Joomla free Image Gallery and slideshows

So, thought I'd look into image galleries in Joomla.

Found a few free extensions. The one I ended up trying was "Simple Image Gallery" because I wanted to try the 'low' end first and see how easy it was.

So, also found this page which is the simple instructions:

1. download and install plugin
2. enable plugin (wasn't written in the instructions but I worked it out)
3. create a folder in "images" folder using Media Manager
4. Put your images in here
5. Make a new article
6. somewhere in the article put :
1. {gallery}name_of_your_folder{/gallery}
2. it has to be curly brackets!
7. done

Quite simple really.

I notice they do a pro version as well. Looks like the pro is better, having descriptions and different styles. I'll have to look into how to do this.

Phoco Gallery looks like a good alternative, and has slideshow capabilities

Just seen this site version of it which:

• Phoca templates
• Phoca extensions
• VirtueMart extensions
• Phoca Theme for VirtueMart (software extensions for CMS Joomla!)

 Looks amazing!!


As for slideshows, found DJ ImageSlider which looks and works brilliantly. It has its' own slide management system with slides and categories, but also includes a custom module!! Brilliant

Windows Installer Service under safe mode

Well, it's always been a great problem not being able to install things under safe mode. I think they're paranoid of viruses installing with no antivirus running. But I always need to install little 'fix it' programs to get the comptuer up and running.

Anyway, I looked into it and found a microsoft article (right down the bottom) on how to enable the Windows Installer Service, but it doesn't work in Safe Mode.

To get it running in Safe Mode, I found this good article

Basically, in the command line in safe mode (networked) type this:

REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

net start msiserver 

Printing cost for the Epson Stylus Pro 7600 on A1+ Roll of Luster paper

We're going to start charging per page for the use of the Epson Stylus Pro 7600. I've been asked to work out the cost. So I've found this webpage which describes the costs in $'s per ft squared inc media! So a little conversion is necessary:

Premium Luster - $1.22 per ft squared

1ft squared = 30.49cm squared

A1+ = 91.4cm x 61.55cm = 5625.67cm squared

A2 on A1+ = 61.55cm x 42cm = 

2 x A3 on A1+ = 61.55cm x 42cm

2 x A4 on A1+ = 61.55cm x 21cm




Scrap that.


Just found that Derby University have a Printing Bureau, and have prices showing how much they charge on a pdf document.


They charge £15 for an A1 print. As a rough estimate they must double the cost for overheads and a small profit.


So:
A1 = £7


What I was thinking was charging for the whole length:

Basically just estimated the rest.


If the student brings in their own paper, we will simply cut the price in half. So:


A1 = £3.50
A2 = £1.75
A3 = £0.80
A4 = £0.40

Uploading/transferring joomla

So I want to make a joomla site, but I use multiple jam-a-lam jazzy jeff stuff, yeh?? is you dizzy blood?!!

cannot believe how hot it is ya know! like 16 degrees yeh on wednesday!! gonn be real hot and sweatey wagwan, so get ya tshirts on and in the pool bitches! :D

So I found this wiki based on joomla 1.5. I shall read sometime.

So there are basically two ways:

1. manually uploading files and database
1. Copy joomla folder up to server via ftp
2. using myphpadmin on local machine export database
3. somehow import database into server php?
4. edit the configuration php file and change details
2. using akeeba
1. backup joomla using the akeeba extension
2. I assume you upload a joomla site and import this jpa file somehow
3. Here's their quickstart guide which looks VERY helpful.

So I did it!!

1. I backed up using akeeba
1. I downloaded the backup file
2. upload the backup file to the new server root
2. on the new server make sure there is a database ready
3. I used akeeba kickstart to restore!!
1. heres some documentation (very helpful)
2. download kickstart
3. unzip
4. put kickstart.php and en.ini file in root of server
5. goto the webaddress http://yourserver.com/kickstart.php
6. go through the wizard
4. Done

Transferring from blogger/blogspot to joomla

So, I'm hoping to make a website for myself, which I want this blog to be a part of. But how to do it. Well, at first I thought I'd just have it as a feed, but actually I want to incorporate it fully into the joomla site. So.... here's what i found on the amazing thing called the internet:

Found on this forum

1. Export xml from blogger
2. import to wordpress
3. export from wordpress to joomla

Looks like wordpress is the go-between. Not found anything more recent then 2009, so maybe there is a straight blogger to joomla extension?

Found a how to website with information on the wordpress to joomla conversion. Need to install JoomBlog extension.

Also found this blog on how to do it. Costs $15 to by feed2post though

Just had a quick search on the extensions directory for joomla and found this PLo Blogger, which duplicates blogs on your joomla site onto your blogger site. This would be a good way to have them both up and running, and not loose any followers and such.

The question is: Is it worth the hassle? Perhaps keep blogger going, and make a new blog for other things on the joomla site. Might be the best thing to do?

Joomla on a Mac

So, I've been trying out the cloudaccess.net version of Joomla and I thought I'd try the totally free downloadable version, mainly to see the differences and also to perhaps edit files more locally.

Just read up on the txt file which comes with the download, takes you to this page for installation requirements. At the bottom of the page it says there is a quicker way then installing all the little things; MAMP, Macintosh, Apache, Mysql and PHP. 

So... here's how I did it:

1. Download MAMP and install
2. run MAMP from applications folder

1. Go to "Open Start Page" or open browser and type : http://localhost:8888/MAMP
2. Go to MyPHPAdmin

1. Name a new database and click create
3. Now download Joomla
1. unzip it (if safari doesn't)

1. Put the new folder in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs
2. In the web-browser go to http://localhost:8888/Joomla_2 (or whatever folder you've named it)
3. It now takes you through the Joomla installation
4. One point I got stuck on was the database name. Type in the database name you created in MyPHPAdmin
5. The default password for the database thing is:
1. username = root
2. password = root
3. I wouldn't change these if I were you. If you do:
1. Go to MAMP/bin/mamp/index.php and change the password bit
2. Got to MAMP/bin/MyPHPAdmin/config.inc.php and change the password bit in here too
4. Done!!

I'm going to try and download the joomla site I made on cloudaccess.net and put it on the computer? I shall hopefully write a post and stick it up here.

Notes:

Had this error message come up:

Could not connect to the database. Connector returned number: 2

Turns out I didn't create the database and/or put the right password in. It would be easier if Joomla could do this bit?

I'd gone and changed the password for root in MAMP!! Doh, I ended up having to look for where the password entries were for each part of MAMP. Found the main two:

1. Go to MAMP/bin/mamp/index.php and change the password bit
2. Got to MAMP/bin/MyPHPAdmin/config.inc.php and change the password bit in here too

How can I change the password for the MySQL database?

Open the terminal and type the following:
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqladmin -u root -p password

Instead of  use the new password you want.
Afterwards, you also need to change the password for phpMyAdmin and other scripts which are running under MAMP. You can change the password for phpMyAdmin in the file /Applications/MAMP/bin/phpMyAdmin-X.X.X/config.inc.php

iTunes Apps folder on OS X

So, I've been downloading a few new apps for the iPads and have just been notified that I'm using too much disk space. So, looking into where the apps are stored I found this folder:

~Music/iTunes/iTunes\ Media/Mobile\ Applications

Thought I'd move this to the local drive and make a symlink:

ln -s /Volumes/Scratch\ Disk/Stephen/Mobile\ Applications /Network/Servers/appleton.chesterfield.ac.uk/home2\$/LeachS/Music/iTunes/iTunes\ Media

Yep, still works. So all is good.

Joomla notes

Thought I'd best take some notes because I might just forget how I ever did it. So:

• Make a module for everything you want to place on the page, with exception to the articles
• Theres a Banner module
• theres a search module
• theres a menu module
• etc
• These modules require you to designate them a position. This is set out in the template you are using. If you change template you'll have to change all the position. (there always named differently)
• To view the positions, I found this forum. Basically in templates, go to options, switch on "preview positions" then whereever you are on the actual site, just put "?tp=1" without the speech-marks.
• When in the menu manager you can assign different menus to different modules. I think this is so you can have a few different menus for different areas. All you'd have to do is make another menu module and put that in a different position.
• To edit a templates stuff, I saw on a tutorial that there are lots of options which come with every template. I couldn't find these with Beez template, but with all you can edit the html, and also the css. So it's totally changeable!

I shall add to this list of useful hints over time.

which Content Management System to use?

What with all the new websites about these days, with constantly updating and interactive elements, it is too daunting to learn php or asp so why not use a content management system?

Well, I think I'll try some out and then I'll be more able to answer that question. I had a quick look around and found this informative blog, which gives a nice little list of free ones. Here are some of the most popular and nice looking, and almost most importantly, free:

• Joomla
• Drupal
• WordPress

I'll carry on here when I've had some playing about.


Well, I'm still having a good look at Joomla. Seems good but a little complicated when you first have a look at it. I'm finally getting there. Here's what the joomla site currently looks like.

I've just found this wiki which describes how to begin templating, which is ultimately how I will make the website. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but essentially all I'll have to get used to is using the special php references to put the content in. You then use CSS to style all the html you made in the template.

Whilst looking through the joomla wiki I found that it might be easier to start off editing the "beez" template, which they claim to be highly adaptable! Heres the wiki

Deleting all print queues on OS X using Command Line

So, here's a little script which deletes all the print queues on OS X. I run it through Apple Remote Desktop's "Send Unix Command" as root:


for printer in `lpstat -a | awk '{print $1}'`
do
echo Deleting $printer
lpadmin -x $printer
done

We're moving our print server to a UniFLOW system and so I need to get rid of all the print queues and add new ones (adding them through Workgroup Manager).

Thought I'd make a little pkg file which I can send to all machines through ARD Task Server. I did it through Iceberg. Here's a few screen shots of it with notes:

Adding a preflight script to run

This is the script which runs on preflight

Simple really, but works.

Installing UniFLOW client on Mac OS X 10.6 and deploying it

So, we're going to be using a UniFLOW system for our print management. Everythings working fine, just need to deploy it to all the Apple Macs under my control.

Simply set up the printers on one machine. Load up Workgroup Manager and add these printers to whatever managed computer lists you have (but make sure the managed computers have the drivers installed first!)

Next is to install the client. Luckily it comes as a mpkg file! Just have to set the preferences to pick up the right server and settings

From what I can find the settings are in a plist file:
~/Library/Preferences/com.NT-Ware.UniFLOWMacClient.plist

Although In this file there were only a few things:

TEST
aaa

Doh!

But I have also found:
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.NT-Ware.UniFLOWMacClient.001b6399ade5.plist

Which contains:





LogFileName

LogonNoName

PopupForEveryJob

Reditect

ServerName
put.your.server.dnsname.here.com

(it didn't put all of the "<" and ">" things in!!

Result. Not sure what the "ByHost" folder is all about. I might look into it if just getting this plist file and putting in workgroup manager doesn't work.

So, I saved this file in the ByHost folder as ~/Library/Preferences/com.NT-Ware.UniFLOWMacClient.plist and added it to the Workgroup Manager - Managed Groups - Preferences - Details tab and set it to "Always".

Now when I load up the UniFLOW - MacClient app it comes up with the right server!

But for some reason it hasn't popped up when printing. Might be to do with the user. I'll try my login.......
.... yep worked a charm.

Just emailing the guy in charge to see if he can set up my test user the same as myself (I think the main thing to do is change the threshold for when the user gets notified).

Yep, turns out the test user account didn't have any budget or anything. Now he's sorted the account out, everything works fine!