Joomla and SMF Forum

How to install SMF Forum component on your Joomla website

There are several Joomla-SMF integration solutions, integrations independently developed on the net. SiteGround's servers are perfectly set to ensure all of them work properly.

In this tutorial we will cover the most popular one which is distributed by Joomlahacks:

http://www.joomlahacks.com/joomla/components/Joomla-SMF_Forum/

Please follow these steps in order to install the component properly.

Step 1: Download Joomla's configuration.php file via FTP. It can be found in Joomla main directory. Open it with Notepad or another editor. Find and copy the following rows:

$mosConfig_db = 'username_joomla';
$mosConfig_password = 'yours';
$mosConfig_user = 'username_joomla';

The information in the quotes will be different on your site -

$mosConfig_db determines your Joomla database.
$mosConfig_password determines which is the password for your Joomla's database user.
$mosConfig_user determines which is your Joomla's database user.

The above information will be used when installing the SMF forum in the next steps.

Step 2: Follow the tutorial to install manually SMF forum in a subdirectory on your site. In this example we will call it forum, i.e. http://www.yourdomain.tld/forum.

* Upload and extract the forum's files
* Skip the step for setting up a new database because we will be using Joomla's database
* Follow the web installation instructions for specifying the correct details. Make sure to specify the database details from the Joomla file as described in Step 1.

Step 3: Register to Joomlahacks in order to be able to download the Joomla-SMF component.

Step 4: Install the Joomla-SMF component

Please, log in your Joomla admin panel and go to Installers -> Components:Browse for the com_joomla_smf_forum_x.x.zip file you have previously downloaded and press the [Upload file and Install] button: Step 5: Joomla-SMF configuration.

All that is left now is to configure the Joomla-SMF component. Please, Go to Components -> Joomla SMF Forum -> Configuration:This is the most important step of the integration, and is essential that you complete all fields correctly:

Joomla-SMF configuration details:

* SMF Absolute Path - the path where you installed SMF. You can use the path to the Joomla installation as reference. In our case it will be forum.
* SMF Database Prefix - the default prefix is smf_. This should not be changed by default.

Fill in the above two and click on the [Save] button. Fix the errors, if any, and proceed by clicking on the click to patch links for the index files of Joomla and SMF. Clicking on the [Save] button after each change will help you avoid errors, and make it easier to revert wrong actions.

After completing all steps successfully, the SMF forum should work fine in your Joomla-based website. Well done!

Read more...

Joomla and Virtuemart

How to install Virtuemart component and module on your Joomla website

To install VirtueMart on an existing Joomla website, you need to install the core Virtuemart component and module. The installation steps are easy and intuitive.

First please, go to www.virtuemart.net and download the complete package of the shopping cart, called VirtueMart_x.x_COMPLETE_PACKAGE.zip.

Next please, extract this file on your local hard drive, to find the actual components and modules. Then go to your Joomla Administrator panel and navigate to Installers -> Components.The first thing to be installed is the com_virtuemart.x.x.tar.gz file. Click on the [Browse...] button, select the file and hit [Upload File & Install].The installation of the core element of VirtueMart is now complete.Now, a module has to be installed, to make the functionality of VirtueMart accessible on your site. The procedure is quite similar to the installing of a component, described above. Please, go to Installers -> Modules, browse for the file called mod_virtuemart.x.x.tar.gz and click on [Upload File & Install].

Congratulations! You are now ready to use VirtueMart on your Joomla site!

In Joomla Administrator, go to Components -> VirtueMart and click on the [Go directly to Store] button. DO NOT interrupt this step - it may take a while as some time consuming SQL queries have to be executed. Please check the official installation instructions described in the installation.pdf file included in the main package.

There are additional modules and mambots that can enhance the performance and features of your website. These are very well covered in the documentation as well, and are also contained in the complete package archive you have downloaded.

Read more...

Joomla Extensions

Installing components, modules or mambots on Joomla is not a hard task. Most of Joomla extensions come along with installation insctructions. However, it is always adviseable to backup your current installation prior importing additional fnctionality. For more information on how to do that, please refer to our Joomla backup tutorial

Once the backup is complete you can proceed with the desired installation.

First, you need to download the desired component, module or mambot to your local computer. Generally they come as archives with the appropriate prefix according to their functionality: com_ - for component, mod_ - for module and mos or bot added in the file name for a mambot.

Once you have downloaded the file, please login to your Joomla administrator backend and click on the Installers menu from the main menu.Now, please select the appropriate choice for the installation (component, module or mambot) and click the [Browse...] button, find the extension file you have downloaded and click [Upload File and Install]. If all is fine, you will be redirected to a screen stating Upload component - Success.

That is it. You can now use the newly installed addon. You will be able to see it in the corresponding menu in your admin backend - Components, Modules or Mambots.

Please, bear in mind that some addons might require additional configuration. In such case, this will be explicitly stated in the instructions added to the installation package.

Well done! You can now successfully install extensions to your Joomla!

Read more...