Joomla!® 1.7 User Guide

Joomla! 1.7, was released in July 2011.

Joomla 1.7 is very different from Joomla! 1.5, which was itself fundamentally different from Joomla! 1.0.

The BIG difference behind the scenes in Joomla! 1.7 is that Joomla!'s programming framework (used by Joomla! developers) has been separated from Joomla's CMS or 'content management system'(that part used by website owners).

In terms of user experience, previous users of Joomla! 1.5 will find working with Joomla! 1.7 very familiar. There are however many significant improvements, not least a more user friendly Control Panel.

There are a few new features worthy of note for the end user:

These include:

1. you can add a background image to Custom HTML Modules,
2. you can put the site name before or after the page name in the HTML title tag.

There are of course many more! 

Read more about Joomla! 1.7 Features (Joomla! Community Magazine).

Try using this great FREE Online Resource!

Joomla! 1.7 A Beginner's Guide (a work in progress) by Hagen Graf.

Introduction

Our Joomla! 1.7 Guide is very new and it will be some time yet before we have put in place all our planned illustrated guides.

The priority is to create the following illustrated guides as a priority:

• Manage Content
• Edit Content
• Newsflash Management

In the meantime, much of the content in our Joomla! 1.5 User Guide will be of use to the general user.

What is NEW in this Guide is that we have created a number of video tutorials which we hope you will find useful.

What was new in Joomla! 1.6?

The principal changes introduced in Joomla 1.6 were:

• New Access Control System - Allows site administrators control over who can view and manage content.
• Unlimited Depth Organizational Model - Gives site administrators and content creators user-defined category levels that allow for the creation of a category tree with as many or as few levels for organizing articles and other content as needed.
• One-Click Extension Updates - Allows users to keep sites secure and controlled by simplifying the process of updating extensions.
• Semantic XHTML Layouts - Provides a better baseline for content presentation.

Source and more detail: Official Joomla! Documentation

The main differences between Joomla! 1.5 and Joomla! 1.6 were:

• Look and feel of the Control Panel.
• Fewer steps to complete administrative tasks in the Control Panel.
• No Sections, only Categories and Articles.
• Content Editor icons are different (but undertake more or less the same functions as in Joomla! 1.5).

Wynchcote Support

Our Joomla! 1.7 Quick Guide should still help most users get started.

If you cannot find here, or in the third party links below, an answer to how to get things done in your Wynchcote Website, then please do contact us.

Other Useful Sources of Help

Joomla! Control Panel Context Help

Whichever screen you are in when browsing through your Joomla! Control Panel you will see this button at the top on the right.

Select it for an explanation of the various features of the screen you are working in.

Joomla! Official Documentation

Joomla! Beginners Guide

The Official Joomla! Guide to Getting Started with Joomla! 1.6 not yet available. Instead try this great FREE online resource:

Joomla! 1.7 A Beginner's Guide (a work in progress) by Hagen Graf.

Links to Official Joomla! and Third Party Tutorials

Joomla! 1.7 A Beginner's Guide (a work in progress) by Hagen Graf.