Showing posts with label cms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cms. Show all posts

Joomla 1.5 Multimedia Review

Joomla 1.5 Multimedia
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Joomla 1.5 Multimedia? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla 1.5 Multimedia. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla 1.5 Multimedia ReviewRegardless of the type of multimedia you need to incorporate into your site, Walker does an excellent job of introducing both Joomla's native tools for working with files as well as a wide range of components, plug-ins and modules.
One of the pleasant surprises in this book is that Walker (appropriately) includes text as media. Not only does he do an effective job of providing an overview of typography and how to make appropriate choices, but includes more addvanced methods for using Scalable Inman Flash Replacement (sIFR) to allow for the use of custom fonts on one's site.
On more advanced multimedia topics, like audio and video, Walker begins with basic overviews of issues like file types, compression and file quality. Useful for beginners, or as a refresher if one needs it, Walker still provides enough depth that these chapters should still be useful for more experienced developers.
I also like the fact that Walker includes a fair amount of information on working with Twitter and other social media sites. Because I think it's crucial to think about how one is going to promote a site and attract visitors, I would include at least a little information on how to establish an effective social networking strategy. Social networking isn't difficult, but doing it well requires a plan, patience and diligence. Still, once you have a strategy, Chapter 7 does an excellent job describing the options that are available.
Even the best titles have areas where there's room for improvement. In a future edition, I would like to see Walker:
* Discuss Flash. While there's a Joomla! with Flash book available, I think it's enough of a mis-perception that Joomla and Flash don't work together, that some coverage would be nice. If nothing else I would more explicitly focus on image galleries that are Flash-based.
* Expand discussion of accessibility and SEO-related issues associated with multi-media files, and especially with image tags.
* Discourage changing the height and width of images within Joomla! Encourage using an image editor. This might be a place to promote GIMP, an excellent open source option comparable to Photoshop.
* Introduce the .mp4a and .mp4v file types: audio and video as part of the discussion around podcasting.
Even if you're relatively new to Joomla!, this books is a useful resource. If you haven't worked with Joomla in the past, I would recommend either using Joomla's documentation from their site or getting a copy of Hagen Graf's excellent book, Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5 as additional must-have reading.Joomla 1.5 Multimedia OverviewThis book is a Joomla! tutorial packed with features that you can apply to enhance your Joomla! web site. It contains step-by-step instructions for Joomla! users to build rich multimedia web sites using Joomla!. It shows you how to manually implement features into your site, as well as utilize Extensions and more automated methods. A tutorial approach means you can follow this book chapter by chapter or just dip into the topics you find of interest. This book is aimed at Joomla! administrators and site developers who want to add media-rich content elements and interactive features to their site. All you need is to have a basic knowledge of the Joomla! platform and want to develop your site with rich media content.This book is a must-read for Joomla! users wanting to collaborate with external resources such as YouTube, Twitter, Google, and Flickr (amongst others).

Want to learn more information about Joomla 1.5 Multimedia?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) ReviewKnowing near nothing about Drupal, I wanted to find a book that would give me the big picture and help me develop a nuts-and-bolts working knowledge quickly. I saw so many titles online that I went to a physical bookstore so I could carefully look at the books and choose the most appropriate one for my needs. I looked at many books, and scanned the Introductions and Tables of Contents of several promising ones. I chose "Beginning Drupal" because it had a great balance of concrete examples, theory, and discussion of the implications of making various choices in Drupal.
After I purchased the book and began to actually use it, it became quickly clear that Wiley Publishing had not only jumped the gun in publishing a Drupal 7 book prematurely, but several other things really soured the experience for me. There was no discussion in the introduction about the fact that the book was based on early alpha and beta versions of Drupal 7, and that the installation instructions would install Drupal 6 which is so different that the exercises in the book are more confusing than helpful. Still, I persisted, trying to find the Drupal 6 equivalents to the Drupal 7 examples in the book. (of course this was not mentioned on the cover either, or on the web site. As a matter of fact, the promotional materials misleadingly call Drupal 7 the latest version, but don't mention that it has not been officially released yet). After I hit page 100, I realized that the UI differences were not the only problem. The book was not only unclear because of the version differences, but because the writer apparently didn't have the benefit of a conscientious editor to make the language clear. The grammar was sloppy, but worse yet, the meanings of many of the sentences were foggy.
I did switch over to using Drupal 7 beta, hoping that would help. In fact, it did help with many of the exercises, but there were also far too many instances in which the examples were confusing because they were based on earlier versions of Drupal 7. I looked at the "errata" published for the book, but they barely scratched the surface of the errors in the book.
I really liked the unfolding of concepts as the book progressed, in that sense the design of the book was brilliant. But it was sloppily executed, and there were numerous instances in which avoidable inconsistencies prevented examples from working the way they should have.
In summary, I'd say that this book was a well conceived but so poorly executed and rushed to market. It wasted more of my time and effort than any other "how to" book that I have ever encountered in my 4 decades in the computer business.Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewA thorough introduction that lessens the learning curve to building sites with Drupal 7
Drupal 7 is the latest version of the free, open source content management system Drupal. A powerful content management system and framework Drupal has an unfortunate reputation of having a steep learning curve. This guide to Drupal 7 methodically demystifies Drupal and shortening the learning curve.
Author Jacob Redding is deeply embedded in the Drupal community, and walks first-time Drupal developers through the installation and configuration of a Drupal system. In-depth information on key areas of Drupal explore the Drupal hook system, Drupal's theming layer, and Drupal's API. You'll also get sample code, and lessons that guide you through various aspects of Drupal.
Introduces you to every aspect of Drupal 7
Demystifies key areas of Drupal and shortens the learning curve for even the most novice beginner
Features lessons and sample code that offer extra insight into a Drupal web site
Exploring simple single website installations and more advanced multiple site installations that share users and/or content.
Addresses how to use Drupal's theming layer to your advantage.

With this comprehensive and clear book by your side, you will quickly learn to leverage Drupal's impressive power.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Want to learn more information about Beginning Drupal (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) ReviewAs a website developer specializing in Drupal-based sites for the last few years, I found this book to be exactly what I needed. I have several other books about drupal, including Pro Drupal Development, Second Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional) and Learning Drupal 6 Module Development: A practical tutorial for creating your first Drupal 6 modules with PHP, yet I have found Leveraging Drupal to be the most helpful yet.
Leveraging Drupal goes into precisely the topics related to Drupal development which your average "working stiff" building Drupal sites runs into on every job: version control, the development and deployment process, upgrades, internationalization options, theming, etc. Included are helpful life-saving tidbits such as dealing with the infamous WSOD (php's white screen of death), checking out drupal via CVS, and setting up cron. It more than pays for itself in just the first three chapters.
One of the things I like most about the book is that the author treats website development with the same respect as any software project. From the book: "First of all, in a software project (and because of it's complexity, that is what a website application is), you are either controlled by circumstances or you succeed - but only if you can maintain your grip on things."
I would compare it to my other favorite programming book: Agile Java(TM): Crafting Code with Test-Driven Development (Robert C. Martin Series) by Jeff Langr. Leveraging Drupal is similar in that after reading and digesting it, you are a more mature developer than you were before.Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewThis book is a step-by-step guide and a hands-on co-piloted experience for those trying to make Drupal powered websites work for them, and for their clients. Much more than a "tutorial", what is needed is a nuts-and-bolts living mentor and guide which really shows the reader how to do the things really required for bringing it all together in a site which works. This will be the only book covering all the difficult components of Drupal: views, panels, themes, content creation, etc. The book will cover:* How to upgrade your hopelessly outdated and obsolete-software dependent site and bring it into the Drupal mainstream and future* How to become a great Drupal themer and make "non-Drupal" looking sites* How to really customize Drupal for your real needs* How to start using best practices in Drupal web application development* How to work like the pro Drupal shops and be ready for big projects - and small ones* Learn by example (code samples, theme samples, videos) at every step

Want to learn more information about Leveraging Drupal: Getting Your Site Done Right (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Joomla 1.5 Template Design Review

Joomla 1.5 Template Design
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Joomla 1.5 Template Design? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla 1.5 Template Design. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla 1.5 Template Design ReviewI, too, can only give this book two stars, which is unfortunate, because had a little bit more care been taken this could have easily been a five-star book.
The main reason I can only give the book two stars is due to the same concerns that have been previously expressed...the code and style sheets are not in sync with the text of the book (and I'm only in Chapter 2). I've had to constantly replace the code and style sheets I've typed in from the book with the code and style sheets downloaded from the site. More often than not, changes have been made to the code or style sheets as the book progresses without the author even indicating that such changes have been made. This is not something that someone who has purchased this book should have to contend with.Joomla 1.5 Template Design OverviewThis book covers the "how-tos" of creating templates for Joomla! 1.5. There is also advice about what works and what to consider when working with your Joomla! 1.5 template. Because this title is about Joomla! 1.5 templates and not about CSS or semantic XHTML, an understanding of established and current XHTML and CSS techniques for achieving compliant, semantic, and accessible designs is assumed. However, quality references and links are always given so the reader can learn more about any specific CSS or XHTML technique discussed if they are unfamiliar with it. This book is aimed at web designers who want to create their own unique templates for Joomla! 1.5. Readers should have a basic knowledge of Joomla! 1.5 (Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5 by Hagen Graf from Packt Publishing will help you with this) and also basic knowledge of table-less CSS and XHTML techniques, as well as using Dreamweaver or other text/code editors for coding purposes.

Want to learn more information about Joomla 1.5 Template Design?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer) ReviewThe book content is ok, but too basic. Instead of 50 pages of Examples of "successfull sites", maybe the author could have expanded on some of the examples. For example, the example on MVC patterns is so simple as to be meaningless. If I wanted to "study the Joomla source code" as the author suggests, I wouldn't have spent money on a book.
The downloaded example source code doesn't match the book and often doesn't quite work.
I did learn quite a bit about Joomla, but I always had the nagging feeling that the book wasn't finished and was rushed to print.Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer) OverviewAs 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 forThis 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.

Want to learn more information about Professional Joomla (Programmer to Programmer)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog Review

Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog ReviewI absolutely love the Head First Series of books and, while they are not the most in depth and complex books on a subject, I consider them the most user friendly way to quickly and easily learn a challenging and difficult topic. So when I learned they were coming out with a book on Wordpress I quickly preordered it and then waited, and waited, and waited until...now. At last the book arrived and I'm not disappointed. For the average user (and let's face it, even the above average user) this is everything you need to know about how to install and use Wordpress for all but the most advanced website tasks.
While most people will choose to install Wordpress using the "one click" installation service offered by their hosting provider, the Headfirst book starts with a detailed description of how to download and install it the old fashioned way...manually. Even if you were to choose not to use the "one click" method (which I would advise against), reviewing this section gives you a good idea of the nuts and bolts of your Wordpress installation.
Next they cover the basics of posting and using images in your posts, including basic problems, troubleshooting and even covering file permissions. When it comes to changing your blogs appearance they do a very good job of describing templates, including third party templates, and also provide a solid overviews of HTML, PHP and CSS and how you can use it to modify your sight. Widgets are covered in depth as well.
The aspect of Wordpress I was most interested in learning more about was how to use it as a Content Management System (CMS) and the book covers the subject well, including a very good discussion on how to structure your website, how to modify your permalinks, set up the navigation bar and to use the visual editor.
There is an entire chapter devoted to embedding and handling video on the site which I felt was very important. Again, they covered not just how to embed video, but how to keep the video on your site organized and well structured, as well as various plugins that can be used to add extra functionality to the site. One part I didn't expect was the information on how to podcast, which I thought was interesting. This was covered in conjunction with advice on setting up syndication and using Feedburner. I personally have never done any podcasting, but it's nice to know that the information is there if I need it. I did appreciate the discussion on syndication however and thought it made getting set up on Feedburner easier and less confusing I remember it being.
There is a chapter devoted to Wordpress security which, having suffered from malware and virus attacks on my Wordpress blogs in the past, I thought was a good idea. One can never be too secure when it comes to the Internet and the advice in this chapter is solid.
If your new to Wordpress this is a excellent book to get you started. I highly recommend it. I found this more user friendly and readable than any other Wordpress book I have read or reviewed. If you use Wordpress but want to understand it and get more out of it I highly recommend this book as well, especially if you want to learn how to go into the code to modify the appearance of your site. IF you want to use Wordpress to it's full functionality get this book.Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog Overview
Whether you're promoting your business or writing about your travel adventures, Head First WordPress will teach you not only how to make your blog look unique and attention-grabbing, but also how to dig into the more complex features of WordPress 3.0 to make your website work well, too.

You'll learn how to move beyond the standard WordPress look and feel by customizing your blog with your own URL, templates, plugin functionality, and more. As you learn, you'll be working with real WordPress files: The book's website provides pre-fab WordPress themes to download and work with as you follow along with the text.

Gain immediate experience with WordPress 3.0, the June 2010 release of the software
Get your site up and running by setting up a MySQL database and creating configuration files
Work with the Wordpress platform to create posts and pages, learn the difference between tags and categories, edit content, moderate comments, and manage spam
Explore how to extend Wordpress with plugins and templates
Convert custom designs (in HTML and CSS) into functional themes and use them in WordPress

We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First WordPress uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.


Want to learn more information about Head First WordPress: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Creating Your Own Custom WordPress Blog?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Umbraco User's Guide Review

Umbraco User's Guide
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Umbraco User's Guide? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Umbraco User's Guide. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Umbraco User's Guide ReviewI have used umbraco for a couple of years now and have really enjoyed it.
With the new version of umbraco coming out just around the corner (v5) i was excited to see that they just released a book.
Spoiler: If you are looking for a book talking about v5 (mvc or razor) this isn't it.
Even though I have used umbraco for so long there was still a few things that I learned from the book.
This book in my opinion is for an entry level umbraco developer or admins who needs to get ramped up on the framework quickly or someone who has used the framework to confirm they are following the best practice and making the most of the tool set.
What developers/admins can get out of this book:
- installation instructions
- Upgrade how to demo
- Document Type structure best practices
- Data types what they are and how to use them
- User permissions
- Sample code demos
-- xslt
-- c# usercontrols
-- 3 lines of razor syntax
- Sample project demo (actually worth doing)
What admins (non developers) can get out of this book:
- How data types are used or intended to be used
- Publishing content from staging to production
- Intermediate understanding of what umbraco is and how it can be used
- Gives you an outside the box view of other uses for umbraco document type properties
-- you don't have to just give users a WYSIWYG if you need more control of content placement / styling -> you can define specific fields for them to enter content into and then embed those fields into your templates so you have full control over styling and placement.
-- also (which was a new way of thinking to me) you do not have to grant users access to the media section. If you only wanted them to be able to upload images specifically for the use on a document type you might as well just give them an upload field and place the image where you need it to go. It is easier for the user (UX) and you have more control of the media library as well.
I will keep this one on my book shelf and will use it as a 'De Facto' resource for members of my team and those who I train on the framework.Umbraco User's Guide OverviewThe first guide to show you how to power your site using Umbraco.
More companies are turning to the power and simplicity ofUmbraco's web content management system to build robust,customized sites. Written by leaders in the Umbraco community,this invaluable guide takes you through every aspect of thisopen source tool. Code samples using XHTML, CSS, XSLT, andC# are integrated throughout the pages to illustrate key conceptsthat you can apply. As you work through the chapters, you'llprogress from building a basic Umbraco site to a sophisticatedone that meets the needs of your organization.
Umbraco User's Guide:
Explains how to install Umbraco and walks you through itsXML structure
Discusses how to create templates while building your understandingof layouts
Offers best practices for developing content, designing types, organizing templates, and using the rich text editor
Walks you through XSLT and .NET controls
Helps you build sample applications and troubleshoot any issues that arise
Covers how to create your own classified ads site by combining document types, templates, styles, macros, and more

Nik Wahlberg is the founder of Scandia Consulting, a full-service consultancy specializing in custom web application development. He is a Level 2 Certified Umbraco Professional.
Paul Sterling is a member of the Umbraco Core Team and the creator of theUmbraco Store. He is also the founder of the Commerce for Umbraco opensource project.
Wrox guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Want to learn more information about Umbraco User's Guide?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide Review

Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide ReviewIn the early days of the web, a business would put up a website with a few HTML pages, some contact info, and be done with it. This was fine until their competitors started offering more dynamic content and services on-line. Customers began to have higher expectations for on-line services, and the web has evolved to meet these new realities. It's changes like these that have sparked the 'CMS Revolution', where businesses and individuals are empowered by software tools like Joomla! 1.5. Tools that allow a non technical person to build and maintain a website quickly and easily. Joomla 1.5 Beginner's Guide by Eric Tiggeler is a new book that covers a broad range of topics to get you up and running on your new Joomla! 1.5 based website.
You'll learn how easy it is to install Joomla! 1.5 on your own computer or a web server. Using a practical example website, follow the step by step guide to creating a basic site in just one hour. You'll learn techniques for organizing your content and navigation. This means that as the site grows, it remains easy to find what you're looking for, both as an administrator, and as a visitor browsing the site. Beyond the basics of site administration, you'll learn best practices to help you get the most from your website. Tips for attracting search engine traffic are included, as well as ways to enable visitor interaction, to keep people engaged with your content. In addition to the practical examples given, each section concludes with a quiz, to help reinforce learning in an entertaining way.
Even if you're new to web design concepts like HTML and CSS, you won't have any difficulty understanding this book. By following the practical, clearly worded examples, you'll learn everything you need to know to build and maintain a professional looking website. The material in this book will meet the needs of most website administrators. This is because Joomla! 1.5, and the many extensions available, are built with ease of use in mind. If you want to learn more advanced topics, this book doesn't cover those, but will still give you a solid grounding in Joomla! 1.5 administration. So for the more experienced web developers, it's also a great way to fast track your knowledge about the CMS.
So why are open source CMS solutions becoming so popular? On the one hand, it's about moving from static HTML based websites, to dynamic CMS solutions. This allows websites to deliver an engaging experience that's not possible with only static HTML. In many cases, it's also about users being empowered to publish their content directly, rather than relying on expensive and restrictive proprietary products and services, such as proprietary portal software. Joomla! 1.5 is free software, maintained by a word-wide user community, with the goal of empowering anyone to build and maintain their own website. I hope you enjoy this book, and that is helps you get the most from your Joomla! 1.5 based website.
Note: I'm a member of the Packt affiliate program. I'm providing disclosure of this fact, so that my readers can make informed decisions.Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide OverviewWritten with a fast-paced but friendly and engaging approach, this Packt Beginner's guide is designed to be placed alongside the computer as your guide and mentor to meet real-world web building challenges. Step-by-step tutorials are bolstered by explanations of the reasoning behind what you are doing. You will quickly pick up the necessary skills, tips, and tricks for building a successful Joomla! web site with practical examples that help you to learn by experiment and play. If you want to build and maintain your own web site, the Joomla! Beginner's Guide is perfect for you. It helps you build on the skills and knowledge you may already have on creating web sites-but even if you're new to this subject, you won't have any difficulty understanding the clear and friendly instructions and explanations. You learn how to build and maintain web sites without having to dive deep into HTML and CSS.

Want to learn more information about Joomla 1.5: Beginner's Guide?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source) Review

Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source) ReviewThis book does a nice job to get you up and running with a Joomla!-website (chapters 1 to 3), and then in chapter 4 nicely points your way in getting your own content organized and in place, but then, when it comes to questions like "How do I put related but different articles together in one 'page'" it lets you down completely. The way you use menu's to lay out a page doesn't get real attention, instead you only get an overview of the different manager screens, no explanation of the coworking of menu and module manager.
I expected this to come in chapter 6, but then the author moves to things like creating new templates, using extensions and other things that are surely interesting to know, but of more intermediate to advanced level. The beginners level however seems to be somewhat unfinished. I really have looked to see if pages where missing in my copy somewhere in chapter 4 or 5, but they weren't.
This book could have been so much better if the more advanced chapters where left for a second volume and that space was used for more info about concepts and real world examples. The books promises to make you from novice to professional, but you really can't get there if the foundation is too weak.Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source) OverviewThis Second Edition of Beginning Joomla! updates to the new features included in Joomla 1.6. Author Dan Rahmel shows site managers and developers alike how to build impressive and complex websites using the number one open source content management system, Joomla!While it is simple to install Joomla! and use its base features (http://www.joomla.org/) many users will want to customize it to their specific needs, tweaking the design templates and extending its capabilities.Beginning Joomla! is the most up-to-date guide available for users seeking to resolve the many common yet confusing questions surrounding these tasks. Along the way, the book takes special care to focus on implementing many of today's most desired website features, such as MySpace-like user profile management, photo galleries, and e-commerce.The new features for Joomla 1.6 such as access management, content versioning, multi-blogger components and the expanded search capabilities are all covered in this new edition.

Want to learn more information about Beginning Joomla (Expert's Voice in Open Source)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition) Review

Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition) ReviewI appreciate that Mr. North published a Joomla! 1.6 book so soon after the release of Joomla! 1.6. (I bought the Kindle edition.)
But what's best is that it is a very well written and practical guide to building a web site with Joomla! 1.6. It's exactly what I was looking for.
Barrie North writes in a very linear style, which is what I like in a technical book.
Obviously, Mr. North took his Joomla1! 1.5 book and updated it for 1.6. As a result there are a few (but not too many) places where 1.5 references remain. For example, the word "section" is used in places where it no longer applies. When Mr. North makes these corrections, it would be nice to have a free update for the Kindle version. :-)Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition) OverviewPraise for Previous Edition of Joomla!: A User's Guide"A complete guide to the powerful features of Joomla! 1.5, this book takes a holistic approach to building a Joomla!-powered website–from the CMS itself to its many extensions, search engine optimization, and even building your own tableless template. The novice reader is eased into the subject and confidently guided through the basic principles and on to the more advanced features. This guide empowers the user not only to build a professional website but to also to make it a success."–Russell Walker, CEO, Netshine Software Limited (Joomla! Development Consultancy)"If you've been using or following Joomla! in the past years, you've most likely seen the name Barrie North or Joomlashack. Barrie has been a member of the community for a long time and, as such, my expectations for this book were pretty high. Besides explaining how Joomla! works from a usability point of view, there is valuable information for people who want to learn serious template building, and readers can stand out of the crowd by using Barrie's steps to make their (X)HTML and CSS optimized for accessibility and SEO. All in all, this book is a great guide that comes at the right time for newcomers and more experienced Joomla! users and developers alike. Well done, Barrie!"–Arno Zijlstra, Joomla! cofounder, custom template specialist, www.alvaana.com"In a time when solid, real-life Joomla! 1.5 information is rarely available, this book is a thirst-quenching oasis of knowledge. The abundant and clear examples in the book make Joomla! 1.5 websites within anyone's reach. I heartily recommend Joomla! 1.5: A User's Guide by Barrie North."–Tom Canavan, author of Dodging the Bullets: A Disaster Preparation Guide for Joomla! Based Web Sites"Refreshing! After reading many how-to books, this one is a step beyond the rest because of its focus on examples based on live sites. This book is well crafted for beginners to advanced users with a well-organized overview that walks you through the entire Joomla! CMS."–Steven Pignataro, corePHP, www.corephp.com"As a long-time Joomla! end-user and developer, I had low expectations for anything new I might learn from this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it a great refresher course, especially since the book is logically organized, leading beginners from the most basic Joomla! concepts and continuing through to more complex ones, such as tableless template design and how to write a template for Joomla! 1.5. In summary, Barrie North has produced the gold-standard print reference for Joomla! 1.5. I highly recommend this book for novice and intermediate users if you want to make the most of Joomla!"–Vicor Drover, http://dev.anything-digital.comThe Best Easy-to-Use Guide to Joomla!™−The World's #1 Open Source Content Management SystemIf you want to build sophisticated websites that can be easily edited and updated, you need to master Joomla. Now there's an easy-to-read, easy-to-use guide to Joomla for every site manager, administrator, and developer. Leading Joomla consultant Barrie North covers all you need to get results: installation, administration, site organization, template development, content updates, and a whole lot more. You'll find tips, tricks, and troubleshooting solutions, as well as three start-to-finish case studies.New to Joomla? No problem! This book starts with the simplest design and system concepts, and builds your expertise step-by-step. You'll rapidly master Joomla's power, even if you have no content management, scripting, or CSS expertise. Experienced with Joomla? You'll turn to this book constantly for its authoritative, plain-English, example-rich Joomla 1.6 reference content.• Understand content management, what Joomla does, and how its components fit together• Build Joomla sites from scratch and systematically customize them to your needs• Create modern, pure CSS Joomla 1.6 templates using popular grid frameworks• Use Joomla 1.6's nested categories to organize content and articles • Create dynamic pages and effective navigation• Work with Joomla modules and components• Learn how to optimize your Joomla sites for search engines• Follow three start-to-finish case studies: building a school website, a small business site, and a blog• Identify the most valuable Joomla extensions and add-ons: find them and use them

Want to learn more information about Joomla 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (3rd Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress 2.8 Theme Design Review

WordPress 2.8 Theme Design
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress 2.8 Theme Design? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress 2.8 Theme Design. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress 2.8 Theme Design ReviewI seem to be reading quite a few WordPress books of late, and there are certainly a few to choose from. Packt Publishing's WordPress 2.8 Theme Design's tagline is 'Create flexible, powerful, and professional themes for your WordPress blogs and websites'.
WordPress themes are of interest to me since they fuse a visual aspect with PHP code, and there's no doubt that they appeal to many other people too.
Chapter Overview
1. Getting Started as a WordPress Theme Designer
2. Theme Design and Approach
3. Coding it Up
4. Debugging and Validation
5. Putting Your Theme into Action
6. WordPress Template Tag, Function, and CSS Reference
7. AJAX/Dynamic Content and Interactive Forms
8. Dynamic Menus and Interactive Elements
9. Design Tips for Working with WordPress
The book's author Tessa Blakely Silver starts very gently with an introduction to WordPress themes and why downloading a theme that's already been coded and designed may not always be the best solution. Subsequently, the book develops a theme from scratch and examines core technologies such as WordPress, CSS, XHTML and PHP.
The second chapter starts with a discussion of theme design in general, followed by the beginnings of the theme that's developed throughout the book. There are further discussions on semantic markup, typography, fonts and layout.
The following chapter focuses on the code aspect of theme design, and suggests a workflow strategy as well as template tags, hooks, and the WordPress loop. Comments are then discussed in some detail, the topic including pagination and threaded comments.
Chapter four examines the process of debugging and validating. A thorough chapter includes references to the W3C validation services, Firefox's JavaScript/Error console, Firebug and some of the issues that the budding theme developer will face when dealing with IE6.
Chapter five looks at the style.css file, which provides descriptive information about a theme, together with packaging the theme into a ZIP for distribution and running test installations of the theme package.
Chapter six adopts a more reference based approach, with an in depth examination of WordPress template tags, the WordPress template hierarchy, the loop and shortcodes.
The following chapter looks at AJAX and JavaScript, as well as preparing your theme for plugins and widgets.
Chapter eight builds on Chapter 7's JavaScript discussion by developing a drop-down menu for the theme. There is also a discussion of Flash and how that can be used with WordPress themes.
Chapter nine rounds off the book with a number of design tips that apply not just to WordPress theme design, but web design in general.
The book's about 250 pages in length, and is generally well written. I did, however, notice a few errors in code samples (mostly misplaced quotes), and a couple of examples in the prose itself. Another minor niggle was that the author talks about semantic markup, and then introduces 'sidebarLT' (sidebar left) and 'sidebarRT' (sidebar right) IDs into the markup.
The back of the book states: This book can be used by WordPress users or visual designers (with no server-side scripting or programming experience) who are used to working with the common industry-standard tools such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver or other popular graphic, HTML, and text editors. Regardless of your web development skill set or level, you'll be walked through the clear, step-by-step instructions. But familiarity with a broad range of web development skills and WordPress know-how will allow you to gain maximum benefit from this book.
It seems as through Packt have tried to convince the potential reader that this is the book for them, regardless of whether they're fairly inexperienced in some areas, or a a highly skilled developer. I'd say that the book covers a lot of ground, and that it does so at a pace that would be suitable for an inexperienced developer. Much of the content, however, would already be familiar to a skilled web developer, and so I feel that they'd think that the really useful content is a little thinly spread.
Overall, it's encouraging to see more books about WordPress; although the internet is a fantastic resource, books still have a very important role in my opinion. The content of this one is great for beginner-medium level web developers, but more experienced readers will be left wanting more.
WordPress 2.8 Theme Design OverviewTheme design can be approached from two angles. The first is simplicity; sometimes it suits the client and/or the site to go as bare-bones as possible. In that case, it's quick and easy to take a very basic, pre-made theme and modify it. The second is "Unique and Beautiful". Occasionally, the site's theme needs to be created from scratch so that everything displayed caters to the specific kind of content the site offers. This book is going to take you through the Unique and Beautiful route with the idea that once you know how to create a theme from scratch, you'll be more apt at understanding what to look for in other WordPress themes. This book can be used by WordPress users or visual designers (with no server-side scripting or programming experience) who are used to working with the common industry-standard tools like PhotoShop and Dreamweaver or other popular graphic, HTML, and text editors. Regardless of your web development skill-set or level, you'll find clear, step-by-step instructions, but familiarity with a broad range of web development skills and WordPress know-how will allow you to gain maximum benefit from this book.

Want to learn more information about WordPress 2.8 Theme Design?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Drupal 6 Social Networking Review

Drupal 6 Social Networking
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Drupal 6 Social Networking? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Drupal 6 Social Networking. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Drupal 6 Social Networking ReviewI really like this book, it covers a lot of territory in a very practical way, while also digging into the "why's" of things should be done the way Michael suggests. Understanding the "why's" is important so that if you want your site to do something different, you can make a good decision about the implementation.
The book is also very "satisfying." I'm a deep technical person [...], though don't have much Drupal experience. I was afraid, I'd have to bite my tongue and toothpick my eyes open to read this book for the Drupal specifics. That's not been the case. It's an easy read, interesting, and relevant. I'm currently thinking about a few new social projects, and while I wouldn't go so far to say that you should read this book whatever platform you are deploying on; I would say that you should consider prototyping on Drupal with this book in hand so you could make a better platform decision once you know more about building a social site. (sorry about the run-on sentence!).
I gave it a 4 instead of 5 stars, because there are a few places where there are typos that affect the content, and other places where ideas are used before they're explained, or a final screen shot that brings it all together is missing. I realize it's really boring to read a lot of explanations, and then read about the example, and sometimes it's best to talk about the example, and explain stuff after. It just makes it harder to read because I'm trying to figure out if something will be explained later, or if I need to look online before reading further.
This book has saved me a LOT of time researching Drupal and its plugins on line, so really glad I'm reading it. There were a lot of good references for further reading about the topics discussed AND the topics referenced, but not discussed in the book.Drupal 6 Social Networking OverviewBuild a social or community web site, with friends lists, groups, custom user profiles, and much more
Step-by-step instructions for putting together a social networking site with Drupal 6
Customize your Drupal installation with modules and themes to match the needs of almost any social networking site
Allow users to collaborate and interact with each other on your site
Requires no prior knowledge of Drupal or PHP; but even experienced Drupal users will find this useful to modify an existing installation into a social web site

In Detail
Drupal is ideally equipped to be used as a base system for creating a custom social networking site like Facebook and MySpace. While these large social networks have their place, niche social networking web sites can help promote businesses, products, projects, and hobbies of any nature.
This book provides careful instructions and clear explanations to take you through the setup and management of your social network site, covering topics from users to marketing to maintenance. It will help you create your own social networking site, suitable for whatever audience you decide!
This book will take you from the very basics of both Drupal and Social Networking right through to more complicated aspects, like creating your own custom design and features for the site. With no experience of Drupal required, the book will introduce you to this award-winning CMS and carefully take you through the steps to create a social networking site from it. As the book progresses, you will learn how to add to and expand your social networking site, adding more features and adding value for your users, and how to make your users feel part of the community. Social networking web sites rely on their users contributing to the site, and this book helps you structure a site in a way users can easily and enjoyable contribute to the site - creating a powerful social network.
The book begins with the fundamental concepts of a Social Networking site, and how we can use Drupal to create such a site. It then goes through installing Drupal before looking at expanding the out-of-the-box feature set with third-party modules designed for Social Networking. Once the web site is running, it looks at securing the Social Network, deploying it on the Internet, and keeping it running and well maintained. It doesn't stop there however; as Social Networks rely on their user base to run and become successful, the book also covers marketing the Social Network using Search Engine Optimization, Online Marketing, and a range of new Social Media.
What you will learn from this book?

Get started with Drupal and explore the features of this powerful Content Management System.
Build a social networking site from the ground up using Drupal 6
Use a combination of features, modules and some simple custom development to allow user interaction and user contributions
Enable your users to interact and communicate with one another, building friendship
Let your users contribute to the site, from those who wish to add a little content to those who wish to help run the site on a daily basis
Import content into your site from elsewhere on the Internet using the Aggregator module
Create user profiles, set up roles and permissions, and handle security settings
Explore Drupal's modular system, and use it to create modules to add additional functionality relevant and useful to your social network.
Customize the look and feel of your site by enabling and installing new themes, ensuring that your site is distinctive
Deploy and maintain your social networking site on the Internet using the maintenance mode, reports, and cron to keep everything running smoothly
Recover from virus attacks and hacking attempts to your Social Network by making and maintaining regular backups, in case the worst should happen
Promote and market your Social Network using advertisements, advertising networks, other social networks, and search engine optimization
Approach
This book is packed with clear instructions and careful explanations for creating a powerful Social Networking web site using Drupal 6. With each chapter, you add new features and content until the Social Network is ready to be released to the Internet where it can grow.
By the end of this book, you will have a powerful Social Network either like that of the case-study, or of your own design based on the setup and features the book walks through.
Who this book is written for?
This book is aimed at anyone looking to create their own social networking web site, including:
Businesses - building a Social Network around a product or service can improve your company profile and increase customer loyalty. Alternatively, an internal social network gives you employees a place to keep resources, discuss ideas, raise concerns, and keep up to date on company policies.
Hobbyists - create a community around your hobbies and interests; create a local or distributed user group.
Organisations & Charities - Raise your profile, promote your events / services / fundraisers and get help from the community in organizing them.
Families - For large families based across the country or across the globe, keep up to date with everyone, and let everyone know what you are up to.
You don't need any experience of Drupal or PHP to use this book. If you are a Drupal user you will find this book a great way to rapidly tailor an existing installation into a social-orientated web site.


Want to learn more information about Drupal 6 Social Networking?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress 3 Ultimate Security Review

WordPress 3 Ultimate Security
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress 3 Ultimate Security? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress 3 Ultimate Security. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress 3 Ultimate Security ReviewI have been using WordPress since version 2.5 and when I first heard about this book, I was wondering how the author could fill 240+ pages on securing WordPress.
As many veteran WordPress users know, Automattic, the company that oversees the development of the open source blogging platform, does an excellent job keeping it secure, with regular updates. The problem here is many users think that Automattic does everything to keep WordPress sites secure. Do not fall into this trap. Users have to take responsibility too.

So it came as no surprise that the first four chapters are spent explaining how the bad guys work and how to protect your computer and network. The author covers a broad range of topics from how to secure Windows, Mac, and Linux workstations. He gives advice on where to obtain, install and configure personal firewalls and anti-virus software. He suggests ways to avoid spam and make your web browser safe for browsing.
The chapters on WordPress security are just as informative. He explains how to back up your WordPress site (which you are probably already doing. Right?) How to set up file and user permissions. He explains which WordPress files and features should be disabled or removed to avoid hackers and why you should use SSL, SFTP and hardened shell accounts to access your site.

If your site does get hacked, there is a disaster recovery section that explains how to get your site back online and make sure it doesn't get hacked again.

I am an IT consultant and have worked with PCs in some form since 1982 and built my first website in 1995. I thought I knew a lot about security, but this book taught me many new ways to secure websites and computers. It was a quick read and brought me up to date on the fast changing world of Internet security.
This book can help all users, from WordPress beginners to IT professionals. I recommend reading it to keep both your website and PC/Mac/Linux computer safe.
WordPress 3 Ultimate Security OverviewThis is a comprehensive essential guide to WordPress security written in a light style, which converts learning a really serious topic to an enjoyable read. It is packed with copy-paste solutions to security to suit all levels of security know-how. Just as WordPress is used by a broad spectrum of website owners, with varying degrees of security know-how, so WordPress 3 Ultimate Security is written to be understood by security novices and web professionals alike. From site and server owners and administrators to members of their contributing team, this essential A to Z reference takes a complex and, let's face it, frankly dull subject and makes it accessible, encouraging, and sometimes even fun. Even if you are a total newbie to security, you can transform an insecure site into an iron-clad fortress, safeguarding your site users, your content and, sooner or later, your stress level.

Want to learn more information about WordPress 3 Ultimate Security?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Review

Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ReviewThis book is aimed at people who haven't used Joomla before and want to learn all of the fundimentals needed to get started. If you are an experience Joomla programmer looking for an a book on how to manipulate the underlying PHP, CSS, MySQL, and HTML, this ISN'T the book you need.
Personally, I needed a book that would teach me how to use the system. Before I purchased this book, I had never used Joomla in any way before. So, I was very happy to find that it only took several hours for me to read through this book and learn how to get a site up and running.
Unlike many other Joomla books, this one gets you into the program very quickly. The directions for using Joomla are very clear, as are the accompanying illustrations. Each of the chapters in this book are short and sweet.
If you are a newbie, like me, this is a great book to start with!
Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) OverviewBuild template-based web sites without the hassle of writing code!
Joomla! is a free, open source PHP & MySQL-based content management system that allows you to create interactive, community-based Web sites without having to write or program code in PHP or ASP.NET. This fun and friendly introduction to Joomla! shows you how to create a rich, interactive Web site that does not require any code.
No matter your skill level, this easy-to-understand resource demonstrates how to drop preconfigured modules that already contain PHP and MySQL code directly into your Joomla! site. Thanks to the Dummies fun and friendly approach, you'll quickly see how easy to create a rich, interactive Web site with Joomla!
Demonstrates how to create a business site—complete with shopping cart—quickly and easily
Walks you through developing Web sites with discussions, RSS feeds, picture submissions, and more
Includes coverage of the newest version of Joomla!, explains its completely new administrative features, and reviews its ability to provide different levels of access to different users via much-requested access control lists

Find out why Joomla! is the easiest way to build an interactive, community-based Web site!

Want to learn more information about Joomla For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press) Review

The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press) ReviewAdvertised as a "comprehensive Joomla! reference for every administrator, developer, designer, and content manager", I expected a lot more from this book. As a PHP developer who has worked extensively with Wordpress writing custom code and templates, I'm very disappointed by the misleading product description. While good for getting acquainted with CMS concepts and getting your feet wet with Joomla for project manager types, this book is not for programmers looking for a O'Reilly-styled reference manual on coding Joomla modules or creating your own templates. There isn't a single block of PHP code anywhere in this entire book.
It leans heavily towards the non-technical aspects of Joomla and web management principles in general and seems to be written for a tech-savvy, but non-programmer lay audience. In the beginning is a chapter of non-Joomla fluff like branding (choosing a memorable logo), identifying your target audience, how to register a domain name, color schemes, search engine optimization, and choosing a hosting provider. This is all well and good for a web development principles "For Dummies" book, but for a book that's already thin at 300 pages and billed as a comprehensive reference book, this feels like an attempt at length padding. The next few chapters are about how to use the Joomla menu system itself to do things like navigate the site, upload files, and add new content, then moves onto a few examples of Joomla as used for business, schools, and non-profits, followed by useful plugins and a chapter of interviews from Joomla users, ending with an appendix of links and a glossary.
For experienced developers looking for actual technical material on how to write your own extensions and modules, you won't find it here. Discussion of CSS, the most fundamental and powerful way of changing the entire look of your site without any programming, is discussed here in a scant few pages and scattered mentions. After looking through this book, I am no closer to understanding how to work with Joomla's API and create my own templates from scratch. The jdoc statement, for example, is briefly explained in a paltry 2 pages.
In short, this is a good book for getting to know the basics of content management systems and core Joomla admin/content-creation capabilities, but for users looking to actually write code to extend Joomla's functionality, you'll find very little of use here. This book tries to be all things to all people, but it doesn't work. In the installation chapter at the beginning, for example, the book assumes your hosting provider has Cpanel and phpMyAdmin (administrators), yet the remainder of the book is very non-technical (content-managers). Somewhere, they forgot the developer. The interviews chapter takes up 38 pages and is almost completely useless to most people and reads like a product testimonial commercial. The participants are all asked many of the same questions (what attracted you to Joomla, do you use open-source software). Another nit is that the book is all black and white, minus the cover. Lastly, you get a free online version of the book, but for only 45 days.The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press) OverviewThe Official Joomla! Book is the authoritative and comprehensive Joomla! reference for every administrator, developer, designer, and content manager. Distilling the unsurpassed experience of two long-time Joomla! contributors, it teaches exactly what you need to know, through practical example sites and crystal-clear explanations.
If you're new to Joomla!, you'll learn how to quickly create usable, effective sites. If you're an experienced Joomla! user, you'll learn how to make your sites more flexible, feature-rich, visually attractive, and useful. And whether new or experienced, you'll learn how Joomla! really works, so you can fully leverage its power whenever you're ready. You'll also get to know the Joomla! community by hearing from twelve community members through in-depth interviews, and you'll learn how to participate in the Joomla! project in ways that make sense for you.

The Official Joomla! Book covers everything from installation to usability, templates to extensions. The authors explain each key concept conversationally, helping you learn to help yourself and confidently gain control over Joomla! and the sites you build with it. They also present chapter-length application case studies for business, non-profits, and education. You will learn how to


Plan sites effectively before you start building them
Create production sites quickly while avoiding common mistakes
Install and configure Joomla! for maximum efficiency
Create and edit content for your Joomla! site
Customize and work with Joomla! templates
Work with extensions: components, modules, plugins, and languages
Efficiently administer Joomla! sites
Participate in the Joomla! community as a user and contributor


Want to learn more information about The Official Joomla Book (Joomla Press)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review"Professional WordPress - Design and Development" is a superb book that will be appreciated greatly by developers looking to WordPress (WP) for the first time or for giving them a more thorough understanding of the inner-workings of WP. WordPress, as I write this, is at the WordPress 3.0 beta 2 cycle of development. This book will still be pertinent even though it was not specifically written as a WP v3.0 book.
The book's chapters are arranged in 3 major sections. Chapters 1 thru 4 are a top-level look at WordPress. The history and development of WordPress is discussed as well as the presentation of a functional overview, discussion of installation (including a valuable discussion of debugging errors you may have during installation), a code overview and a tour of the core. There is good stuff here. For instance if you are unclear of the distinction between tags and categories, this will clear things up for you. Or if you've ever wondered what the Turbo option in the Dashboard is, your answer will be found in these chapters. There is even an excellent discussion of advanced wp-config options that is sure to be helpful to the developer as well as a lot of information on configuring your .htaccess file.
Chapters 5 thru 8 thoroughly explore the Loop, understanding the WordPress database and how to directly manipulate it (database queries, building your own taxonomies, direct database manipulation), plugins development & WordPress integration (shortcodes, widgets, plugin security) and theme development (modifying existing themes, creating new themes.)
Chapters 9 thru 15 cover everything else including content aggregation (how to get information into your WordPress site by various means such as XML feeds, integrating twitter, RSS feeds), creating a user experience through consistent navigation, design elements, how to structure your information, searching your site, mobile access & statistics, cache performance, dealing with spam, using WordPress as a content management system (CMS). For developers considering a new web site with WordPress, migrating an existing site to WP is an important consideration and this is discussed in Chapter 14. Chapter 15 concludes the book with a discussion on the WordPress developer community; how you can contribute, working on the core using Subversion and a look at other WordPress resources.
I am not a hardcore developer by any means. My experience with PHP and CSS is marginal, yet I learned a lot from reading this book. Using the code samples helped further my understanding of PHP and this has given me a new interest in learning more about the "inside" of WordPress.
This is a substantial book on WordPress especially geared to developers and secondarily to enthusiasts who wish to dig into WordPress more deeply and begin to explore what makes WordPress tick and how to extend WordPress. Even though the topics are discussed at an advanced level, the writing is not nearly as dry and cumbersome as other technical books can be.
This is an extremely valuable resource for the developer yet there is a thorough approach taken in the early chapters that even a fledgling WP user would find valuable (but not a non-technically minded reader.) However, it is certainly not an appropriate "first" book for the non-technical person simply desiring to get started with WordPress. There are more appropriate books for the non-technical reader. Having said that, there are certain users who may be inspired enough by the easily readable approach taken by the authors to be propelled to learn more because of the depth of information that is contained in this book. Merely using some of the existing code samples can help you learn more about writing and debugging PHP code and serve as a platform for future growth in your knowledge and skills.
This is a stand-out book on WordPress and anyone doing serious development with WordPress could benefit from "Professional WordPress." Highly recommended.
Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewAn in-depth look at the internals of the WordPress system. As the most popular blogging and content management platform available today, WordPress is a powerful tool. This exciting book goes beyond the basics and delves into the heart of the WordPress system, offering overviews of the functional aspects of WordPress as well as plug-in and theme development.
What is covered in this book?
WordPress as a Content Management System
Hosting Options
Installing WordPress Files
Database Configuration
Dashboard Widgets
Customizing the Dashboard
Creating and Managing Content
Categorizing Your Content
Working with Media
Comments and Discussion
Working with Users
Managing, Adding, Upgrading, and Using the Theme Editor
Working with Widgets
Adding and Managing New Plugins
Configuring WordPress
Exploring the Code
Configuring Key Files
wp-config.php file
Advanced wp-config Options
What's in the Core?
WordPress Codex and Resources
Understanding and customizing the Loop
Building A Custom Query
Complex Database Operations
Dealing With Errors
Direct Database Manipulation
Building Your Own Taxonomies
Plugin Packaging
Create a Dashboard Widget
Creating a Plugin Example
Publish to the Plugin Directory
Installing a Theme
Creating Your Own Theme
How and When to Use Custom Page Templates
How to Use Custom Page Templates
Pushing Content from WordPress to Other Sites
Usability and Usability Testing
Getting Your Site Found
How Web Standards Get Your Data Discovered
Load Balancing Your WordPress Site
Securing Your WordPress Site
Using WordPress in the Enterprise
Is WordPress Right for Your Enterprise?
and much more!

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Want to learn more information about Professional WordPress (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition Review

WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition ReviewThis is Lisa Sabin-Wilson's 3rd Edition of her bedrock "WordPress For Dummies". I own all three editions and each is thicker and filled with more knowledge than the prior edition. If anyone asks me how to learn, manage and use WordPress, this is what I recommend.
It is truly A through Z coverage. Sabin-Wilson is, in my opinion, one of the best technical writers around. Her language is clear, uncluttered and free of artifice.
Logically enough, she begins at the very beginning explaining what WordPress can do for you. To her credit, she doesn't hold it out as a panacea for all that ails you. She doesn't promise you that you'll earn millions or will win public office. Sabin-Wilson simply tells you how to set up your blog and then moves progressively into the minutiae of creating and managing a WordPress blog. (And yes, operating a blog is like most other things in the world - a series of small details that you must repeatedly (i.e., daily or thereabouts) attend to. In fact, one of the chapters is appropriately entitled "Establishing Your Blog Routine".
"Wordpress For Dummies" is thorough. The WordPress Dashboard is explained as is the use and, perhaps more importantly, the customization of themes. (With WordPress, your blog or website can look however you like it, but getting it right is not necessarily simple.)
Another important Sabin-Wilson covers in some detail is using WordPress as a Content Management System. Although she treats it in some detail, I personally wish that she would write a book on this subject alone.
In all, none of the other WordPress books I've read - and there are quite a few of them - measure up to the standard that Linda Sabin-Wilson has set in all three editions of "WordPress For Dummies". Each edition has been extensively revised to stay as current as possible with WordPress releases.
A total delight to read and use, it is, in my opinion, the gold standard for learning, managing and using WordPress.
JerryWordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition Overview
The bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated for newest version of WordPress

WordPress, the popular, free blogging platform, has been updated with new features and improvements. Bloggers who are new to WordPress will learn to take full advantage of its flexibility and usability with the advice in this friendly guide.
Previous editions have sold nearly 50,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode.
WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, Web standards, and usability
WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition covers both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires users to purchase Web hosting services
Written by an expert who works directly with the developers and cofounder of WordPress
Shows readers how to set up and maintain a blog with WordPress and how to use all the new features

Like its earlier editions, WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition helps bloggers quickly and easily take advantage of everything this popular blogging tool has to offer.

Want to learn more information about WordPress For Dummies, 3rd Edition?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Review

WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ReviewMassive amounts of well-written and helpful information and detail and step-by-step instructions. This is a worthwhile book to have if you have or want to start a blog at Wordpress. It extensively covers both the freebie Wordpress.com and the Wordpress.org program you can download free .
I am starting my second blog at Wrodpress, and I would not be without it. I refer to it frequently.
But be advised: I bought the Kindle edition, same content but, as far as I can tell, it lacks the index this print version has. Perhaps those that configured the book for Kindle thought that the Kindle search capacity would suffice. It just doesn't always work well for me, though, so I miss the index. So I would give the Kindle edition only 4 starts.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book.WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) OverviewThe bestselling guide to WordPress, fully updated to help you get your blog going!
Millions of bloggers rely on WordPress, the popular, free blogging platform. This guide covers all the features and improvements in the most up-to-date version of WordPress. Whether you are switching to WordPress from another blogging platform or just starting your first blog, you'll find the advice in this friendly guide gets you up to speed on both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires the purchase of web hosting services, and figure out which version is best for you. You'll be able to take full advantage of the flexibility and usability of WordPress.
WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog platform that emphasizes aesthetics, web standards, and usability
Previous editions of this guide have sold more than 85,000 copies, and interest in blogging continues to explode
Illustrates how to set up and maintain a blog with WordPress and how to use all the new features
Covers both the free-hosted WordPress.com version and WordPress.org, which requires users to purchase web hosting services
Written by an expert who works directly with developers and the cofounder of WordPress

This guide helps bloggers quickly and easily take advantage of everything this popular blogging tool has to offer.

Want to learn more information about WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress All-in-One For Dummies Review

WordPress All-in-One For Dummies
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress All-in-One For Dummies? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress All-in-One For Dummies. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress All-in-One For Dummies ReviewHere is a quote from Page 57 of "WordPress All-in-one for Dummies" that ought to be highlighted on the cover of the book. "The self-installed version from WordPress.org is the primary focus of WordPress All-in-one for Dummies." What does that mean?
WordPress is the popular software that allows for the creation of blogs and it comes in two versions. The version of WordPress found on the .com site (which I think of as the on-line version) allows the user to set up a free, full featured blog that will satisfy the basic needs of many bloggers and that is slightly customizable at no charge, and then, still more customizable for some small fees. The .org (or self-installed) version is meant to be loaded onto a hosting computer and is fully customizable although one will have to be familiar with the workings of software and capable of writing code to accomplish this.
Like the self-installed version, the on-line version operates from a main "dashboard", which is by no means instinctive. Its use can be learned from the software's help facility but a guide devoted solely to this version would be extremely useful. Some of that information can be gleaned from this book, like the method of installing one's own graphic in the header, instead of the WordPress defaults, but one will have to sort through the information in the book. If you just want to set up a blog, for whatever purposes, or if you just want to make a start in getting into blogging, the on-line version will prove adequate, and, especially if one is willing to invest in upgrades which are available for a small fee, can be tailored to give a distinctive enough look.
Most of this book will help you if you want to set up a blog that you can tailor to your own desires, including even showing you how you can set up the software for multiple users. On the other hand, you will probably have to learn to code Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and even a little HTML and to read the WordPress code to make adjustments. The book will explain to you, for example, that you can change the width of a sidebar, and even tell you which file on your host you must open and alter to do so. However, the authors could easily have included the code for, say, a theme, and then showed you how to change that code rather than talking in general terms. The reader who doesn't know CSS and HTML coding will be disappointed.
Although there is plenty of information here, there is nothing to tell you about creating the content for your blog, or suggesting which of the easily installable widgets that allow you to do things like add convenient indexing to your blog pages will be most helpful to you in achieving the purpose of your blog. Similarly, even though WordPress can be used to set up something like a photographer's gallery, there is no discussion of other options for achieving the same purpose, like creating straight web pages with HTML or software like Dreamweaver.
The bottom line is that if you are interested in setting up a blog to convey your ideas, you probably can get started with the on-line version of WordPress and can pass this book by. On the other hand, if you are intent upon tailoring your blog to a specific layout, and are willing to learn and use coding, this book may be a good start,
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies OverviewA convenient how-to guide for maximizing your WordPress experience
WordPress is a state-of-the-art blog publishing platform with nearly ten million active installations. Eight minibooks provide you with expanded coverage of the most important topics to the WordPress community, such as WordPress basics, theme designs, plug-in development, social media integration, SEO, customization, and running multiple sites. Veteran author Lisa Sabin-Wilson leads an authoritative team of authors who offer their unique knowledge and skillset while sharing invaluable advice for maximizing your site's potential and visitor experience.
Presents straightforward and easy-to-understand coverage of the basics of WordPress, the most popular blog software in use today
Delves into the topics that matter most to the WordPress community, such as theme design, plug-in development, and social media integration
Addresses ways to handle a variety of WordPress security issues
Examines the WordPress network

The word on the street is that WordPress All-in-One For Dummies presents everything you need to know about WordPress in one convenient book!

Want to learn more information about WordPress All-in-One For Dummies?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

WordPress Bible Review

WordPress Bible
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy WordPress Bible? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on WordPress Bible. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

WordPress Bible ReviewIf you are just starting out with WordPress, then the best book I've found for that is Lisa Sabin Wilson's "WordPress For Dummies" (WPD). WPD will carry you surprisingly far into the installation, use, maintenance and extension of WordPress. It is now in its second edition with a third expected soon.
For most people, WPD will suffice.
But If your needs are more demanding, then Aaron Brazell's "WordPress Bible" is a good place to go.
Brazell gets much deeper under the WordPress hood than Sabin-Wilson. - and this content is not for the neophyte.
The content is eclectic, with a lot of emphasis on building plugins. Installing WordPress is covered, but not in the same supportive way you'll find in WPD. Some chapters are head-scratchers: why are nine pages devoted to the WordPress help system ("Codex") and other support groups? Chapters like "Extending WordPress with Plugins", "Widgetizing WordPress", "Understanding the WordPress Database Class" and the doozy "Dissecting the Loop and WP_Query" give you what you need to know to write and manage plugns. Another chapter talks about using WordPress as a Content Management System, which I found helpful, and wish was three times longer.
Overall, "WordPress Bible" is a valuable addition to any serious WordPress library. My one criticism of the book is about Wiley, the publisher: they have a adopted a design that makes it look as if the type is printed in gray, which I find very difficult to read for more than a few minutes at a time. Wiley does not respond to customer comments. Because of this flaw, I will buy Wiley books only when they appear to be best in class.
Jerry
WordPress Bible OverviewA complete and thorough guide to the largest self-hosted blogging tool: WordPress
Has learning WordPress become a pressing issue for you? If so, then turn to WordPress Bible, a complete resource on everything you need to know to learn WordPress from beginning to end. You'll start with the basics of WordPress, such as the principles of blogging and social media interaction. Then the pace ramps up to more intermediate-to-advanced topics including plugins, WordPress Loop, themes and templates, custom fields, caching, security, and more.
Written by a popular WordPress consultant, this comprehensive guide is timed to publish with the release of the latest version of WordPress, ensuring that you have the most up-to-date information available on the largest and most-used blogging tool in the world.
Serves as the definitive guide to every aspect of WordPress, the most popular self-hosted blogging tool in the world
Covers everything, from the basics of installation to more advanced topics such as plugins and security
Includes coverage of the most recent release of WordPress, keeping you up to date on all its latest features
Addresses themes and templates, WordPress Loop, custom fields, caching, and more
Author is a popular WordPress consultant

You'll be hard-pressed to find another resource as thorough and comprehensive as WordPress Bible.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Want to learn more information about WordPress Bible?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...