want to modify this page, please discuss it with the person working on it (see the "history")

Introduction

This is a short installation tutorial for the Joomla CMS.

Installation

Preparation

Technical infrastructure

There are several alternatives.

(1) If you just want to play with Joomla and you don't already have a LAMP or (M)WAMP bundle installed on your machine, you can get a Apache/MySQL/PhP + Joomla package either from

• WOS
• JSAS]

If you do so, you can skip the rest of this installation tutorial since these systems are pre-installed.

(2) A similar (but more difficult) solution is to install a WAMP bundle on your PC or a LAMP under Linux or MAMP under MacOSX and then download and install Joomla!

(3) Get an account with a web hosting service.

• Make sure that this service provides you with Apache/Php/MySQL, the technical infrastructure needed for Joomla.
• There are free services (but with some caveats).

Download Joomla

Download Joomla from http://www.joomla.org/

As of nov 2007 you can either take the

• latest 1.x version
• latest 1.5x version (on nov 10 2007 it still was RC3, i.e. a release candidate, but it is stable enough).

You can find links to downloads in some boxes to the left

Database configuration

Joomla needs to install with a MySQL database. The installation procedure will create many tables. In order to do so, you must have or create a database user with full rights to the given database, so that the Joomla program can install the tables and the use the tables.

You have two options here:

(1) If you have a cheap or free provider or if you have a student account, you only may have access to single database. This means that Joomla will have to co-exist with other applications. That is not a big problem, since most applications add a prefix to each table. By default, Joomla adds the jos_ prefix.

(2) If you have your own MySQL server, then you should install Joomla in its own database and create one (see below)

In both cases you must create and/or remember:

• The name of the database
• The name of the database user
• The password of the database user

Junk below ... working on it

Part 1

1. After downloading, unzip/untar the package
2. Login to your FTP
3. Upload the Joomla! Files, I assume you have uploaded to a folder called "Joomla", you can upload to another directory if you wish.
4. While you are uploading Joomla, we shall create a mySQL Database.

If you use cPanel, please go to step 7a. If you use Directadmin, please go to step 8a

Part 2 - database

Cpanel Users

7a. Login to cPanel. 7b. Go to MySQL Databases. 7c. Go to a field named "Db:". We will call the database "joomla", you can change it if you wish to. Then hit "Add Db". You have successfully made your SQL Database . 7d. Go to the fields named "UserName:" and "Password:". We will call the username "cms" and password "password", you can change them if you wish to. Then hit "Add User". You have successfully made your SQL User . 7e. Go to the two dropdown lists named "User:" and "Db:". Under user, select the user you made, in this case, we will select "cms". Under db, select the database you made, in this case, we will select "joomla". Make sure under "Privileges:", the checkbox beside "ALL" is checked. Then hit "Add user to DB". You have successfully made a working SQL Database .

Directadmin Users

8a. Login to Directadmin. 8b. Go to mySQL Databases. 8c. Select "Create New Database" 8d. You will see the following fields "Database Name", "Database Username", "Username Password", "Confirm Password". Under Database Name, type in "joomla", you can change it if you wish to. Under Database Username, type in "cms", you can change it if you wish to. Under Username Password and Confirm Password, type in "password", , you can change it if you wish to. Hit create. 8e. A page showing the Database and user you have just created will show up.

Part 3 - back to Joomla

1. CHMOD/Set the permissions of configuration.php-dist to 777 using your FTP Client.
2. Go to http://domain/joomla
   • A Joomla! Installation page will show up. Fill in the details accordingly. Once you get the install process done it will tell you some code to enter into configuration.php, first rename .configuration.php-dist to configuration.php, then enter the code the install page gave you and save it.
3. CHMOD configuration.php to 644.

Links

• http://www.frihost.com/forums/vt-32343.html

Online Help for Joomla 1x

• Installation manual
• User Manual 1.0.11 (PDF)
• Administrator Manual - chapters 1.0x. E.g.
  • Administrator Overview
  • Admin panels

Books about Joomla

• Graf Hagen; James Kennard, James Kennard (2007). Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5 Beta 1. PACKT, ISBN 1847192386
  • Available as softcover from PACKT
  • as PDF eBook from PACKT

Rahmel Dan (2007). Beginning Joomla!: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional). ISBN 1590598482

Third party tips

• Valcea Forum .net has a few tutorials, including Joomla installation tutorial - How to install Joomla
• Joomla install tutorial (m4v video).
• Installing Joomla (at iLoomla.com)
• Joomla tutorials at AusWeb (advanced)

Joomla sites

(absolutly not tested, no endorsements here !!)

• JoomlaPolis (Community builder extension)
• bestofJoomla.com
• joomla-niche
• JoomlaXT
• iJoomla
• JoomlaFeed (blog)
• Joomlajet.com
• Example Joomla sites
• Try it out on openscource CMS