Joomla template developers can include parameters that allow the site owner to change certain functionality from a simple interface within Administrator. This post explores this feature called Form Fields and gives you an overview of how you can include these with your own Joomla templates. 

As we teach in The Basics, modules can have different styles. The style of a module can be updated quickly and easily through the Module Class Suffix field as long as your template provider has included some extra styling options. If you’re the one designing the template, or if you just want to add your own styles to an existing template, here’s how it’s done.

This week we’re back to our series on creating your own Joomla templates. Remember, you don’t have to be planning to start your own template business to benefit from some deeper knowledge of template building. Maintaining and modifying your templates will also become much easier when you have a better command of this skill.

Creating, modifying and just generally dealing with Joomla templates is not as daunting a task as you might think. There are some jobs that should be left to the professionals, but understanding how templates work and how they are structured can help tremendously in troubleshooting your own sites. It can also save you a good deal of money if you find yourself needing to hire programmers to solve even your basic Joomla template problems.

All Joomla websites are displayed using a series of files that make up a template. This post explains the options that are available when choosing a template from free, to commercial to doing it yourself.

Today I'm speaking with Anthony Olsen, a fellow Australian and Joomla enthusiast. Anthony has been working with Joomla since 2006 and is the lead designer at Joomlabamboo, who develop some of the finest templates around. Let's discover more about the typical life of a template developer and learn how Joomla has changed over the years. And if you're new to Joomla or if your site could use a facelift, be sure to check out the special offer Anthony has prepared for you.

This week's newsletter will explain how you can get a custom K2 template working for your Joomla website. It's a bit more involved in terms of file manipulation, but we'll look at it from a very general point of view, give you some tips and explain why we think this is a really nice feature. You will need either good knowledge of and access to cPanel or a good command of FTP. You will also need to know a bit about CSS, and remember that you can always get professional help when you need it.

A well developed website should work well on all devices. However the mobile platform presents specific challenges such as bandwidth and browser size. One option is to build a dedicated mobile version of your website, but you would then need to update your content on two sites. Here are two alternative solutions for mobile-friendly Joomla sites.

Previously, I told you about the Joomla Community Showcase where you can view a selection of great Joomla sites and submit your own.

The latest player on the Joomla template scene is TemplateWorks, the same folks who develop some neat Joomla extensions at JoomlaWorks. Their initial template lineup includes seven free templates with the promise of some commercial ones to follow.

In the Build a Joomla Website training, you learn how to view your template positions in Administrator. However there are times when it would be handy to be able to do this quickly in the front-end. You do this by adding ?tp=1 to the end of your home page URL.

I have a love/hate affair with templates. All Joomla pages are displayed using a base file called a template. Free and commercial templates are available from various providers. You can also create your own templates if you know how and I will be producing some training on this process in the future. Let me tell you why I love using templates from specialist template providers when developing Joomla websites.