Product Description

As a major force in the world of affordable, advanced web site deployment, Joomla! has become the most important noncommercial Content Management System (CMS) in the world. The number of Joomla! downloads and add–ons continues to grow at lightning pace, spurring the need for a resource that explores the diverse needs of professional Joomla! developers. This book fills that void by covering the two main areas of the Joomla! field––development and deployment––with a focus on the new Joomla! version 1.5 and all the features it provides.

Seasoned author Dan Rahmel walks you through the process of creating all three types of Joomla! extensions (modules, components, and plug–ins), explains how best to use Ajax technology, and shows you how to adopt design patterns and incorporate source code control. You′ll examine the underlying technologies (PHP, Apache, etc.) that can be tuned to offer the best system performance, and you′ll explore interfacing with outside content, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) setup, and much more. You′ll even delve into the internal structure of the Joomla! framework, and obtain a unique behind–the–scenes education so that you can modify and extend Joomla! to meet the needs of you and your customers.

What you will learn from this book

∗ How each server of a Joomla! system can be installed and configured for maximum performance
∗

The process of creating a module from scratch
∗

Ways to use Ajax to add dynamic data retrieval to Joomla!
∗

Techniques for using design patterns to solve common programming problems
∗

How to create and retain a virtual community
∗

Procedures for tuning a Joomla! site for both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Management (SEM)

Who this book is for

This book is for web developers, hobbyists, web designers, bloggers, corporate content creators, and support specialists who are looking to build a more robust web site. Basic skills in the area of PHP programming are necessary.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real–world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #135911 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From the Back Cover
As a major force in the world of affordable, advanced web site deployment, Joomla! has become the most important noncommercial Content Management System (CMS) in the world. The number of Joomla! downloads and add–ons continues to grow at lightning pace, spurring the need for a resource that explores the diverse needs of professional Joomla! developers. This book fills that void by covering the two main areas of the Joomla! field—development and deployment—with a focus on the new Joomla! version 1.5 and all the features it provides.

Seasoned author Dan Rahmel walks you through the process of creating all three types of Joomla! extensions (modules, components, and plug–ins), explains how best to use Ajax technology, and shows you how to adopt design patterns and incorporate source code control. You′ll examine the underlying technologies (PHP, Apache, etc.) that can be tuned to offer the best system performance, and you′ll explore interfacing with outside content, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) setup, and much more. You′ll even delve into the internal structure of the Joomla! framework, and obtain a unique behind–the–scenes education so that you can modify and extend Joomla! to meet the needs of you and your customers.

What you will learn from this book

• How each server of a Joomla! system can be installed and configured for maximum performance

• The process of creating a module from scratch

• Ways to use Ajax to add dynamic data retrieval to Joomla!

• Techniques for using design patterns to solve common programming problems

• How to create and retain a virtual community

• Procedures for tuning a Joomla! site for both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Management (SEM)

Who this book is for

This book is for web developers, hobbyists, web designers, bloggers, corporate content creators, and support specialists who are looking to build a more robust web site. Basic skills in the area of PHP programming are necessary.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real–world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

About the Author
Dan Rahmel is an author best known for his work with database systems, PHP, and Visual Basic. He has more than a dozen years of experience designing and implementing information systems and client–server solutions using MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, and Visual FoxPro. He began work as a writer for various magazines, including DBMS, American Programmer, and Internet Advisor. He is the author of more than a dozen books, and his writing has been translated into numerous languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. In 2006, Focal Press issued a special edition of Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking: Practical Techniques for the Guerilla Filmmaker (Focal Press, 2004) for release in India.

Customer Reviews

The best book on Joomla! I've read yet
This really is a definitive guide to the nitty gritty of Joomla! It isn't a beginners guide (unless you're a beginner to Joomla! with good PHP and MySQL skills), but is does cover pretty much everything you'll ever need to know from installation through to template creation and module, plugin and component creation. Definitely the book to graduate too if you've grown beyond the Beginning Joomla! titles.

My only criticisms are that the book is too short - many chapters leave you wanting more examples or ideas to develop - and that it really only covers Joomla! 1.5, somewhat understandably, and only tips a hat to those still managing 1.0 deployments.

If you want a primer for the programming side of Joomla! or are just looking for more in depth information can't recommend this book highly enough. If you want a beginners guide to Joomla! this probably shouldn't be the first Joomla! book you buy. It should, however, be the second.

A good resource but needs more
I am new to Joomla but have experience in other PHP web frameforks. I anticipated a steep learning curve, but this book is well written for experienced developers and I was up to speed in a few days. Unfortunately I now need to find a much more informative technical manual for the next step in development.

After you get under the hood (first 6 chapters) there is not much left as it tends towards a generic web development manual. It could do with more practical examples on using MVC design pattern & Ajax.