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How to Choose an Extension? Part 1: Selection Steps

Newbie or oldtimer? We all sometimes have issues finding the correct extension for the site we're building. Sometimes it's a piece of cake, sometimes you could bash up your workstation and yell at the client, "Why, whyyy?". Nevertheless, extensions are the builldingblocks to better and more powerful Joomla sites. Let's look at some pointers or guidelines about how to choose an extension.
How to Choose an Extension? Part 1: Selection Steps
Let's start at the very beginning of all extension searches: http://extensions.joomla.org. The Joomla Extension Directory (or JED) should be your first source at all times. The current count of extensions is about 6500 foor Joomla 2.5 and 3.x. If you're wondering what happened to the 1.5 extensions, they're still there (at http://archive.extensions.joomla.org/), but really, isn't it tme to upgrade to Joomla 2.5 or higher?
The JED is growing rapidly with extensions, and so you will have to use the search. On the left side there's an easy navigation where extensions are already categorized. Take a peek and you might find some extensions you never expected. On top of the JED you can search by keyword. Don't just enter a lot of words but try to narrow it down to one or two keywords. It makes life a lot easier.

So you found some extensions and they all seems to be good for your needs. Great, but how to choose the correct one?

Take a look at some basics. What Joomla version are you using, do you (or your client) need a commercial or non commercial extension, does it have to be a component, module or plugin? Now that this selection is made, let's drill it down a bit further.
Is development still ongoing for the extensions still left in your selection? Look at the version and when it was last updated on the detail page of the extension. Does it use the Joomla updater, or do you have to update it manually each time? What's on the roadmap for the coming months?
One of the most important criteria in your selection is the features of the extension. Not only those you need now, but think a bit about the future. What would be nice to have, and what will you or your client need soon? Can the extension communicate with other extensions (e.g. automatic subscription to a newsletter when buying a membership, and at the same time create a user account)? If one feature is not on the list, and all the others are, why not get in touch with the developer and ask whether it's possible to get that one feature added or not. And try the demo to check if the feature(s) you're looking for are also working the way you want.
Although some people appear to have lost the ability to read, documentation is a crucial point in the selection. Is there good documentation available about the extension? Is it accurate, and does it cover troubleshooting? Good documentation can save you and the developer a lot of time. (Don't bother reading from A to Z when still in selection mode. Skim over it, and look for some particular descriptions on how to configure, how to change, and how some features work.)
An extension is only as strong as its support, some like to say, and most do agree. Who hasn't had a bad experience with support? Or with supporting clients? Support can be given in different ways: by a ticket system, in forums, or direct email with the developer, etc. Is support for the extension free, or is it a yearly (or monthly) subscription? Just a pointer on this one: when you need support, the one and only person who can answer your question with 100% certainty is the developer of that extension - no Facebook group or some obscure forum.
And the last thing to consider in this Part 1 article, are the experiences other people have had with the extension you're considering. Within the JED you can find reviews written by other users, and they may contain some useful information. In my humble opinion, the mediocre reviews are the best, where the reviewers are pointing out the good and not so good things about the extension. And reviews where the developer has responded are also very useful. They give you an idea of how the developer is involved in the quality of his extension, and if he's looking for solutions.
Choosing a good extension (especially for client projects) is not something you do as quickly as getting fast food. The above are meant to be some pointers and guidelines to get you started.
In the next JCM issue(s) I'll go deeper into tips, tricks, and look at some specific extensions. So stay tuned!

Mobilize Joomla!‎

In 2013 there will be more mobile devices capable of accessing the web than there will be computers. How do you present your Joomla!  website to your users accessing it from their mobile devices? A Mobile website is a website which has been optimized to work in a mobile browser. Using a mobile phone web browser one can directly access these websites. Mobile devices have unpredictable screen sizes and the speed of the internet connection can be low. The loading of images can take longer. This article will describe different approaches to mobilizing your Joomla! website.
Mobilize Joomla!‎

Separate Mobile Website

The mobile version is a totally independent website with another URL, mostly using the subdomain "m.". Using some Joomla extensions it is possible to use your existing content to create a separate mobile version.
The top internet brands like Google, Facebook and Yahoo use separate mobile solutions - quite simply, for the speed. It has been found out in studies that the average mobile user is only willing to wait a maximum of four seconds for content to load on their devices.
Most of those sites would perform 100-400% faster on mobile by using a separate mobile solution.

Mobile Joomla

Switching a website from desktop mode to mobile mode is not hard with Joomla, thanks to the tiny but useful component Mobile Joomla. One of the most popular components in the Joomla Extensios Directory (JED), Mobile Joomla features many customization options you can tweak to ensure that your mobile visitors will have an enjoyable browsing experience on your website.
The most important feature of Mobile Joomla is probably its stability and simplicity. Mobile Joomla is easy to implement, and really does what it claims.
Mobile Joomla significant features include:
  • User agent detection system through multiple methods, including WURFL;
  • Flexible layout settings;
  • Support for custom themes and modules;
  • iPhone, iMode, Wap, and XHTML device categorization.

Jtouch

Jtouch Mobile is not just a template, it is a solution to mobilize your Joomla 1.5 & 2.5 website. designed to help mobilizing Joomla! websites is easy as 1-2-3! Its aim is to bring a better view and interaction for your website on most modern smartphones like iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry...
Jtouch is free and Open Source. No encoded script, no back-track - it's all open!
Responsive Web Design
Jtouch specializes in targeting mobile screens, and helps your website look more beautiful and attractive on mobile.
Supports Most Major Platforms
Jtouch works really well on iPhone, Android, Window Phone and many other OS's like BlackBerry, Meego, Tizen and FirefoxOS...
Easy to Customize
Jtouch adapts Themeroller for jQueryMobile. You can drag and drop colors and then download a custom theme. It only takes about 5 minutes to make your theme like no others.
Auto Detects
Clients are browsing your page on various types of smartphones. Don't ask them tap on a link to display your mobile site! Jtouch can detect and It is smart enough to switch your website from desktop to mobile template, automatically!

Responsive Webdesign

Responsive Web Design tries to adapt the layout to the viewing environment, and probably also uses flexible images.
Responsive design usually reacts to four kinds of screens: the widescreen desktop monitor; the smaller desktop (or laptop); the tablet; and the mobile phone.
Responsive design works by using @media queries to identify the size of the device screen and presents a layout based on that size.
Joomla Responsive Design
According to Google Trends, “Joomla Responsive” is catching up very quickly From October 2011.
Joomla Responsive vs. Joomla Mobile
mobilizeJoomla










Responsive Joomla Templates
Test your website
Take a look at different websites and see how they are dealing with different device sizes.

 Mobile App

Apps are actual applications that are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather than being rendered within a browser. The app may pull content and data from the Internet, in similar fashion to a website, or it may download the content so that it can be accessed without an Internet connection.
When Does an App Make Sense?
Despite the many inherent benefits of the mobile web, apps are still very popular, and there are a number of specific use scenarios where an app will be your best choice.  Generally speaking, if you need one of the following, an app makes sense:
  • Interactivity/Gaming – for interactive games (think Angry Birds) an app is almost always going to be your best choice, at least for the foreseeable future.
  • Regular Usage/Personalization – If your target users are going to be using your app in a personalized fashion on a regular basis (think EverNote) then an app provides a great way to do that.
  • Complex Calculations or Reporting – If you need something that will take data and allow you to manipulate it with complex calculations, charts or reports (think banking or investment) an app will help you do that very effectively.
  • Native Functionality or Processing Required - mobile web browsers are getting increasingly good at accessing certain mobile-specific functions such as click-to-call, SMS and GPS. However, if you need to access a user's camera or processing power an app will still do that much more effectivley.
  • No connection required – If you need to provide offline access to content or perform functions without a network/wireless connection then an app makes sense.
Chimoora
Chimoora is a Joomla! client app which brings the features of a Joomla! powered website to mobile devices.
Different operating systems will be supported. The first one will be Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). BlackBerry 10, Windows 8 and iOS are on the radar as well. Chimoora 1.0 will support Blogs (Joomla! featured articles) and Forums (powered by Discussions). The next version will bring Private Messages (Discussions) and Classified Ads (Marketplace).
On the serverside, Chimoora needs a Joomla! API extension which is developed as part of the Chimoora project in parallel. The API extension is a "normal" Joomla! component and is simply installed via the extension manager.
Requirements:
  • Chimoora is an Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) native app and therefore it requires Android 4.x on the mobile device
  • The Joomla! API extension needs Joomla! 2.5 or above to work.
Joooid
Joooid (with three "o") is a free app/extension for Android devices.
Joooid allows you to:
  • create or edit articles, change title, alias, category, status, access level, frontpage and scheduled publishing.
  • create content with the WYSIWYG with html markup and links, in full screen! 
  • add images and galleries using pictures from your device.
  • add youtube videos or share images and videos with Joooid directly from Image Gallery or YouTube App. 
  • geotag articles, embed maps with your current position using GPS/Network or set the map coordinates with the handy map picker. You can also share a location to Joooid directly from the Google Maps application.  
JomMobile
jomMobile allows you to manage your Joomla 1.7 site on the go with your android.

jomMobile allows you to edit many core features of your Joomla site for free!

Feature list:
  • Manage multiple sites
  • Article manager: View/Add/Edit/Delete
  • Category manager: View/Add/Edit/Delete
  • Menu manager: View
  • Menu items: View/Edit/Delete
  • User manager: View/Add/Edit/Delete
  • Manage 3rd party plugins (ie. K2)
You have to install the app and a Joomla component.

5 Reasons why Joomla is the Best CMS the World Has Ever Known!

When setting up a new website there are a lot of factors to consider, like your design and domain name, but the most important of all is choosing the right platform. This is crucial and not a decision to be taken lightly.
There are a number of factors that need to be taken into account, such as cost, time, quality, flexibility and control.
There is only one award-winning content management system used by millions around the world, including some of the most respected corporations, that meets all of these needs:Joomla.
The debate about which is better, WordPress or Joomla, has raged for too long. In this post I will outline the reasons why Joomla reigns supreme and rightly sits atop the Iron Throne of CMSs.
By the time you finish reading this post you will be convinced of the need to immediately uninstall your worthless WordPress install and make the switch to Joomla.
Your business – and your web cred – depends on it.
TL;DR: If you’re scratching your head at this post, don’t worry – it’s just part of our new Friday Funnies :)
Joomla

1. 2.8% of the World’s Websites Use Joomla

You can’t argue with 35 million downloads and counting, or as the Joomla website says, one download every 2.5 seconds. Impressive stuff.
Joomla powers the websites of some of the world’s most well-known and much-loved brands like Pizza Hut and Kelloggs and even the websites for Leonardo Di Caprio and Gorillaz!
When you buy an ÄLVROS armchair from the Kuwaiti IKEA website, you can thank Joomla for your smooth transaction.
With WordPress now the backbone of more than 20 per cent of websites, Joomla can quietly go about being the best CMS available without the added pressure of being the most popular. A brilliant business strategy.

2. Joomla Has More Than 6000 Extensions

What WordPress folk refer to as “plugins”, Joomla developers refer to as “extensions”.
The 12,000+ plugins available to WordPress users is way too much. It’s overkill. I mean, who needs to rainbowifyunicornify or catify their site? There’s no need for all that junk. There’s no need to add even more clutter to Joomla’s already beautiful templates.

3. Some of the Biggest and Most Respected Companies in the World Use Joomla



Pizza Hut, the UK Ministry of Defence, the Greek Government, the High Court of Australia and MTV in Greece are just some of Joomla’s biggest fans.
And did I mention that Leonardo Di Caprio uses Joomla? Pretty cool, huh?
But what you might not know is that McDonalds is also a convert. That is, McDonalds in Bahrain.
McArabia
McArabia… yummy!
If you have a craving for McArabia Chicken or a McRoyale Burger, the local McDonalds website has you covered.
Joomla powers the restaurant’s website for the Arabian Peninsula, ensuring information is easily on hand for budding burger flippers with stars in their eyes wanting to find out more about the region’s Hamburger University.




4. The Admin Area Inspires Greatness




Just as Muhammad Ali was the greatest, so too is Joomla and its stunning and simple to use admin area.
Joomla admin area
The Joomla admin area makes me so happy!
Joomla’s endless lists of text that seem to go on and on and on, the multiple sets of navigation and the fact is calls me a “Super User” like I’m some sort of web wunderkind who controls the interwebs from the admin area that in no way at all looking bland and boring. I’m in love.
Logging in conjures up images of riding a unicorn over a sea of rainbows and joy balloons.
Yes, I love the admin area. It doesn’t make me want to smash my head on my keyboard at all.

5. The Default Templates are Simply Stunning





I mean Protostar, doesn’t it knock your socks off with its pretty blue flower and all the… other stuff? And don’t get me started on Beez3 with it big blue banner and boxes.
Joomla default template.
Joomla comes with two gorgeous default templates.
There’s no need to download any of the hundreds (not thousands) of fancy new templates when two high quality templates are already installed for free. And when you get tired of one template (which is highly unlikely) you can just switch to the other template.

Conclusion

Joomla is by far the best CMS available and way better than WordPress. It’s just a matter of time before it dominates the market place. Just a matter of time. You wait and see…