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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.
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If you are looking for a book that takes you really under the hood of Joomla, this is not the one. This book provides you with the basic information to set up Joomla! 1.5 and to do a little changes here and there. If you for instance are looking for a tutorial book showing how to interact fully with the frame work by making your own classes, stay away from this. You find most of the information on this book online
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A number of years ago I set about planning the re-launch of a website. I was using a blog system. I learned about `CMS' and did my research. I narrowed down my options to Joomla, Drupal, Plone and a few others. I then went off to my local bookstore. There I went through the books. I decided on Joomla and looked for a good book to use. It is key that a `how to manual' speak to you in a manner that you can understand. I choose Building Websites with Joomla 1.0 by Hagen Graf. That started me on the Joomla journey.
I have just finished reading the sequel Building Websites with Joomla 1.5. The book is even better than the first edition. Graf explains what a CMS does, the changes from version 1.0. The book explains all the parts of Joomla. It even covers the more advanced areas of creating your own templates and components.
If you are just starting out with Joomla, this book gives you a head start. If you are already experienced with using Joomla, but not customizing it, this book is for you. This book will defiantly be on the "within reach" Book shelf.
Scott Wolpow is a member of the New York Joomla Group. He also builds and hosts Joomla sites.
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Packt Publishing sent me a complimentary copy of "Building Website with Joomla! 1.5" by Hagen Graf to review. I specifically was interested in this book as I was researching the use of Joomla! as part of redoing an elementary school website.
First off, the book was well organized. It begins with an introduction to web content management systems and the role they play today in web sites, covers a brief history of Joomla!, and then focuses the rest of the book on the installation and configuration options. As a first time Joomla! user, I can definitely say that the book helped me out quite a bit in understanding the way things were configured. Chapters 4 through 12 focus on different areas of Joomla!, including menus, extensions, components, and content in sufficient detail to make a useful reference but in a way that a first time user can get through the configuration. As a reference, this is the book's strong point.
Where I was a bit disappointed was that I was look more for a tutorial, rather than a pure reference book. Given that I was setting up a new site using Joomla! for the first time, I was hoping for an extended step by step approach that would take me through a complete site development. While there is a chapter in the book called "A Website with Joomla!," it was only 12 pages long and was presented more in the context of a demonstration than a tutorial.
Overall, I was pleased with the book. I think it will be a useful reference as I develop the site, but I also think I've still got more work ahead of me to get the site out the door.
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This book might be good for beginners, but it depends on what kind of beginner you are. If you have no website building knowledge, then I think this may be a little confusing and may not work for you; but if you have some experience, then I think Joomla can be a powerful tool in helping you create a website and content exactly the way you envision it in your head. Installation is easy and once you've created a site it's easily managed. Take a chance, you might like it.
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What a great book for beginners of the web world. Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5 really is quite helpful in setting up and maintaining a website built on the popular framework.
The book has very well documented, with images, the Joomla! experience. Each chapter covers new topics to help you setup, edit, and maintain your site, and the content on the site.
The later chapters are helpful, and will whet your appetite for more if you are a programmer.
Beginners will be quite satisfied with this book, as it details in very easy to follow steps exactly how to get your site up, and working, and how to easily maintain and edit the site.
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