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Joomla! Jargon

Written by Cory

Thursday, 07 December 2006

Dictionary.com defines jargon like this:

1. jargon: -noun, the language, esp. the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: medical jargon.

It also defines jargon like this:

2. jargon: -noun, unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.

Joomla!'s roots go back a few years, and it definitely has a language all its own. Seasoned veterans are fluent in Joomla! jargon, but for "newbies", that second definition is probably the most appropriate definition for what Joomla! jargon really is. For that reason, I have decided to attempt to compile a list of the most commonly used words and/or phrases in Joomla!, and give them a definition that actually means something to a non-veteran Joomla! user.

The List

Component:

A component can be thought of as an application within an application. Components are applications that are built upon the Joomla! framework. A good analogy (at least for me) is to think of Joomla! as an operating system like Windows, and components as programs that run on the operating system. Going with that analogy, I like to think of the Joomla! content component (com_content) as the word processor (like Microsoft Word).

Only one component is loaded in your Joomla! website at a time, and it handles the major tasks that occur on a given page in your site.

Module:

A module further extends your Joomla! site by performing side functions outside of the component. Modules can be used to perform just about any task you can think of. They are typically used to display menus, lists, banners, and other little tidbits of content. I like to think of modules as being like little widgets that perform a simple, specific, necessary task that cannot be handled efficiently by components.

Module Position:

A module position is a location within a template that is set aside for containing modules. In Joomla!, the pre-defined module positions are given descriptive names like "left", "right", "header", "footer", "top", "bottom", etc., but those positions could be at any location on the page depending on where the template puts them.

Mambot:

Mambots have a variety of uses, but they typically perform a specific function to extend the functionality of a component. In Joomla! 1.0.x, there are five different types of mambots: content, editors, editors-xtd, search, and system.

Content mambots extend the functionality of the core content component. For example, JomComment uses a mambot to add comment functionality to the content component. Editor mambots are used to provide WYSIWYG editors for entering content. Editor-xtd mambots are used to extend the functionality of content creation in the core content component. Search mambots are used to make components searchable by the core search comopnent. System mambots are probably the most behind-the-scenes mambots, because they perform functions that most people will not directly see the results of. They are used to make other tools available for making components, modules, and even other mambots more powerful.

Plugin:

A plugin is the same thing as a mambot. The name mambot is still used by many people, but it is deprecated in favor of using the term plugin. The main reason for the new word is to take out terminology that would tie Joomla! to Mambo.

Template:

Many people think of a template as their website, but that is an incorrect way of seeing templates. Templates are used for providing a layout and design within which all of the pieces of your Joomla! site come together.

Here's an analogy that might help. Think of your Joomla! website as a house. It is made up of brick, stone, wood, dry wall, etc. The template is the blueprint that puts all of those pieces in the most logical locations for what your house needs to be, and it is also the decorations that make your house look nice once it is completely built.

Extension:

An extension is a component, module, mambot/plugin, or a template.

Content:

Technically, content is every piece of text and media that is distributed/displayed via your site, whether that be in the component, module, mambot, or template. In Joomla!, when someone says content, they are probably referring to the core content component and the content items that are entered into that component and displayed on your site.

Section:

A section is the highest level in the Joomla! content organization hierarchy. Sections contain categories, and categories contain content items.

Category:

A category is the second level in the Joomla! content organization hierarchy. Categories are contained within sections, and categories contain content items. At this time, it is not possible to 1) assign the same category to multiple sections, 2) assign multiple categories to a single content item, or 3) contain categories within categories.

SEF URL:

This stands for "Search Engine Friendly URL". Basically, this is just a way to make your URL's look nice. The default SEF URL functionality in Joomla! takes URL's that look like this "index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&ampitemid=29" and makes them look like this "content/view/40/29/". There are also 3rd-party extensions that can be used to make the URL more descriptive of the content it is pointing to.

Core:

Core refers to that basic Joomla! installation without any 3rd-party extensions installed. It is all of the code for the Joomla! framework along with a set of core extensions that come with the Joomla! installation.

3rd-Party:

3rd-party refers to any extension that is not part of the core.

Access Level:

Access level is the level of access that visitors to your site have to content in your site. Currently, the access levels available in Joomla! range from a non-registered guest all the way to super administrator.

Did I forget something?

It's late, and I'm sure that I have forgotten something. If there is a word or phrase that you see all the time in Joomla!, but you don't know what it is, please let me know, and I'll add it to the list.

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Craig: ... http://www.illustratortips.com

Cory,

This is the kind of stuff that makes this site awesome! Thanks!

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December 08, 2006
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Amy Stephen: ... http://AmyStephen.us

Most excellent idea. You do have a thing for language and communication. Great!

One of the definitions that will be important to sort out is the use of the word "blog." In Joomla!, that means an arrangement of articles - in the "real world" that has come to mean a completely different phenomena.

LOVE your new look, Cory! Fantabulous (i.e., fantastic and fabulous mixed together.)

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December 08, 2006
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Craig & Amy...Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you found this informative.

@Amy: I agree about blogging and what it means in Joomla! Barrie has a great article about creating a blog with Joomla!

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December 08, 2006
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Fabster: ...

What I didn't understand for some while was the abbreviation CMT's for "Component Module Template" and is the same as 3rd party extensions

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December 16, 2006
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Thanks Fabster... I forgot about CMT's. I didn't realize people were still using that.

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December 16, 2006
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Soul: ...

Good job You've done, that's needless to say that. I found that very useful.

Can I change the 3rd party folders names for SEF Url feature?That url's looks nice , I fully agree, but can I replace digits with names?

ex. /content/view/forum/disclaimer
instead of
/content/view/27/18/

Thanks for providing full documentation. That's clearly written.

Regards.

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March 10, 2007
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

@Soul... Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you like the article and found it useful. To answer your question, yes, this is possible. There are a few 3rd party products for SEF URL's that you could try that enable you to make nicer URL's.

You can find the products here in the Joomla Extensions Directory. I have used OpenSEF. It has some problems with other 3rd party components, but it works well with the core components. Other popular ones are Artio JoomSEF and SEF Advanced. SEF Advanced is not a free component, but I've heard good things about it. I recommend testing one of the free ones to see if it works for you.

Good luck!

Cory

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March 10, 2007
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Anton Mamaenko: ...

Very useful artcile, thanks!
A one important term is missing, though. A menu. I guss the Joomla's meaning of menu is somewhat different from what is considered to be the standard in GUI

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March 22, 2007
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Thanks Anton... I'll think about how to define a menu in Joomla!, and I'll add it to the list.

Cory

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March 22, 2007
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Gabe: ... http://www.fijiwebdesign.com

Here's a few candidates for the list -

"Joomla Admin Panel"? "Joomla Backend"?
"Parameters": such as in "Menu Parameters", "Module Parameters", "Component Parameters", "Mambot/Plugin Parameters". (this is ignored by a lot of new users of Joomla).
Also synonyms for "Access Level" in Joomla is "User Type" and "User Level".

smilies/grin.gif

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April 18, 2007
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david: ... http://ohppbtt.com

Where in the hierarchy does "menu" fit in? I am trying to fix a problem on the site that I have recently taken over. I cannot update my "standings / points" menu with the excel file that was used because the old webmaster is a jerk and deleted something important that allowed us to update that menu item. Any thoughts on that problem would be helpful, and thanks for the other definitions. www.ohppbtt.com

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July 19, 2007
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Hi david,

I'm sorry to hear that about your old webmaster. I took a look at your site, and the "standings/points" page appears to be outside of your Joomla installation.

One thing you can do is install JoomlaXplorer, and use it to upload your Excel file to the standings/2007 directory.

Good luck!

Cory

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July 19, 2007
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Kshitij: ... http://www.wanttohost.com

@ Cory

I followed Amy's Post in the joomla official forum (http://forum.joomla.org/index....524.0.html) and reached here.

Your article here has lit the lights around and i can see joomla more clearly now.
,
However i have one comment in regards to the Jargon List above. The "core", that is the joomla's official installation comes installed with a WYSIWYG editor which is termed as '3rd Party' (and is actually so) in many places over the web.

Just something that conflicted in mycase...hope that other readers get it right way.

Regards,

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August 09, 2007
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Hi Kshitij,

I'm glad you found this post helpful. Excellent point about the distinction between core and 3rd party extensions. In some cases, what some people might consider a 3rd party extension (like the core WYSIWYG editor) is distributed with the core Joomla! package. In these cases, if the extension is distributed with the core, then for all intents and purposes, it is considered a core extension. I know it is a little confusing, but hopefully that clears it up a little.

Thanks for visiting!

Cory

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August 09, 2007
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pingoogle: ...

Thanks for the information...I needed it smilies/grin.gif

Great Post. Keep it coming!!!

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October 03, 2007
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darling: ... http://www.darling.anime.0lx.net

Thank's for this, i really hope i will enjoy using Joomla

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December 11, 2007
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Williee: ... http://www.greenleafwholesale.com

Not sure I am in the right place but I am having trouble creating tumbnails or PDF's. The system tells me in a warning message that the thumnails were not created yet it states in the results that they were. The warning message is correct since they were not created or at least they are not in the Media manger.

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February 26, 2008
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steve: ...

What I think would be helpful is some description on frontpage, home page and wrapper. These still confuse me.

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May 05, 2008
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Cory: ... http://www.howtojoomla.net

Hi Steve...great question...

Here is a quick answer, but I will try to come up with a better answer

Frontpage - In Joomla 1.0, the frontpage is actually a component that displays articles from all sections/categories in a blog format. It is called fontpage because by default it is set as the home page of every new Joomla installation.

Home Page - In general, Home Page is used to describe the first page of a site. Many people use the Frontpage component for their home page, but this is not necessary.

Wrapper - Wrapper is a special menu item that simply wraps another website into your site using something called an iframe. You simply create a new wrapper menu item and enter the URL of the site you want to "wrap" in the menu item's parameters.

I hope that helps!

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May 05, 2008
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