"Joomla is about allowing ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and that is exactly what the authors of this book do for its readers. . . . I present this book for your pleasure. It begins with how we began and takes you on a journey through which you can be empowered to reach the world." -From the Foreword to the First Edition by Andrew Eddie, cofounder, Joomla

The Official Joomla ^(R) Book, Second Edition, 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, taking full advantage of the features in Joomla 3 and Joomla 2.5. 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 seventeen 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 ^(R) Book, Second Edition, 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 and create a basic template
• Work with extensions: components, modules, plugins, and languages
• Efficiently administer Joomla sites
• Maintain Joomla sites, including making back ups and managing upgrades and migrations between versions
• Participate in the Joomla community as a user and contributor