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Message from Dean - May 8th 2007
I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.
Rating:  -
Notice how many two line "reviews" were posted on August 28th and 29th, 2007. That's ridiculous.
There are better and more up-to-date guides available free on the web. Don't bother with this.
Rating:  -
I purchased this manual for my two sons 14 & 16. Once we downloaded everything we needes to run joomla, the book was very helpful and easy for both of my boys to use.
Rating:  -
I must have purchased this manual while it was still under development. I downloaded a 79-page PDF file. Since I was completely ignorant of anything Joomla, the simple, straight-forward explanations were helpful, especially the explanation of how content must be organized. Unfortunately, I had to wade through quite a few typos and grammatical errors, struggling to understand what was really meant. I would have preferred more of a how-to manual for setting up and managing a Joomla site rather than the included descriptions of what each command does. Also, the Reviews chapter was incomplete, even though in other chapters the author refers to recommendations that didn't yet exist. Build my hopes, only to be dashed on the rocks! Hopefully, the current version resolves these issues.
Rating: -
This manual has loads of information in it. I found the concepts can be confusing and hard to read. If you read it through a few times it starts to slowly sink in. I think this is because the information feels like it is jammed together. In the chapter " Creating a Custom Template" the author jumps around a bit which breaks up the flow of the idea and is confusing. I found it difficult at times to know which file he was talking about. This could be a great manual with a better layout.
Rating: -
This book is the work of an experienced and skilled Joomla! template developer.
Particularly useful: The discussion of the flexible use of sections and categories finally made Joomla! website creation fall into place for me. It seems straightforward, but Sections and Categories don't necessarily match the site's menu structure. The Section/Category coverage is brief in the book, but more in-depth and helpful than most other books on Joomla!, which usually just urge you to get it right, without really explaining how. (The Mambo "Visual Blueprint" book also has an excellent treatment of this, which can be directly applicable to Joomla!)
Also particularly useful: "The Least You Need to Know" sections that provide a good overview of key ideas, and Chapter Summaries that are brief but helpful.
The book covers some of the most valuable Joomla! extensions (many of which don't yet work with Joomla! 1.5).
You will need to purchase the "Joomlashack School Shack Pack" in order to make the best use of the book, but it's probably worth it, at a cost of $97. Hiring a developer would cost a lot more than that. (It would be nicer, of course, if the template came with the book.)
I give this four stars instead of five is because of frequent typos throughout the book. The book is obviously self-published; I look forward to the more professionally typeset (and hopefully, proofed) upcoming book on Joomla! 1.5.
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