Sample School Website
Sydney Region ITSU School Support
http://sts.sydneyr.det.nsw.edu.au
2007
Website Project Page
• http://sts.sydneyr.det.nsw.edu.au
• SR Projects
• Sample School Website
Warning
Some Technical Skills are
required!!!!!!!
Agenda
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Why? What is wrong with the DET webspace?
One Solution.
What is a Content Management System?
What is Joomla?
Requirements.
Installation
Templates
Working with Joomla
Next Step?
What is wrong with the existing School
Webspace Site?
• Can only host static pages – no dynamic content
possible.
• Can not be edited from home (easily)
• Is not easy to maintain and change.
• Can not easily provide extended features such
as Dynamic calendars, forms, Picture Galleries...
• Restricted content not easy to setup.
• Everyone who edits the site, needs the ftp
password – hard to maintain security.
The Solution
• Establish a dynamic site using a Content
Management System.
• Site can be hosted:
– By external webhosting service (Costs
money)
– at school site on a server using a “reverse
proxy”
What is a Content Management System?
• Wikipedia
– “a web content management system is
software for web site management”
– A web content management system is a
computer system used to manage and control
a large, dynamic collection of web material
(HTML documents and their associated
images).
– A CMS facilitates document control, auditing,
editing, and timeline management.
Why use CMS
• A Web CMS provides the following key features:
– Automated templates: Create standard visual templates that can be
automatically applied to new and existing content, creating one central
place to change that look across all content on a site.
– Easily editable content: Once your content is separate from the visual
presentation of your site, it usually becomes much easier and quicker to
edit and manipulate. Most CMS software include WYSIWYG editing
tools allowing non-technical individuals to create and edit content.
– Scalable feature sets: Most CMS have plug-ins or modules that can be
easily installed to extend an existing site's functionality.
– Web standards upgrades: Active CMS solutions usually receive
regular updates that include new feature sets and keep the system up to
current web standards.
– Workflow management: Workflow is the process of creating cycles of
sequential and parallel tasks that must be accomplished in the CMS.
For example, a content creator submits a story but it's not published on
the website until the copy editor cleans it up, and the editor-in-chief
approves it.
– Document management: CMS solutions always provide a means of
managing the life cycle of a document from initial creation time, through
revisions, publication, archive, and document destruction.
Advantages of SR sample site
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Easy to edit or contribute content
Consistent theme across site – automatc
Consistent items such as navigation
Can have multiple contributors
Functions can be added through
extensions.
Create New Page (Static Site)
Develop
Content
Design
Page
Update
Navigation
Approval
Upload
Creating new “page” (CMS)
Develop
Content
Approval
Levels of users
• - Public Front-end:
– Guests – able to view public content
– Registered – able to view public and restricted content
• Author – able to contribute content
• Editor – able to edit content
• Publisher – able to approve content
• Public Back-end
– Manager – equal to publisher + backend access
– Administrator – able to add extensions, etc
– Super Administrator – God – can do everything.
What is required? (Hardware)
• Server
– Windows Server 2003 (recommended)
– Mac OS-X (10.4) Server
– Linux Server
• Remember: This will become your school’s
communication to outside world
– Needs to be reliable and responsive
– Should not be Workstation with server
software
What is required? (Software)
• Apache Webserver
• MySQL (database)
• PHP (scripting language)
• All three available as a single install
– XAMPP
• (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html)
• Joomla (CMS)
What is required?
• Reverse Proxy to Server
• Contact Helpdesk
– Request Reverse Proxy to webserver
– Provide IP address (.28, .29, .30 only)
• This will make server visible to Outside
Users.
What is
• Free Open-Source CMS
• Joomla can be extended with:
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Dynamic form builders
Business or organizational directories
Document management
image and multimedia galleries
E-commerce and shopping cart engines
Forums and chat software
Calendars
Blogging software
Directory services
Email newsletters
Data collection and reporting tools
Banner advertising systems
Subscription services
and many, many more…
• http://www.joomla.org
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Installation
1. Download all components
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Xampp - www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
Joomla - www.joomla.org
Install Xampp
Install Joomla
Install Templates
Add Extensions
Configure Site
Add Content
Templates
• Sample Site Template
• Other Free Templates
– http://demo.studentsdesign.de/
– http://www.joomlamarket.de/
• Template Tutorial
– http://dev.joomla.org/content/view/1136/79/
Extensions
• http://extensions.joomla.org/
• Suggested Extensions:
– JCal - Calendar
– Expose – Image Gallery
– Random Image Rotator – Random Image
– eBackup – Backup
– samSiteMap – Sitemap
– JCE – back-end Editor
Next Step
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Install Joomla on Test machine
Develop Content
Setup Server
Contact Helpdesk to organise reverse
proxy
• Copy content
• Set redirect on Old site
• Use new site
Next Meeting
• Creating Content
• Using Extensions
• Editing Templates