Joomla! How-To's

I had a request from a reader to provide more detailed instructions on "database wrangling" with your Joomla! database. This article is an attempt at honoring that request. I will add an article later that explains how to import your Joomla! database using phpMyAdmin.

To perform the tasks in this article, you will need phpMyAdmin installed on your server. I am using version 2.8.0.2 of phpMyAdmin and version 4.1.21 of MySQL. For the sake of brevity, I have assumed that you have access to your MySQL server and left out details on how to gain that access. If you are unsure about how to gain access to your MySQL server, you should contact your hosting provider.

Update February 7, 2009: I have now written an an article on how to move your Joomla! 1.5 site to a new server.

Things happen. Plans change. Websites outgrow current servers and need new servers. Hosting companies provide poor service, prompting a web master to decide to change servers. Whatever the reason, you might need to move your Joomla! installation from one server to another.

If you've been running a website for a while, you have probably already accumulated quite a bit of content and several 3rd party components and/or modules, and you do not want to start fresh with a new Joomla! installation. This article explains what I did to move HowToJoomla from my test server (howtojoomla.corywebb.com) to the server that it is on now.

I just recently installed Joomla! using a database that already had an instance of Joomla! installed in it. It was actually really easy. This article explains how to install multiple instances of Joomla! with 1 database.

With your standard Joomla! installation, you get a WYSIWYG editor called TinyMCE. A WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) editor basically enables you to edit content items in your browser just like editing a document in a word processor without needing to know how to write HTML code.

For most people, TinyMCE will serve their needs adequately. However, you might prefer to use a different editor. If so, this article will teach you how to install a new editor and make it your default editor.

At the Joomla! help site, there is a great article explaining the various functions to be used in a Joomla! template. It gives an explanation of the parameters involved in the mosLoadModules function, which often cause confusion for new template developers. You can either read that article, or if you don't feel like leaving this page, you can continue reading this article, which will explain the same concepts.