How do you put a module inside an article?

You will usually want to associate modules with articles in some way. The modules are allocated to module positions and the module positions appear somewhere on the Web page as determined by the template. However, it is sometimes useful to have a module actually embedded within the article.

To insert a module inside an article, use the {loadposition xx} command, as follows:

1. Create a module and set its position to any value that doesn't conflict with an existing template position. You can type in the position value instead of selecting it from the drop-down list. For example, use the position myposition.
2. Assign the module to the Menu Items that contain the articles that you want the module to show in. You can also just assign the module to all Menu Items.
3. Edit the articles where you want this module to appear and insert the text {loadposition myposition} in the article at the place where you want the module.

Note that this only works when the Content - Load Module plugin is enabled. If this plugin is disabled, the text {loadposition myposition} shows unchanged in the article.

 

Technorati Tags: put module inside article

How to speed up Joomla? (loading speed)

Jump to speed up your website..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply..

Gzip your website!

HOW?

From your Joomla control panel..

You can set the GZip setting here:

Global Configuration > Server > Server Settings > GZIP Page Compression

Gzipping of ouptut html as well as other text files can indeed produce very noticeable speed increases - probably far more noticeable to the end user (site visitor) than speeding up the database server from .2 of a second to .1 of a second. For the majority of users the download is the bottleneck - reducing 100KB of css to 5 or 10KB has significant benefits.

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A few tips to speed up your front end :

• Optimize all your images for the web, most should come in at under 10kb. This will reduce your overall page size and mean that users on a slower connection can visit your site faster.
• Remove "white space" from your template index.php file, all those esxtra white lines are doing nothing other than wasting bandwidth and meaning that Joomla takes longer to display. Remember the longer your site takes to load, the less people that will visit it, and stay reading for a beneficial amount of time.
• Optimize your Css, remove un-needed stuff that does not get used. Then run it through -http://flumpcakes.co.uk/css/optimiser/ . This will have the effect of tidying it all up and making it small, again reducing load times and also your overall bandwidth.
• Sort out your database, go into phpMyAdmin and select all the tables and repair and then optomise them. This will not damage your site and again it will make your pages load in a much quicker fashion.

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One way to speed up Joomla (or any other CMS with as many options) is just to utilize fewer of the features.  Many people see all the different features that are standard to Joomla and they immediately publish all of them.  My first Joomla based site had the random image module, most popular, polls, and probably a few other features it did not need.  This problem is one of site design and in my case I have been able to calm down over the past couple years and make a slimmer site that still seems to convey more information than the original.  Publishing fewer modules or having fewer features enabled decreases the number of database inquires and reduces the amount of php code that must be processed for any given web page. 

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Watch out for errors in your template. When you reference a file like arrow.gif and this file is non-existent, the performance of your server will drop immensly.
Take a look here and check for your websites performance:
www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
This page gives you a summary about your websites objects and has proposals how to improve it.
Joomla specific:
If your server has performance problems, don't enable gzip. This is meant to reduce the usage of bandwith, not the load on your server. The server has to encode all the files in order to send them, which only puts additional load on your page.
If you encounter serious problems and you have SEF enabled, disable it. It's often the source for performance problems
Probably most important of all: Keep your Joomla! version up-to-date!

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On the subject of CSS you can force compression and caching by using a bit of code like this at the start of your Stylesheet:

Code:

<?php
ob_start ("ob_gzhandler");
header("Content-type: text/css");
header("Cache-Control: must-revalidate");
$offset = 60 * 60 * 24 * 7 ;
$ExpStr = "Expires: " .
gmdate("D, d M Y H:i:s",
time() + $offset) . " GMT";
header($ExpStr);
?>
... rest of style sheet as normal here ...

Save your template as template_css.php and edit the reference to the template in /templates//index.php to reflect the new name

Code:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/templates/<name-of-template>/css/template_css.php" />

As Hackwar said above don't force compression if your server is overloaded - but if it is not, go for it.
The normal rule of thumb with a web server is to worry about how long it is stressed, not how stressed it is.
Serving compressed content is often quicker than tying up the server for a longer period serving uncompressed content - but it varies from server to server.
Just to reiterate Hackwars comments about SEF and missing files (especially template images) with older versions of Joomla and $ambo, especially if you are using an older .htaccess file, if you have upgraded Joomla but not the .htaccess file then you should take a look at the newer htaccess files.

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If you have root access, install a PHP accelerator like APC.  This server is running APC and serves up more pages than you want to even think about, but it handles it gracefully thanks to APC.

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Actually the best way to gzip your css is just to create a file named 'template_css.php' and add the following code into it:

Code:

<?php
ob_start ("ob_gzhandler");
header("Content-type: text/css");
header("Cache-Control: must-revalidate");
$offset = 60 * 60 ;
$ExpStr = "Expires: " .
gmdate("D, d M Y H:i:s",
time() + $offset) . " GMT";
header($ExpStr);
?>
<?php include ('template_css.css'); ?>

Then change your template to reflect the name as stated before:

Code:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/templates/<name-of-template>/css/template_css.php" />

/templates//index.php
Where:
is a placeholder for the actual location of your joomla installation.
is a placeholder for the specific subfolder for your current template.

That way you can still edit your css file through the admin panel.

Source

You can also read more here

Technorati Tags: joomla speed,optimizing,speed up website,speed up joomla

500 an error has occurred return to control panel Joomla 1.7-2.5 [Solved]

check configuration.php

change the following settings as follows:

public $log_path = './logs';
public $tmp_path = './tmp';

Solve the ‘JFolder::create: Could not create directory’ Error in Joomla

Here is an image of error

SYNTAX :-

JFolder::create: Could not create directory

Warning! Failed to move file.

This error occurs when you move from one host to another host. It is because when we move a Joomla site from one server to another server, the log & tmp functions present in the configuration.php file contains the directory path where you had previously installed Joomla i.e. on the old server.

 

Fix for ‘JFolder::create: Could not create directory’ Error

Unlike other Errors, the fix for this error is pretty Simple. Follow the steps below to fix it.

#1 Goto your Hosting panel >> File Manager >> Select your Domain/Sub-Domain and then open theconfiguration.php file.

#2 Find var $log_path, it will contain the Directory path of your Old Server. Just replace the whole line with the code var $log_path = './logs';

#3 Find var $tmp_path, it will also have the Directory path of your Old Server. Replace the whole line with the code var $tmp_path = './tmp';

That’s it! Your problem will be solved with this small tweak in the code. Make sure that you properly copy paste the code. If you still face any problem then don’t hesitate to put in a Comment with your query.

Source

10 Best Free Joomla Extensions You Should Use!

Joomla is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world, used in over 30 million sites, with over 200,000 community users and endless amounts of extensions. There are extensions for almost every purpose: social networking, advanced comment services, checkout services, easy-to-setup photo albums, the list is endless.

So how do you sort through all of them to find those that can really improve your visitors’ experience? Here are some of the free Joomla extensions you shouldn’t be without.

Stalker – Social Network Mod

Most people nowadays use social networks to publicize their ideas and to bring in new visitors to their sites, so having an easy way for people to connect to you is becoming a “must have” for most sites. That’s where this perfectly named extension can be handy.

Stalker is the easiest Joomla extension to display links to all your social networks on your Joomla. It uses an attractive interface that is bound to attract your visitors. Stalker comes with approximately 45 social networks ready to go but you can add any new network you wish. It is easy to install and configure, comes with attractive icons and can be easily modified.

Acajoom – Mailing List Software

There are a lot of paid mailing services around but if you are just starting out, you might not need one just yet. Acajoom is the perfect Joomla extension for people who want to start expanding their list without the costs of paying for a mailing list website to host it for them. Acajoom allows you to personalize your newsletters, import subscribers from other newsletter systems and maintain a public archive.

Community Builder – Social Network Component

Community Builder allows you to create your own social networking community. With features such as user profiles, image upload, PMS, Newsletter, Forum and Galleries and a huge number of third party extensions that add even more features to this great component, Community Builder is the easiest way to create an environment that your visitors can personalize and use to share ideas.

Expose Flash Gallery – Photo Album Plugin

Expose is a classy and capable Joomla extension for displaying your images. It is not the simplest one to use, but its small learning curve is certainly worth the effort. It has a very small footprint for a Flash gallery and allows you to create several separate albums.

Virtuemart – Online Shopping Cart

If you would like to integrate a complete shopping cart to your Joomla, you should seriously consider Virtuemart. It has most features you can find in stand alone shopping cart such as order history for the customers, confirmation email, product ratings, downloadable products and 128-bit encryption. It also works with most payment gateways such as Paypal, Authorize.net and 2Checkout.

JComments – Communication Mod

Make your site more interactive and gather more information about your visitors by allowing them to comment on your articles and products. JComments allows them to participate while giving you full moderation control and encourages people to register. JComments includes anti-spam features and integration with many third-party extensions.

Jumi – Platform for Modules

Anyone who has tried adding JavaScript, custom PHP or HTML to Joomla has had to struggle getting it to work. Jumi is a great Joomla extension to integrate and create new components, customize plugins and run Javascript easily. It’s a great platform that allows you to try simple script files and to include extra banners, develop forms and include static html pages into module positions without any fuss. It’s perfect for the more advanced user who wants to expand Joomla’s capabilities.

Phoca Google Adsense Easy – Adsense Module

In this tough economy, it’s important to be able to monetize one’s site and help create some added income. Google Adsense is a great way to do that, but it’s difficult to integrate it within Joomla’s modules and place the ads where you want to display them. Phoca Google Adsense Easy offers an easy solution to that problem, allowing you to simply copy and paste the Adsense code and place it wherever you want into the site. It can also be used to add the Google Calendar and Google Search code.

Joomla Pack – Backup Software

Joomla Pack allows you to create a site backup that can be restored on any Joomla!-capable server. It creates a full backup of your site in a single archive. It can be used to move your site to a different host or simply as a safety back up that can be used to restore the site in case of problems or server timeouts.

JCE – WYSIWYG Editor

As many of you might have noticed, Joomla’s page editor is limited and awkward at times. JCE adds many formatting features that are missing from the original editor, such as background color, fonts and styles and better multimedia control. A great time saver for those who can edit the page code by hand and a must have for those who can’t.

With over almost 4000 extensions, Joomla has the support of the open source community and the constant influx of creative minds willing to offer their software for free. Try out the ten suggested here then go back and explore all the other tantalizing extensions you can find. You are sure to find one for almost every need you have.

Have we left out your favourite Joomla extensions? Share them with us in the comments!

Source

PANORAMIC IMAGE VIEWER MODULE

The bretteleben.de "Panoramic Image Viewer" module for Joomla!1.5, Joomla!1.6 and Joomla!1.7 is a simple module to display 360 degree images in content items. It works with JavaScript, neither flash nor any other player is required.
You decide if the panorama scrolls automatically on pageload or is directed with control elements

Features:

- supports .jpg, .png und .gif
- choose if autostart scrolls left or right
- choose between text-links or buttons for control-elements
- link the picture, set an optional linktitle
- choose to open the link in the same or a new window
- does not require a JavaScript Framework (Mootools, JQery)!
- available for Joomla!1.5, Joomla!1.6 and Joomla!1.7

Installation and Usage

A step by step tutorial on installation and usage can be found at Howto Module .

Demo

Compatibility

The module is tested successful with Joomla 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7. Anyway, using it aside with one or another existing extension may bring to light problems i haven't foreseen.
I suggest a test run before using it on a live site and stand by for your questions and suggestions.

License

The module is licensed under the GNU Public License (www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html).

update Version: 1.1.0

Version 1.1.0 - 2011-12-11
- available for Joomla!1.5, 1.6 and 1.7
Version 1.1.0 - 2010-04-11
- MooTools is not required
- the path to the image starts at the Joomla! root directory
- added module_class_sfx

Support

If you have questions or suggestions, please use the comment-function. Please include the installed Joomla! version and if you have problems - if any possible - the affected page in your comment.
If you need additional features or customizations for your project that exceed the scope of support offered through the comments, you are invited to submit your requirements specification and the planned budget by email (menu item "Contact" in the menu at the top).

Download

The ZIP-archive contains the module, by downloading it you agree to the terms of the GNU Public License. The ZIP-Archive can be used for both, upgrade and fresh installation. Please choose the file that fits your Joomla! installation. _J1.5 for Joomla! 1.5.x, _J1.6 for Joomla! 1.6.x and _J1.7 for Joomla! 1.7.x
J!1.5.x - mod_panoramicimageviewer_v1.1.0_J1.5.zip Downloads: 1.130
J!1.6.x - mod_panoramicimageviewer_v1.1.0_J1.6.zip Downloads: 240
J!1.7.x - mod_panoramicimageviewer_v1.1.0_J1.7.zip Downloads: 920

If you use this extensions, please post a rating and a review at extensions.joomla.org .

VERY SIMPLE IMAGE GALLERY

The bretteleben.de "Very Simple Image Gallery" Plugin for Joomla!1.5, Joomla!1.6, Joomla!1.7 and Joomla!2.5 is a downgrade of the ingenious plugin "Simple Image Gallery" from Fotis Evangelou und George Chouliaras back to a "Web 1.0" gallery. The modified version comes without a lightbox, the plugin shows one large image, followed by thumbnails.
Why? Look, as stylish and usability-oriented the whole category of "Web 2.0" galleries may be, they have - from my point of view - a serious disadvantage. The hide the web page from the visitor. If you run ads on your site, this is a not-so-desired effect. You don´t care about search engine optimization, keywords, backlinks and so on to see your banners, skyscrapers, rectangles and link blocks disappear behind a black curtain - out of sight and unclickable.

Features:

- supports .jpg, .png und .gif
- can be aligned in your content item left, right, centered, float left or float right
- thumbnails optional below, left or right of the main image
- optional split galleries into multiple sets
- as many galleries per content item as you want
- every gallery can be configured individually (Parameter Overrides)
- optional show title and/or text with every single picture (Captions)
- optional show default title/text for the whole gallery
- optional link every single image to a different target (Links)
- optional use a default link for the whole gallery
- optional link the image to the original image file
- scale thumbnails optional proportionally or cropped
- works with and without JavaScript
- does not require a JavaScript Framework (Mootools, JQery)!
- change main image onClick or onHover

New in Version 1.6.5:

- the main image changes optional onClick or onHover of the thumbnail
- optional preload of images and thumbnails
- additional layout: thumbnails left of main image
- simplified settings for thumbs left/right of main image: columns instead of percent
- optional auto-link to original image file
- optional filenames as tooltips

Installation and Usage

A step by step tutorial on installation and usage can be found at Howto Plugin .
The possibilities the code inside the article offers can be found at Howto Plugin Code .
In addition you find some samples in the menu at the left.
Notice:
If you modified the stylesheet vsig.css, you should save it because it gets overwritten during an update.

Live Demo’s

Limitations/Preview:

This version of the plugin uses one script, doing the whole work. This may cause - when using very large image-files - the maximum execution time of PHP to be exceeded on your server. If this happens, the script fails with an error.

In this case, just refresh the page one or two times. This should be enough to get all images scaled. As soon as the plugin in configured and all images are scaled, everything works fine and your visitors will not be affected. Anyway, the next version of the plugin will come with an extra-file, doing the work of scaling.

Requirements

The plugin requires the PHP GD library to generate the images and thumbnails.

Compatibility

The plugin is tested successful with Joomla 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7. Anyway, using it aside with one or another existing plugin/modul/component may bring to light problems i haven't foreseen. I suggest a test run before using it on a live site and stand by for your questions and suggestions.

License

Following the guidelines of the original, the "Simple Image Gallery", the plugin is licensed under the GNU Public License (www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html).

update Version: 1.6.5

- the main image changes optional onClick or onHover of the thumbnail (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- optional preload of images and thumbnails (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- additional layout: thumbnails left of main image (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- simplified settings for thumbs left/right of main image: columns instead of percent (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- optional auto-link to original image file (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- optional filenames as tooltips (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- W3C Error fixed (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)
- JavaScript overhauled (Joomla!1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.5)

Support

If you have questions or suggestions, please use the comment-function. Please include the installed Joomla! version and if you have problems - if any possible - the affected page in your comment.
If you need additional features or customizations for your project that exceed the scope of support offered through the comments, you are invited to submit your requirements specification and the planned budget by email (menu item "Contact" in the menu at the top).

Download

The ZIP-arch

Technorati Tags: joomla image gallery module

ive contains the plugin, by downloading it you agree to the terms of the GNU Public License. The ZIP-Archive can be used for both, upgrade and fresh installation. Please choose the file that fits your Joomla! installation. _J1.5 for Joomla! 1.5.x, _J1.6 for Joomla! 1.6.x, _J1.7 for Joomla! 1.7.x and _J2.5 for Joomla! 2.5.x
J!1.5.x - plg_verysimpleimagegallery_v1.6.5_J1.5.zip Downloads: 59.279
J!1.6.x - plg_verysimpleimagegallery_v1.6.5_J1.6.zip Downloads: 23.243
J!1.7.x - plg_verysimpleimagegallery_v1.6.5_J1.7.zip Downloads: 17.006
J!2.5.x - plg_verysimpleimagegallery_v1.6.5_J2.5.zip Downloads: 76
If you use this extensions, please post a rating and a review at extensions.joomla.org.

How to Include Any Module Within Content in Joomla 1.5!

One of the frequent questions that we receive at Joomlaspan is "How can I include your AdSense *, AdBrite*, and Paypal * modules within the content of Joomla 1.5?"

We have given individual customized answers to many users, but this article will make it very clear and accessible to everyone.

Let's take one example, our Google AdSense module. This can be placed in any module position of the template by default, but not within content. This tutorial shall now explain how to enable it (or any other module) within content in Joomla! 1.5.

STEP 1: Create a new copy of the Module just for in-content use.

Extensions > Module Manager. Check the checkbox before the module in question and click on "Copy" on the top right (see image).

The copy is placed just under the original in the same module position and is unpublished by default. It will be named "Copy of ...".

STEP 2: Open the Module that you just copied.

Now just click on the name of the module (Copy of ...).

STEP 3: Change the "Module Position"

Here, we are going to do something very sleek. With the module opened, look at the left side of the screen. You will see a parameter named "Position". It will have a dropdown combobox in front of it. Joomla! developers have hidden a truly powerful option here. It is "editable". See picture on the right to get a clear idea. So what? Read on...

Let's edit the position name and "create" a new unique position just for in-content use, which will not be shown on the template elsewhere. Do not click on the arrow, but click directly within the textbox of that field and "delete" the content (using delete or backspace key). Now type a new name, let's saycontent_adsense125 (You can type any name you want, but this to me means that I am using this for showing AdSense ads, 125x125 size for in-content use).

Look at the next picture below for what it will look like. After making the other necessary changes to the module parameters on the right side, "Save" the module. This will now be saved in the "new" position that you just created.As it is a custom position, it will not show on the frontend. That was our purpose too, we want it to show only within content and only where we assign. See the right side ads for an example.

STEP 4: Go to the Plugin Manager

Extensions > Plugin Manager. Look for a plugin named "Content - Load Module". Open it. On the right side, you will see a dropdown box. Click on its arrow and select "No wrapping - raw output" as shown in the next picture.

STEP 5. STEP 6, STEP 7...

Open your content item within which you want to show the module. In the desired location within the article, just type

where"loadposition" is a constant to call the plugin that we just edited in step 4 and "module" is the variable module position to be called, in this case we should change it to content_adsense125 as done in step 3. As indicated above, change only the blue text and leave the red untouched.

Just one word of caution, do not use standard positions like "left" or "user1" inside content. They may load ALL the modules in that position into that content.

From now on, you should be able to place any module in any content of your choice.  Please let us know if you get into any trouble with these steps. We will be glad to help.

Source