How to Install Joomla 1.7 Manually (valid for Joomla 1.6 too)

In order to complete the manual Joomla 1.6 installation, follow the steps listed below:
Step 1. Create a MySQL database from cPanel->MySQL Databases and add a user to it. If you are not using cPanel, you can check the MySQL manual for more details on the database and user setup.
Step 2. Download the archive file with the latest stable version of Joomla 1.7 from the official web site. Store it in a folder on your local computer and extract the archive.
Step 3. Upload all the content from this local folder to the directory on the server where Joomla 1.7 will be stored. The easiest way to upload the files and the folders is through an FTP client. Detailed instructions about this are available in our FTP tutorial.
Step 4. Open the URL of the newly-uploaded Joomla script. If the content is uploaded in the main web directory, use http://yourdomainname.com. In case you have uploaded it in a subdirectory, open http://yourdomainname.com/example. Replace the domain and the directory names with the corresponding ones for your web site.
Step 5. The Joomla installation page will be loaded:

There you can select the language for the installation. It will be valid only during the installation. Once completed Joomla will be switched back to English.
In order to follow easier the next steps of the tutorial it is recommended that you choose "English".



Step 6. On the next page Joomla will check whether the system requirements are met on the server. If one or more are not met, a corresponding message will be shown.
SiteGround servers are fully compatible with Joomla 1.7:

Step 7. After you make sure that all system requirements are met, proceed by clicking on the Next button from the top right menu. On the next page you should read and accept Joomla's license.

Again, click Next to continue.
Step 8. Here you have to enter the MySQL details for the new Joomla 1.7 installation. Use the ones set in Step 1.
In the following screenshot you can find example entries and explanations for these fields:

Step 9. Next, you can set your File Transfer Protocol (FTP) configuration. Keep the default settings and click Next to proceed.

Step 10. On the current page the main Joomla 1.7 configuration should be defined. Specify your site name, meta description and keywords, admin user, email and password.

Click on Next to proceed.
Important: In this example we will not use the Install Sample Data feature because it may cause confusion and require time to remove all the data populated later.
Step 11. In the last page of the installation wizard you will receive a confirmation that Joomla 1.7 has been successfully installed.

In order to access your new Joomla 1.7 web site you must delete the installation directory. This can be done with your FTP client.
Well done! Your Joomla website is now installed.
If you want to learn more about the options the manual Joomla installation offers, please contact the SiteGround Technical Support Team. Our technical team is expert in Joomla related questions and able to build the perfect environment for your Joomla 1.7 website.

Logging in the Joomla 1.7 admin area (valid for Joomla 1.6 too)

First, in order to build your web site you will have to log into the administrator area. This can be achieved by opening the corresponding URL in your web browser:
http://yourdomainname.com/administrator
Replace yourdomainname.com with your actual Joomla URL.
Next, you have to enter the admin login details which have been set during the installation:

Creating articles in Joomla 1.6

After entering the Joomla administrator area, you can check the featured articles (the ones that are included in the sample data or created by you) published on the front page through Content->Featured Articles.

You can edit them, create new ones, remove existing from the front page, delete, publish and unpublish articles.
If you have installed the Sample Data, before adding new articles you can delete the sample ones. Select them and click on the Trash button. Then remove the menu links to the sample articles from Menus->Main Menu.
After this you can add a new category from Content->Category Manager->Add New Category.

For example, you can put “Test” as the new category Title. The other options can be left blank or you can set their values as per your personal preferences. Click on the Save button to add your new category.
Next, navigate to Content->Article Manager->Add New Article.

Only the Title field is mandatory. Enter the article title. You can also select your category from the corresponding drop-down menu. Change the article State to Published. If you want to show it on the front page, set the Featured value to Yes.
Once you are ready with the settings you can proceed with the actual article content. Use the included text editor to type the article text, to include images or to directly edit the HTML code.

Under the text editor area you can set the permissions for the different user groups regarding your article.
You can also adjust the settings in the Publishing Options, Article Options, Metadata Options menus.

You can hover your mouse pointer over the options’ labels and get a brief description of each one of them.
Once you are ready, Save the article and check it on the front end. You can always edit the existing articles from the Joomla admin area->Content->Article Manager.
In this part of our Joomla 1.7 tutorial we will learn how to link articles to the web site menus. Note that the same steps should be taken if you are using Joomla 1.6.
To make your articles and the corresponding pages accessible, you should set links to them. This can be completed by including these links in the web site menus.
Open your Joomla admin area->Menus->Main Menu.

Click on the New button.
Choose the Menu Item Type from the corresponding dialog. If you want to link a standard article pick the Single Article option.

Then enter the link title in the Menu Title field and select the corresponding article which will be linked through the Select Article functionality.

Save the changes and view the new menu item located on your frontend.

How to publish your article on the home page?

In order to make one of your articles the home page for the web site, navigate to the Joomla admin area->Menus->Main Menus.
Select the article and click on the Home icon.

The change of the default home page article will be confirmed with the following message:
One menu item successfully set to home
If you want to remove the old home page article, select it and click on the Trash button.
Once you start your web site, you will probably want to allow your visitors to contact you. This way they will be able to provide important feedback to the webmaster. For this purpose you need to set a Contact Us page with an online contact form.
Open your Joomla 1.7 (or Joomla 1.6) admin area and navigate to Components->Contacts->Categories.

Click on the New button and enter the details of your new contacts category. Only the Title value is required. You can also set the preferred configuration for the rest of the options.

Save the changes and return to Components->Contacts->Contacts.
Click on the New icon to begin the setup of your Contact us page.

Enter the required values in the corresponding fields.
Review the options listed in the right part of the page and set them per your needs.
In order to receive a copy of the contact form inquiries, enter a valid e-mail in the Contact Options list.

Save the Contact Us page setup and navigate to Menus->Main Menu to publish it. Click on Add New Menu Item.

Define the menu item type from the corresponding dialog.

Enter the Menu Title value and select the contact in the right part of the page by clicking on the Change Contact button.
Review and set the other options that are not mandatory per your requirements.
Save the new menu item and check it on the front end.
Joomla 1.7 can be easily extended and customized just as its previous versions. The same instructions are valid for the previous Joomla 1.6 version too. For those who are not familiar with Joomla extensions we will explain the role of Joomla components, modules, plugins, templates and languages through which you can extend the functionality of your site.
Joomla components provide the most extensive functionality of all extensions. They can completely alter the functionality and look of a Joomla-powered website. For example, with a component you can turn part of your Joomla into an online store, forum or photo gallery.
Joomla modules can be used if you are looking for minor functionality extension such as adding a block in your pages for showing the weather. Each module can be published in predefined blocks or template positions which differ for each template.
Joomla plugins are invisible to the end user since they don’t show directly in parts of your site. However, plugins are very powerful and can change Joomla input / output in various ways. An example of a plugin is the one used for changing the pagination in Joomla or rewriting the URLs.
Joomla templates are used for changing the look of your site. There are templates for the frontend and for the backend. Most templates are for the frontend since the backend template is visible only for users with special permissions (e.g. administrators). By default, Joomla 1.7 comes with 3 frontend and 2 backend templates. If you haven’t chosen your template yet, check the ones in our free Joomla templates gallery.
Last but not least, there are Joomla languages. You will need an additional language pack in case you plan to create your site in a language different from English, which is the default one.
When looking for Joomla extensions it is important to make sure that the one you choose is compatible with your Joomla version. Joomla 1.5 had legacy mode which allowed older extensions to be used. However, Joomla 1.6 does not have such option and it does not support extensions for previous versions.