Get started with your Joomla! 1.5 site in 5 steps

 Please note these instructions are for Joomla! 1.5, NOT Joomla! 1.6. Some steps will be similar in 1.6, but some - Clear all Content, for example - will break your site.

 Before you begin this lesson, you will need to enable uploads for your site if you have not already done so. For the security of our servers and services, we ask all new demo users to go through this quick, one-time process of enabling uploads. See instructions on how to enable uploads.

Step 1: Clear sample data - Joomla! 1.5 ONLY

This step will break your site in Joomla! 1.6. Your Joomla! trial site comes with default content that is installed for example purposes.  To keep things simple, we are going to remove this content so you can then start building your site from a clean slate.

• Login to your Joomla! Administrator
• From the top menu, select Components --> Cloud Control Panel --> Clear all content
• Click “Clear Sample Data” at top right
• Click "Ok"
• Next, from the top menu again, select Extensions --> Module Manager
• Select all modules and press delete on the right hand side.

 

 

Step 2: Create article for homepage

2a: Strongly recommended! Install Joomla! Content Editor (JCE). JCE will allow you to easily add images and links to articles, and provides more formatting options as well. See instructions on how to install JCE.

• From the top menu, select Content --> Article Manager
• Click “New” at top right
• Add title
• Select category “Uncategorized”
• Add content using the WYSIWYG text editor
• Click “Save” at top right
• To create additional pages, follow these same steps
  
   

 

Step 3: Link “Home” menu item to homepage

• From top menu, select Menus --> Main Menu
• Click “Home” from list of menu items
• Under Menu Item Type, click the "Change type" button
• Select "Article Layout"
• Under Parameters (Basic) at right, click “Select” button
• Choose the homepage you just created in step 2
• Click “Save” at top right
• To create additional menu items, follow these same steps.
  
   

 

Step 4: Install template

To complete this step, you will need to enable uploads for your site if you have not already done so. See instructions on how to enable uploads.

This step includes a free template from CloudAccess.net that allows you to easily upload your logo and start to customize the look and feel of your Joomla! website to match your business. If you don't like this template, we offer many other free Joomla! templates. Or, you can select from thousands of 3rd party templates available for the Joomla! CMS. Here are a few examples of 3rd party templates, both free and commercial.

• Download CloudBase template (You will download a zip file. Do NOT un-zip the file.)
• From top menu, select Extensions --> Install/Uninstall
• Browse to the file you just downloaded: ca_base_j15_1_0_6.zip
• Click “Upload File & Install”
• From top menu, select Extensions --> Template Manager
• Select radial button to left of "CloudBase"
• Click "Default" at top right
• To edit your template's parameters, click on the template name in this list.
• (Or, follow the same steps above for any other template.)

   

Step 5: Upload your logo

• From top menu, select Extensions --> Template Manager
• Click on template name, CloudBase
• On the right hand side under Template Logo click on the words "click here." The link will take you to the media manager.
• Find and click on the "logo" folder
• Click on "Browse" and navigate your local computer to your logo. Select the logo and in Joomla! click on "Start Upload"
• From top menu select Extensions -->Templates Manager
• From Parameters, select your logo from the “Logo image” dropdown
• (You can also at this point choose the template color you would like, or choose a custom background color.)
• Click “Save” at top right
• See more instructions for the CloudBase template here.

If you're having troubles, submit a ticket to support with your logo and we will give you a hand.   

Additional Tips

See additional instructions here on how to:

• Remove or edit the text "Welcome to the Frontpage" from the homepage
• Remove the PDF, print and email icons from an article
• Remove the text "Written by Administrator" and date from an article

How to Upgrade

Upgrading your Joomla! site is a simple process. See step-by-step instructions here.